Today we’d like to introduce you to Crosby Noricks.
Crosby, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My initial interest in the field of fashion public relations and desire to uplift the industry set the foundation for PR Couture, which at the time was a blog in its infancy stage in 2006. It was during that internet dinosaur era that I had no idea how far my curiosity would take me or let alone that it would soon shape itself into a full-fledged six-figure business and help thousands and thousands of practitioners like it is now.
The lack of resources and information available on fashion PR was really the catalyst for PR Couture. It was a huge barrier because it was basically non-existent, but much needed. I was floored, actually maybe even dumbfounded, at what an underrepresented topic it really was – when the fashion world itself is a more than $300 billion industry. I decided to do something about it.
This major undertaking began with me questioning, researching and networking with industry professionals, until one day I committed myself, for now, more than a decade, to find new ways to give a voice to a notoriously tight-lipped industry, all while building a thriving business and community of kindness and generosity. By breaking the barrier and bridging the gap with a platform offering information, support and education, I was able to supply solutions for pain points that practitioners in the industry were experiencing.
These ranged from how to pitch better to trainings needed to truly master their profession to editorial content that would create an educational and practical atmosphere. This evolving process propelled me into creating a full-fledged editorial landscape followed by program extensions (i.e. PRISM Live, PRISM Self-Study, Bespoke Communication Awards, PR Couture Council and more).
These days, in addition to running PR Couture, I’m proud to have been invited to share my expertise as a lecturer in the marketing department at California State University San Marcos and at San Diego State University, in the Journalism and Media Studies Department.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
You’re always going to come across challenges when owning your own company and trust me I’ve had my share. But as time goes own, you become more strategic at which battles/obstacles you actually want to exert energy to.
Nowadays, most of my challenges are less about the PR industry and more about the impact of being self-employed and navigating childcare, healthcare, home ownership…all which can be daunting to navigate. When I think about the PR space, I think the hurdle is more about operating in the fashion/lifestyle space which just seems to get consistently devalued and dismissed.
This was part of my goal in establishing PR Couture along with all the recent programs we’ve launched like our upcoming podcast called Resting Pitch Face, the Bespoke Communication Awards and the PR Couture Council. Each help drive awareness and recognition to those who are doing great, smart, strategic, creative work coming out of this trillion dollar industry!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
PR Couture is a resource for communicators and brands at every stage. We pride ourselves on the variety of offerings that PR Couture is able to provide. There are three distinct groups that we focus on: entry-level practitioners and students, agency owners and professionals, and emerging designers and brands.
For entry-level practitioners and students, PR Couture presents a vast range of vertical-specific information that is sparsely distributed in the university setting. Another unique offering is our virtual professional development course, PRISM, that combines personal branding, PR skills and career planning with the community and ongoing mentorship.
The Bespoke Communication Awards is one of our biggest draws for agency owners and professionals. The exclusive online award program is an opportunity for both boutique and large-scale firms to receive recognition for categories that highlight innovative campaigns and a strong, encouraging company culture. We also incorporated a job board and agency directory to provide industry professionals with a plethora of resources to assist with client and talent discovery.
Most recently, this year to be exact, we launched the PR Couture Council (PRCC) which enables agency owners to take advantage of a plethora of benefits including new business opportunities, networking and content opportunities, among so much more. In exchange for being a member, PR Couture becomes an extension of agency marketing and recruiting efforts as a way to elevate the overall value and visibility of the organization and its team members.
Lastly, PR Couture maintains a distinct section of editorial content written by PR experts, especially for emerging designers and brands. A host of tools including media lists, DIY pitch templates and one-on-one consulting with the founder, Crosby Noricks are readily available on our website, as well.
My main goal in launching PR Couture over a decade ago was to provide anyone interested in the fashion and lifestyle sectors of public relations with the right tools to succeed in this industry. We now have so many opportunities and resources for aspiring PR professionals, established agencies and rising brands to grow and develop themselves while staying up-to-date on the trends and patterns of the industry.
What were you like growing up?
I always felt a bit apart and was often trying to figure out how the world worked and how to adjust to feeling a part of things. We moved a lot when I was young, and I would spend summers at my dad’s where I didn’t have any friends, so as a card-carrying introvert who did not enjoy new social situations, I read a ton of books and magazines. I wrote a lot of short stories and poetry, loved playing dress up and creating scenarios for playing pretend with my friends. I also took the lead on creating different friendship clubs where everyone has a secret club name and a color (which now that I am thinking of it was like very early branding)!
I used to pretend I was the star of an instructional TV show and I would walk my viewers through the proper way to organize a closet, wear certain looks and the products I used on my hair – just super heavily influenced by fashion and teen magazines, even at 9 or 10 years old. I would record these fake Oprah-style interviews with friends pretending to be fashion models or fashion editors using our video camera – so glad I came of age before YouTube! I also loved dance and did modern/jazz until discovering Irish Dancing which I did until college.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.prcouture.com/
- Email: crosby@prcouture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prcouture/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/prcouture?lang=en
Image Credit:
Kambria Fischer, Erika Doria
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
