Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Templin.
Hi Todd, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I graduated from the University of Florida in the mid-80s with a degree in broadcast journalism and spent the next 17 years working in local and national TV newsrooms as an on-air talent and as a show producer. My last full-time job in TV was at WPLG in Miami where I spent nearly seven years as a field producer and Executive producer covering hurricanes, Cuban issues, and general news.
After a stint working as a freelance producer for ABC and NBC networks, I was ready to do something different in the business world. I reconnected with a college friend, Julie Talenfeld, who owned her PR agency in Ft. Lauderdale, BoardroomPR. She mentioned she needed some additional help with client work and gave me an opportunity to try out my skills.
Fast forward, I have worked at the agency as Executive Vice President and shareholder for the past nearly 24 years, and I am happy to say my second act has been as enjoyable and successful as my first.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall, my career journey has been a smooth one, and I could not have scripted it any better. I encountered a few challenges along the way in both news and PR, but nothing that I couldn’t overcome. When I got into public relations, I became the seller of news stories, no longer the buyer, and took some getting used to. No matter how good my story pitches to reporters were, they didn’t always see it that way and had to get used to a lot of rejection.
It taught me to be resilient, and if you believe in yourself and your idea enough, success will eventually come—and it often did. But the process took some getting used to. Same with business development. At some point, I started sourcing my clients, which was a great thrill. Again, the selling part took some getting used to, but there is no better feeling than selling yourself, which is essentially what we do in the service business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about BoardroomPR?
Our PR agency specializes in media relations, crisis PR, and social media services and I wear many hats. I manage a full book of business in real estate, law, health care, consulting, banking, and not-for-profits.
On any given day, I could be writing a press release, setting up a press conference, crafting a contract or a business prospect, leading a strategy meeting with a client or team member, helping manage a media crisis, sorting through resumes for a new publicist, conducting a PR workshop or media training, attending a client event, and leading a weekly staff meeting. I also serve on the board of a great charity called Firewall Centers which operates after-school tutoring programs in Broward public schools. No day is the same, and each is fulfilling in its way.
Clients come to us for a variety of reasons: to get them ongoing media exposure in print, online news sites, blogs, podcasts, and broadcast outlets; to help navigate a media crisis, to manage their social media, or to help them create a holistic marketing plan. We invested in a design and video production team to provide robust content for our clients and received numerous awards for our work. We send our social media professionals to national conferences each year to learn and understand the latest trends. We think this level of investment helps set us apart from other firms. That, and our solid media relationships in local, regional, and national news outlets.
BoardroomPR is celebrating 35 years in business in 2024, and we are constantly learning, evolving, and listening to the market.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Yes, be prepared for anything in life and have an emergency plan to use when the world feels like it is falling apart. For us, the pandemic created opportunities to pitch our clients as thought leaders to the media from a variety of angles that the media were interested in covering.
Other lessons: We learned that we could still engage with our clients through virtual meeting platforms and didn’t miss a beat. This made us, and them, much more efficient. I do not think we would have proactively moved to virtual meetings had it not been for the pandemic. But it seems to work.
We also learned we could trust our workforce to work remotely. They were extremely productive working from home during the lockdown and as a result, and when things opened up, we decided to go to a hybrid work schedule. (3 days in the office and 2 days remote).
I know our industry was moving to remote work before the pandemic, but we never really embraced it. The pandemic gave us an opportunity to see that the model can work. The younger workforce likes to work, but they like to work differently than generations past.
Pricing:
- We charge monthly retainers for our service starting at $4,000 per month.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boardroompr.com
- Instagram: @toddtemplin
- Facebook: @southfloridaprfirm
- Twitter: @FlaPRPro
Image Credits
Todd Templin BoardroomPR and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
