In January 2025, I became a Vice President at Collected Strategies, a strategic communications firm that launched nearly three years ago.
The View from the Field
For seven years, I worked at CNBC. When I departed, I was serving as a senior field producer, a role that is essentially the chief of staff for a busy TV news correspondent. You pitch stories, coordinate shoots, manage travel and field logistics, oversee video edits, and build trusted relationships with sources, public relations firms, and communications officers.
From 2021 to 2023, I covered the White House and Biden administration alongside Kayla Tausche, who was then the Senior White House Correspondent. We reported on everything from the federal COVID-19 response and diplomatic meetings to the early days of the war in Ukraine. There were 16 hour days, starting with 3:30 a.m. emails planning our coverage. Kayla and I had a strong partnership and logged a lot of miles together, both across the country and overseas. When Kayla moved on from CNBC, I began thinking about how I wanted to grow next
Finding Collected
I first came across Collected Strategies in an Axios article highlighting new rising PR firms. I contacted Ed Hammond, a founding partner at Collected and a former journalist for The Financial Times and Bloomberg. After several rounds of interviews, I accepted an offer to join the firm just before Christmas 2024.
Are the Skills Transferable?
Absolutely. The years I spent building relationships, producing earnings stories, and coaching on-air talent continually inform my work here, be that developing new business, preparing executives for media interviews , or helping our clients better tell the stories that shape their reputation. Perhaps less discussed is the ability former journalists have to understand the mindset of someone covering news. Knowing the process a reporter, editor, or newsroom goes through when news breaks equips you with an empathy to make clearer decisions.
What is the Big Shift?
In TV news, coverage can pivot a dozen times before sunrise. In financial communications, the structure is different. We help clients manage both short- and long-term communication plans, prepare for Investor Days and IPOs, and navigate crises. It is a different type of challenge, but the one thing that stays the same is the necessity of producing accurate messaging.
For Any Journalists Thinking About a Change
Start with your own network. Most journalists spend a significant part of their career building and maintaining relationships with interesting, influential, and sometimes challenging people. So be thoughtful about how to leverage that network in whatever you do next.
New Room, Same Mission
I really love my new career. It challenges me in new ways and has forced me out of my comfort zone. I am thankful for my 14-year stint in cable news; having the perspective of what is going on in a busy newsroom is vital when we are working on our own messaging. If there is major breaking news, it is best to take a step back and consider how a journalist may react to a pitch that might feel tone deaf to the current cycle. Both broadcast journalism and strategic communications are ultimately about connecting with audiences in ways that impact.
Finally, always know who your cheerleaders are. I always tell my former students, interns, and junior colleagues to identify who those people are in your life. Whether you are navigating a career change or just a tough day, those are the people who will help you find your way forward.
