Meet Tia Harris | PR Professional & Business Owner

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

Hi Tia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My work life balance has shifted dramatically over the years – when I started my career, I was interning at a top PR agency in Chicago, where I was making $800/month. I had to work three jobs to make rent and had no balance because I was just trying to make ends meet. After accepting my first full time, salaried position, I was able to quit one job, but still waitressed nights and weekends – living in downtown Chicago in your 20’s is expensive.

As I transitioned into more senior roles, moved up the ranks and grew personally – getting married and starting a family – the balance began to even out. I also prioritized working out and scheduled it into my day, oftentimes hitting a 6am class before work or running to the gym over lunch.

After we moved to Denver and I eventually started my own agency, becoming my own boss, my work life balance finally landed right where I want it. I work from home and am able to prioritize the most important things – attending critical client meetings while also volunteering at my kids’ school. Pitching new business but also taking my daughter to piano and TaeKwonDo lessons. I’m also passionate about yoga and hitting the gym daily, so self-care is non-negotiable, although it does shift times each day depending on my work and meeting load.

As with most professionals who bill hourly, I think about every day in 15-minute increments – I track everything in a calendar and make sure the most important things are always scheduled. Some days I’m taking east coast calls early and working before anyone else in the house is up – other days I’m setting aside work for dinner and kids’ bedtime, then hopping back online to wrap things up. There are still some late nights, weekends – but I know it’s temporary, and I embrace the work which I’m so fortunate to have. Do what works for you, knowing work and life will always ebb and flow.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Since the moment I was out of college, I’ve been in the PR industry. I’ve encountered countless challenges – when I started, it was not easy running on a few hours of sleep when I was working until 3am and back at the office by 8am. I did what I had to do to make it work – I was so exhausted there were times I was literally napping in the conference room during my lunch break. But I knew I wanted to be a publicist. I was on the account side for the first few years and would recommend anyone who’s interested in PR, start there. If gives you a full purview of how everything works together –client management, earned media, creative, crisis and more.

To me, pitching media and getting big national hits is the most exciting part– it’s also one of the more stressful, tedious and riskiest roles. It’s very apparent to the team and clients if you’re pitching a story and it doesn’t land. On the flip side, walking your first client (Bagel Bites) onto the Today Show plaza in NYC is a feeling unlike any other. I found I thrived on the pressure and started specializing in media relations. When I discovered Edelman had a team dedicated solely to earned media – at the time it was called “Media Services” – I went for the job. I followed up with the team every week for six months and finally, I got the job. Life lesson, be patient and persistent!

I learned the most in what we called “the bullpen” – an open seating area on the 64th floor of the Hancock Building, where the media team sat. In fact, we all still keep in touch and have an active group chat to this day. Katie Scrivano was one of my first managers at Edelman and I learned a tremendous amount from her – how to be smart and scrappy, how to be the “bad cop” with teams and clients, how to rewrite a compelling pitch so producers would actually read it.

I specialized in national media relations and grew my relationship roster for the next decade. When we moved to Denver in 2017, I proposed “working from home,” which at the time, nobody was doing. When COVID hit and marketing budgets were cut, I started freelancing for other PR agencies and former colleagues. At one point, I had a potential new business lead ask if they could just hire me to do their PR and I thought, why not? So, I googled “how to start a business” and at that moment, HK Public Relations was born. The “H” is for Harris and the “K” is for Krultz, my maiden name and a tribute to my mom.

Today, I continue to freelance for top PR agencies in the world, and I also have several clients under HK PR. I’ve found my sweet spot is lifestyle, food/bev and entertainment PR – I love working with brands I’m passionate about, familiar with and use daily, including Starbucks, eBay, Chili’s, Balanced Body pilates line, Protein2o, Oxo and Hilton. I’ve worked with a variety of spokespeople – chefs, musicians, athletes and celebrities, including Will Ferrell, Lance Bass, Ashley Tisdale, Neil Patrick Harris and Sofi Tukker. I also embrace startups and have clients who are leading the AI retail industry, where I learn something new every day.

I’m proud of being able to take something I enjoy and turn it into a full-time job. I love working with clients to distill a campaign into a pithy paragraph and leverage it to land an interview on E! News. Working with producers to shape segments and being behind-the-scenes is exciting and the tangible nature of seeing something you worked so hard on, come to life on TV or online is rewarding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love live music, so if I had a friend visiting I’d definitely take them to a show at Red Rocks -it’s an unforgettable venue to see your favorite artist. As a mom of two, we love taking the kids to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. It’s built on the side of a mountain and the animals have the most beautiful areas, you don’t feel like you’re at a zoo – you can also hand feed the giraffes, our favorite thing to do when we’re there.

Living in Colorado, there are countless places to hike and bike – we also love taking the family paddleboarding at Chatfield. Every summer, we take an annual “glamping” trip, where we load up the kids and all three French Bulldogs into an RV and explore the mountains for a week. One of our favorite areas is Rifle Falls, which has beautiful waterfalls and easy hikes. Glenwood Springs is also a lot of fun – a cute downtown area with restaurants and bars, hot springs and an adventure park where you can go caving.

If I’m going out with friends, we like Cherry Creek – grabbing a cocktail and Forget Me Not and ending the night dancing at Ay Papi is always a good time!

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’ve had so many amazing mentors in the PR industry over the years – professionals at Edelman, MWW Group and Cramer Krasselt are who I’ve spent the most time with. They’ve been instrumental in guiding me in the right direction, helping me understand the nuances of the PR world and pushing me to be my best.

My parents have always been lifelong supporters – being a working mom isn’t for everyone, but I knew I wanted the best of both worlds and although my mom was a stay-at-home mom, she always told me to go for the promotion, pitch a new account, take risks and work hard. She passed away six years ago, but I keep a photo of her on my desk and ask her for advice often. I’m also very close with my dad, who tells me weekly how proud he is of me and my brother – you’re never too old to soak in and thrive on your parents’ affections and support.

Finally, my husband has been instrumental my career – he’s been my #1 fan for the last 20 years. He picks up the slack when I’m underwater, encourages me to take risks and is one of the only people who truly understands exactly what I do. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to come this far professionally, while simultaneously helping him raise our beautiful family.

I appreciate and thank everyone who’s had a hand in shaping my story – I’m incredibly honored, blessed and grateful.

Website: https://www.hk-publicrelations.com

Instagram: @tiafromkorea

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tianicoleharris/