We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gina Espinosa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I’m a risk taker by nature. I firmly believe that the worst risk taken is the one not taken. We live in a world that changes rapidly and we have to adapt, learn and move according to those changes.

Around 13 years ago, I needed a change in my professional life and decided to venture into public relations. I wanted to continue telling stories, but in a different way. But the Great Recession happened and the idea of getting a new job was becoming less likely.

Fortunately I have a wonderful life partner, who encouraged me to start my own business. That was something I had never seriously thought about and that is where this successful adventure began.

By the way, Mark Meltzer, my husband, is now my business partner. He has always made sure that the risks I take are calculated risks.

My advice to others is that the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks. Be too safe — too conservative — and you’ll never get anywhere.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I’ve been a professional storyteller since I can remember. As a journalist and news producer with CNN, the BBC and other outlets, I traveled the world and reported about a wide variety of topics, from lifestyle to humanitarian crises. That experience gave me the local and global knowledge of communities, insights of media cycles, creativity and resilience to adapt and pivot when I need it. Like when I had to create a business in the middle of the Great Recession due to limited employment opportunities.

Now, as a public relations professional, I’ve been using that experience to create media and community relations strategies for our clients, in Spanish and English.  And we do it locally, nationally or internationally.

One thing that sets my agency, Hope-Beckham Inc. Public Relations, apart is our multicultural expertise, with an emphasis on the Hispanic market. Mainstream companies are starting to realize that there are 62.5 million Hispanics in the U.S. — nearly one in five Americans. But a lot of them don’t understand and haven’t really started to communicate with the Hispanic market. We help companies crack that code and promote their brand to this important and fast-growing audience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

2020 is as good as it gets. Resilience is part of business. Things don’t always happen as planned but 2020 was something else. The lockdown began to spread and we began to lose clients, especially international ones in the hospitality industry.
We lost part of our income. So, we had to think fast and adapt to the new circumstances. The most important thing is that we gave up our rented office space, and since we had experience working remotely, that was not a problem.

Communications moved very fast. The media — which was desperately trying to survive — turned even more to the digital world.

We were forced to learn to navigate that transformation, while guiding our clients.

Towards the second half of the year we got new business, and closed the year with a profit. Actually the pandemic brought us great opportunities that made us grow and become stronger.

The change that began in 2020 is not over. The way companies communicate with their customers continues to evolve, while the needs have also changed. We saw it then and we continue to see it. Only those who adapt to the speed of these changes can successfully survive.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Thirteen years ago, after I started my business, my husband Mark introduced me to the legendary Bob Hope. He’s one of the most respected professionals in the public relations industry. He’s the personification of the PR big leagues. After that casual conversation over dinner with this 6’3” gentle giant with a loud and deep voice, I quickly realized that I had a long road ahead of me.

He introduced me to some high-level groups and shared some great advice with me.

Early last year, Bob reached out, making me the second most exciting proposal in my life (first place is my husband’s). He needed a new business partner and of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to join forces with one of my PR heroes.
Mark became the third musketeer, bringing his years of experience in business journalism.

In over a year, the three of us have placed our business among the top 20 PR Agencies in Atlanta.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hopebeckham.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.espinosa.7/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-espinosa-meltzer-65947112/