Meet Dean Stattmann | Founder and CEO, STAT Media PR

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dean Stattmann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dean, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
There are so many factors that contribute to success—like identifying and owning a niche, prioritizing relationships over transactions, and, of course, being persistent. But perhaps less obvious is the understanding that success is not linear. Before I started STAT Media PR, I spent about a decade as a magazine editor. At one point, when I was just 27, I was living on Wall Street and making a healthy six-figure salary as the editorial director of one of the world’s largest media brands. I thought my life was set. Then, just like that, I lost my work visa due to layoffs outside of my control, had to leave the country as a result, and ended up in London sharing a flat with two strangers and earning about as much as the person who poured my morning coffee back in New York. It was a humbling experience, for sure. After bouncing back from that and eventually returning to New York City about a year later, I realized that adversity only becomes a loss if you give up; but if you keep going, you can turn it into a mere chapter in an epic success story. Success is many things—except a straight line.

What should our readers know about your business?
STAT Media PR is the world’s premier public relations agency operating exclusively in health, fitness, and wellness. In fact, it is the first, and currently only, agency that not only specializes in this area of the media, but is also founded and run by a former editor with over a decade of hands-on experience in health, fitness, and wellness media. Spending 10 years on the receiving end of publicists’ pitches gave me a unique perspective that cannot be bought or trained, which means that no other agency out there can truly compete with us, at least for now. In addition to our own clients, over the past few years we’ve actually been subcontracted by some of the largest PR agencies in the United States to assist in securing coverage for their clients in health, fitness, and wellness media. It’s a thin niche, for sure, and that means we have to turn away a lot of potential business and leave a good amount of money on the table, but I’ve found that the longer we stay in this game the stronger our reputation grows and the more referrals we receive. Believe it or not, over the four years since STAT Media PR’s founding, we have spent $0 on marketing our services.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While I live in New York City, I spend a lot of time in Colorado; we have a couple of clients in Denver, which also happens to be where our video production team is located. So I’ve come to think of Denver as a home away from home. Since I am all about being active, I’d definitely start with a workout, probably at APEX Human Performance or Mountain Strong Denver. We’d have to hit Denver Sports Recovery after that, because nothing feels better after a hard workout than an infrared sauna session. From there I’d probably suggest grabbing a healthy bite from Denver Central Market. Of course there would be several coffee stops throughout the day as well; on a recent trip for a shoot I discovered Crema and have been thinking about that place ever since. (Their breakfast burrito is great, too, FYI.)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d give a shoutout to the high-school English teacher who told me that pursuing a career in writing would be a mistake (based on his assessment of my strengths, or, rather, weaknesses). After graduating from New York University’s journalism school with honors and ultimately becoming the Deputy Editor at Men’s Health—my ultimate dream job—it became one of my favorite memories to revisit as a reminder that nobody can ever decide what you are or are not capable of. Along those lines, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is an outstanding and timeless book that I probably recommend more than anything else. There’s a chapter in there about how to avoid taking things personally. People tend to project their own thoughts and experiences onto us, including their perception of what is and is not possible. Having an awareness of that dynamic is instrumental to making the most of your potential and creating a life that is uniquely yours.

Website: statmediapr.com

Instagram: @statmediapr

Image Credits
Credit for main photo (rooftop): Sean Madden