We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Wilkerson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.
Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I actually have two areas of professional focus, content writing and public relations executive. One blended into the other, tho, I started out as a writer. I learned a lot about writing from my father, an excellent writer and journalist who spent the majority of his career as editor of Tennessee Valley Authority’s two publications. I am fortunate to have picked up some of his writing skills and he sharpened my talent through high school and beyond.
After graduating college, I worked as a reporter two daily newspapers and then transitioned into public relations when I moved to Southern California. It was a natural move – after all, I knew how to talk to the media and when to reach them – but I sure had a lot to learn. Fortunately, I landed a job at an agency with a great mentor, Laz Denes, and eventually broke out on my own where another great mentor, Adam Saal, really helped me develop the knowledge it takes to be successful. Laz would teach while Adam would lead by example. It was the perfect combination. I would also like to acknowledge my first newspaper editor, Ron Ingram, who molded me from someone with a college degree in journalism into a professional journalist.
There’s really not much I could have done to speed up the learning process of either, because both takes time and experience. You do, tho, have to be born with certain skills and be willing to listen to others as you mature. The latter is the most essential skill and that applies to every profession. Because I had great teachers and mentors, I did not have some of the obstacles that others face. However, there have been and always will be challenges, and one I remember the most is Ron teaching me how to cover a high school football game. When you cover high school sports you have to keep all the stats yourself – individual rushing and passing yards, track the plays so you can accurately write your story and so forth – and I was lost after my first game. Ron helped me get it all together and I was able to develop a system to get all the information recorded by the time the team broke the huddle. I learned pretty quickly that covering high school sports is the best for training any journalist.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I am, to borrow the lyrics from a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, a simple kind of man. I like to put my head down and get the job done and then relish the time to enjoy life. Because of the quality upbringing provided by my mother and father, I am very much a family person. They also taught me to be honest with people and to be the best person I can be and with their guidance, I feel I have done a pretty good job in those areas.
Two of my big professional thrills are writing a good story that people enjoy and scoring a big PR “hit” in the media. I am very much a people person and I really enjoy being with the media and taking them around an event or to a client so they can get their story. In PR, you are used to being behind the scenes and that is just fine with me. Although I am in front of the camera quite a bit these days due to the proliferation of social media outlets, as I enhance the words of my lifestyle website – PubClub.com – with video tips and trivia on TikTok and Instagram and livestream broadcasts using the Facebook live platform, as well as making several YouTube videos.
All this has enabled me to expand my skill range from writing and PR to social media knowledge. Two things set me apart: my newspaper reporter experience combined with all aspects of public relations (everything from building media lists to writing press releases to crisis management) and my creative use of social media.
I am most proud of winning an Associated Press award for journalism while a newspaper reporter, for landing an extensive feature on a client in Sports Illustrated, for getting a “Murray piece” in the LA Times (Jim Murray was the most revered sportswriter of his time and having him do a column on a client was the gold standard for those of us in sports PR) and for starting PubClub.com. When the latter began making money – primarily off of ad revenue – I realized a dream of working for my own publication. Eventually a major beer company became a sponsor and that took it to an even higher level. The thrill of building something from scratch – starting with a vision and then turning it into reality and having it become successful – is something that only entrepreneurs can truly understand.
The main things I want potential clients to know about me and my work is that I have every communications skill and that I will put them to work for you. For followers and fans – and I am specifically addressing for those of PubClub.com here – know that every article is researched and reported to be accurate and a great source of information and that the social media posts and lifestream video podcasts are fun!
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I immediately recognized the power of livestream videos and what I term video podcasts, in particular utilizing Facebook live as a platform for broadcasts. I go live on the PubClub Facebook page – facebook.com/pubclubber – and also have regular, structured show with guests (kind of like a Jimmy Kimmel-type of show) called PubClub LIVE, which can be found at: facebook.com/pubclublive.
FB Groups are also a good way to make yourself, brand, product or clients known to a niche audience.
I was also one of the first YouTubers and users of Twitter, yet my regret is not sticking with either enough to build a huge audience. At the time, I was following the revenue on PubClub.com and that was in its written content. I did not realize the value those social media outlets provide from a brand recognition standpoint. The same goes with Instagram. I certainly now do realize what they can do to raise your business’ profile and even as a means to generate revenue. Social media growth is pretty much stagnant at the moment and I wish I had taken full advantage of the various outlets when the opportunities were at their peak. Of course, there’s no one to teach these things so you have learn them on your own and then adjust.
I am sure had these resources been available early in the PubClub creative journey, then I would have embraced them more fully and would have huge numbers of followers.
From a public relations standpoint, I had a lot of great resources at one of the first agencies where I worked, and that was the other people at the agency. As a result, one of my mantras is “utilize your resources!”
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Because others have mentored me so well in my career, I enjoy teaching things I have learned to others, so here is some insight that can hopefully offer them enlightenment.
The first thing people should know is if they have a dream, if they want to create something, do it. You don’t want to get too late in your career to where it’s too late to do anything about it. Now I’m not saying quit your current job or anything, but spend your spare time researching it, developing it, even launching it. That’s what I did with my website; it was all done in my spare time until it became a major part of my career.
For writers, I’ll pass along advice my dad gave me. Read other writers. The best way to become a better writer is to pick a book, magazine, newspaper and quality websites and blogs and read. Read topics of interest but also read writers in other areas to get a feel for how they write. Certainly, I welcome people to read PubClub.com for this type of guidance.
The same goes for social media. Follow other people and take note of not just what they post but how they post it. Notice their descriptions and hashtags. You can never stop learning, nor should you ever stop learning.
For aspiring PR people, I recommend watching the news, relevant shows and reading the newspaper. For example, If you want to pitch the Today Show, watch and get to know it before even thinking of approaching them with a story idea. A lot of my PR work has involved working with local and regional media and when I am on the road for a client the first thing I do is read all the papers, blogs/websites and watch the local newscasts. By doing this, I quickly learn what each outlet covers, what beats the reporters cover and even a bit about their personalities. Then I can go to a TV news producer and say “this would be a great story for so-and-so.” This is a true PR insider’s pro tip!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.pubclub.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pubclub/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pubclubber
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-wilkerson-3711555/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pubclub
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/PubClub
- Other: PubClub LIVE video podcast: http://www.facebook.com/pubclublive TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pubclub.com
Image Credits
Photo on the starter stand at the Long Beach Grand Prix: Simon Leung