We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jase Lucas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jase below.

Jase, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

The public relations industry is known for long hours, minimal benefits, and low pay. I’ve seen agencies that max PTO at 3 days per year, pay under minimum wage, and expect 60 hour work weeks. Overall, it’s an industry that simply does not take care of its people.

This trend for employee abuse is leading to a new problem for PR firms in this post-pandemic world – mass exodus. Publicists are leaving PR is huge quantities for better pay and improved work-life balance. Of 5 public relations professionals I’ve spoken with who were at the mid-to-senior level in 2020, 4 have left the industry altogether.

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.

The Excellence Agency is a dynamic collective of writers, creators, trendsetters, and innovators, all united by one mission: to tell your story in the modern world. By blending time-tested strategies with contemporary insights and forward-thinking approaches, we deliver outstanding results for emerging brands, talent, and initiatives. We elevate your vision to the world’s gatekeepers and showcase what makes you exceptional.

We offer comprehensive 360-degree PR services for brands and talent, covering everything from media relations and influencer marketing to image consulting and brand partnerships. Our goal is to partner with clients to increase their visibility and impact.

What sets our agency apart is our approach. New team members are often surprised by how data-driven we are, using SEO tools, analytics software, and AI to refine our strategies and consistently demonstrate our value to clients.

At Excellence, we also believe in giving back. We donate 10% of our annual profits to non-profit organizations and run a focused pro-bono program for cause-driven groups, helping them expand their reach and build their support networks.

Any advice for managing a team?

We treat our team members exactly as we would want to be treated as employees – with trust, open communication, and opportunities to unplug. One of Excellence’s core principals is compassion because we know that, without it, employees and clients alike experience burnout. So, we offer as much empathy and support as we can – several weeks of PTO, fully remote working models, flexible work schedules, and opportunities for internal promotion over external hires whenever possible. Offering a compassion-based management style keeps morale high and with the added benefit of minimizing time spent on team management so we can focus on client success.

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

My partner Mark is amazing – he handles all of our operations so I can focus on client services and organizational growth. We met over 5 years ago when he was my pastor. Over the years, I got to know his background in the entertainment industry and business administration, and he got to know about my experience in PR. When we realized the unrealized potential to utilize tech in the public relations industry in 2023, we knew we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to combine our expertises and launch something … excellent.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.excellencela.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellencela/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551823841349&paipv=0&eav=AfadnZxe0tUCSIyZjqMr9Q9xEyYiMW-KaQ2fxsW0zkzXP5-UYgkyPZqWwybFzNqN0PE
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-excellence-agency/

Image Credits

The Excellence Agency