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

Jordan , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Some of the most interesting parts of our journey emerge from areas where we believe something that most people in our industry do not – do you have something like that?

I think there is a misconception that Public Relations is going to spin something. I have always stuck with clients, and when I worked in-house for companies, who I felt that I could ethically represent without having to spin anything. In the middle of a conflict, or a crisis, or even day-to-day, I will stop and ask myself if I can still ethically represent this organization. Would 16 year old me be okay with the decisions I am making? It reinforces that the truth is always most important, even more now with so many things being published and not fact-checked. Being honest is always my priority in any interaction.

Something that I also decided in the last year, was that I am not okay with social media’s impact on society. It divides, it contributes to our massive mental health crisis, it allows people to sit behind a keyboard and bully. I will not use it to promote my business, and I don’t recommend clients do, which is a huge, huge thing to say when you rely on free publicity as a public relations professional. If I am good at my job, I will be creative and figure out a way to do it without. You will see at the end of this, I don’t use many of the channels anymore, personally or professionally, and only use LinkedIn.

Jordan , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations, and a master’s degree in public relations and organizational leadership. I always doubled up because I felt like I needed to be marketable. I graduated in 2009, in the middle of a recession and my dream job was really to be a starving, gritty, journalist. I moved to Denver and the Rocky Mountain News shut down, there was not a lot of jobs. I was a valet at the Hyatt, I freelanced, and I got an unpaid internship doing public relations. At the time PR was my backup plan, but I came across this field that I really love. Its been 15 years and I wouldn’t change a thing. I started my own business, Rollie Creative, in 2017 as a side hustle, and when it turned into something I could do full-time, I took a chance and went with it. Still, writing is my strongest talent and I use it often. The articles included in this piece were a joy to write, and its a major privilege to tell someone else’s story. I don’t take that lightly.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

That I am not always right and I need to sit down and listen. I thought I had a good handle on things, and I had a situation with work a few years ago that I needed to be quiet and listen. It had to do with race, equity, and things, I, as a white lady, really just needed to hear and absorb other perspectives. It changed how I respond to things for the rest of my life.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

Public relations is about communicating effectively, building relationships, growing a brand, and being creative with how you do that. You can’t reach people the same you have in the past because things are always changing, messaging needs to be updated, and what was relevant yesterday is not relevant today. I love constantly learning new strategies. I also have a personal need to be creative for the greater good. My clients need to have a purpose outside of filling their wallet. What impact to they have in the community? How can I leverage that impact? How can we improve?

Contact Info:

• Website: rolliecreative.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-sanders-kellerman

Image Credits
@jennreedphotography