Kylie McMullan

There’s no such thing as an average day at work for Kylie McMullan. As the principal of Finch Media, a marketing and communications consultancy, she helps her clients develop and share their most compelling stories.

Kylie was also selected as one of Business in Vancouver’s 2018 Top Forty under 40 professionals. Having taught in our Public Relations program since its inception, she shared her thoughts with us on the world of PR and why she loves working in her field.

What do you enjoy most about working in PR?

I love that every day is different. I love the diversity of tasks—especially in agency, I could be working with such a variety of clients. One day I might be doing crisis communications while the next I’m traveling across the country to do a press conference or doing media relations for an event. I’m a big news consumer and it’s nice to have a job where that is an asset and not a distraction. This field is also a great avenue for meeting people who are doing interesting things that you wouldn’t normally meet in your social circles.

There are so many amazing stories that are waiting to be told and that is something that gets me excited in this profession. We can use PR as a force for good to change the world.

Who would you recommend take the Public Relations program?

There are two things that make communicators really stand out. The first is great writing skills—anyone who is a good writer will be successful in this field. The second thing is media relations skills—having a good conversational style and being creative in terms of selling ideas and understanding how the media works will help you do well.

Really great communicators are people who are naturally curious and want to know as much as they can about different topics. I am listening to so many podcasts right now, reading newspapers and magazines, and am constantly on social media. This helps with generating creative ideas that I can bring to my work.

What’s the most valuable thing students will learn in your courses?

I teach two courses in the program: Fundamentals of Public Relations and Influencer Marketing.

The most important thing that I want to impart to my students in the PR fundamentals class is the tools in a public relations practitioner’s toolkit. We learn about different tools such as backgrounders, press releases and fact sheets and how they can be used effectively. I try to inspire them to be news consumers in order for them to have a better understanding of how the media works. We also discuss the ethical component of PR—we aren’t spin doctors, we just tell a brand’s side of a story.

In the Influencer Marketing course, we talk about the history of influencers (they haven’t only existed on social media) and why it’s important to have influencer marketing as part of your overall communications strategy.

What are some career paths students can pursue?

A strong fundamental knowledge of public relations can open a variety of doors. You can do in-house communications or work at a PR agency, in government relations, investor relations, event management, marketing—there are so many avenues that you can go into. I don’t think there’s any harm in learning how to become a better communicator. Even if you end up going into a completely different field, these skills will really serve you well.

Do you have any advice for people considering taking this program?

You’ll be learning from a great group of instructors. Everyone is very knowledgeable and experienced as they are all currently working in the field, so learn as much as you can from your time with them. The cohort you are learning with will be the people who become your colleagues, support system and network, so investing in your relationships with them will help build your career later.

What’s one thing that you wish you’d known when you were beginning your career?

I wish that I knew that building relationships mattered more than doing well academically. I put lots of importance into getting and maintaining good grades as a student, but missed out on opportunities to build relationships with my classmates who would become part of my future network in the field. Having good relationships with people is so important in this industry.