Welcome to ‘Meet the Board Mondays’, a new series to help you get to know your 2019 Board of Directors. This year, the San Francisco Bay Area chapter is led by a dynamic, passionate group of PR pros who are committed to help advance the profession and the professional in this foggy city! To kick things off, we start with our fearless leader, 2019 President John McCartney.

 

Give me a P-R-S-A!

 

P: PERSON  

Who is John McCartney?

John is our chapter’s 2019 President. He’s also the Managing Director of West Coast at Wise PR. A Filipino American, John moved to San Francisco from New York in 2013 and is passionate about PR, travel, sports (specifically professional wrestling), music, news, politics and food.

R: REASON

What’s the reason you joined and serve PRSA?

John lives and breathes the mission of PRSA, to advance the profession forward. In fact, he teaches a PR 101 class at General Assembly San Francisco to do just that. He takes great pride helping colleagues perfect their craft and he also enjoys teaching PR to those who know nothing about it!

S: SPECIALTIES

What are your specialties in your personal and professional life?

Media relations and social media marketing are John’s professional specialties. Admittedly, he uses #hashtags a lot. In his personal life, John enjoys trying new restaurants and traveling. So far, he’s been to Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos.

A: ADVICE

What advice would you give other PR pros?

Remember that we’re all storytellers. Think about the elements that make a great story, why people should care, and why your story should stand out from the rest. And, PR is built on relationships – with media and within the industry – so, always remember to treat people the way you want to be treated and help out when you can. Those who are ethical in their craft are often successful.

Any questions, ideas or feedback for John? Shoot him a note at info@prsa.org. We love to hear from members!