The public relations team of Flynn Wright shares their knowledge with PRSSA
Upon entering the office of Flynn Wright in Des Moines, it became quickly apparent how creative and innovative their work environment is. With a variety of open seating areas in the middle of the room, a ceiling of color-changing LED lights, and a spectacular view of the sculpture garden and downtown scenery across the way, the space looked like more of a contemporary hang-out than an office.
The modern atmosphere of the office made this visit memorable, but the bubbly and dynamic personalities of their public relations team made it unforgettable. Kiersten Maertens, Andrea Breen, and Mara White began by giving us a tour of the office and explaining a little about what they do. Flynn Wright integrates public relations, advertising, brand management, and research and thus offers a full-service approach to marketing. Some of their best-known clients include Mediacom, Dahl’s, and Josephs Jewelers.
Flynn Wright believes that it is crucial to operate in a collaborative work environment, and prides itself on its teamwork. With open desks and office space, along with areas for spontaneous team meetings, employees are able to easily peak over the shoulders of others and see what they’re working on. This dynamic work environment allows ideas to be thrown around and creativity to thrive.
Once we finished touring the office, the PR team discussed more about the company’s work and what they have learned throughout their time in the industry. Research plays a huge role at Flynn Wright, and the team explained to us how crucial strategy and planning are before execution can even be thought of. The company works with the Des Moines Harvest Research Center, a state-of-the-art research facility that uses well-established quantitative and qualitative methods. White also explained that every person in the company is part of the pieces that build the team. She said that their company is a true mix of what each person brings to the table, and that individual strengths get noticed and depended on.
The ladies of the PR team gave us some helpful, and humorous, advice for seeking a job or an internship in the future. White stressed the importance of having a polished resume, and that grammatical errors were never acceptable. She even graciously offered to look over our resumes and give feedback if we wished.
Before we left, White summed up her take on this line of work in just one sentence.
“It is important to know a little bit about a lot of things, rather than to know a lot about only one thing.”
University of Iowa PRSSA 