Director, Media Relations (Food & Beverage)

Praytell is an integrated marketing and creative communications agency made by teams with strategic minds and spirited hearts. We create timely, integrated, headline-worthy campaigns across social, earned, digital and more. And we’ve picked up some pretty cool awards along the way, like PRWeek’s Best Place to Work (8x so far!), Agency of the Year and even a few your mom would recognize, even if she doesn’t fully get what you do for a living. Best of all, we’ve got a team of the smartest, kindest, most curious and supportive humans on the planet.

And guess what? There’s an empty seat here with your name on it. If you're looking for an opportunity to join an ambitious team that is singularly focused on doing great work with great people, we'd love to hear from you!

Overview:

The Director, Media Relations will play a key role in leading media relations for brands in our Imbibe & Dine practice, spanning beer, wine & spirits, food & beverage, and restaurants. This role focuses on developing media strategies, securing coverage, and driving cultural relevance across traditional and emerging platforms. You’ll build strong press relationships, craft compelling story angles, and guide both proactive and reactive media outreach. Additionally, you'll mentor junior staff, contribute to new business efforts, and provide media training for spokespeople. Food & beverage experience is a must!

Responsibilities:

• Joining Praytell’s Media Team to support brands in our Imbibe & Dine practice, which spans beer, wine & spirits, food & beverage, and restaurant clients.
• Accountable for inserting our clients into culturally-relevant media conversations across verticals.
• Developing compelling media angles and identifying feature storytelling opportunities to generate interest and secure coverage; both traditional (e.g., print, online, broadcast) and emerging (e.g., Substacks, podcasts, social/digital video, e-newsletters).
• Driving detailed, innovative media strategies and all aspects of their execution in collaboration with the account team.
• Providing strategic input on campaign strategies and plans, sharing strong, insight-driven POVs, builds and pushes.
• Working with the account team on media lists, press releases, briefing docs, bylines and mailers.
• Cultivating and expanding your relationships with media (including digital, social, broadcast, etc.); networking with media to build relationships via virtual/IRL meet-and-greets.
• Managing proactive and reactive media relations for clients.
• Mentoring and training junior staff in media relations strategy and skills, which includes participating in and leading development programs for staff and culture initiatives.
• Staying up-to-date on industry news, trends and updates to inform media strategy and recommend new pitch angles/ideas.
• Collaborating with other members of the Media Team to develop ongoing industry POVs, share learnings from media meetings, and act as a media relations brain trust for the PR department.
• Participating in new business opportunities (note, this may require occasional travel), as well as mentorship and training programs for junior staff development.
• Joining client calls and serving as the subject matter expert on media trends, emerging platforms, target outlets, etc. 
• Media training spokespeople as part of upcoming campaign work and staffing interviews on behalf of clients.

Benefits

We have a growing list of benefits and perks, including:

• Salary: $105,000 - $125,000 (Please note, the salary range for this role reflects the minimum and maximum compensation. In the spirit of transparency, we typically offer salaries within the 25th to 75th percentiles and cannot exceed the maximum listed. The final offer will depend on your experience, skills and qualifications.)
• Comprehensive health care (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), where you receive shares of Project Worldwide, our parent company, for every year you work here
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) options with an annual employer contribution based on company performance
• Flexible Time Off (FTO), more than a dozen company holidays and mental health days
• Flexible work locations within the US, remote is a-ok! We also have physical hubs and offices in LA, SF, Austin, Chicago and New York
• Flex Fridays, aimed to keep Fridays meeting-free (with exceptions) for focused work and providing you space to support your personal wellbeing while delivering great client service
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) giving you and your family access to mental health resources, family and relationship support, career resources, legal and financial services, discounts and more
• Paid parental leave and fertility support programs
• Training and team-building programs and activities
• Camp Praytell, our company offsite (eligibility based on employee start date)
• Our wonderful Employee Resource Groups (BEACON, Compañeros, elevAsian, Herizon and Prism)
• And more!

Interview Process

• Submit Application
• Phone Screen (30 mins)
• Team Interview (30 mins - 1 hour)
• Final Interview (30 mins)
• Take Home Test (TBD)
• Offer
• Target Start Date: Late April (or sooner)