Gregory FCA, the nation’s 46th largest public relations firm, has appointed former CBS affiliate news reporter Julie Parise to the newly created position of Director of Broadcast Services. In her new position, Parise, who most recently worked for CBS 58 in Milwaukee, will be responsible for developing live streaming content for Gregory FCA clients throughout the world.
“The emergence of new live streaming technologies is transforming the ways companies communicate, tell stories, and extend their narrative in the marketplace,” says Greg Matusky, founder and CEO of Gregory FCA. “They now want video produced here and now, and need to condense production times from hours and days to minutes, seconds, and live as it’s happening. The technology has now reached a point where companies need to produce video like news produces stories—as it’s happening, with the same impact and urgency.”
Parise comes to Gregory FCA with a well-rounded skill set that includes everything from on-camera reporting to behind-the-scenes production, having worked in TV news in Milwaukee; Augusta, Georgia; and New York City in both broadcast and web services as part of the launch team for CBSNewYork.com.
“I was looking to join a progressive company that understands the importance of live video to engage audiences and tell better stories,” says Parise. “Gregory FCA gets it. “They’re committed to the next wave of storytelling—here and now video—that allows companies to speak directly to audiences of influencers in an undeniable format.”
To support the new initiative, Gregory FCA has invested and outfitted its Ardmore, PA offices with the latest live streaming technologies—equipment that allows clients around the world to live stream content simultaneously on all social platforms, in person and remotely.
“Live stream represents the bleeding edge of content development and leapfrogs the current state of content creation in public relations,” says Matusky. “Since we began beta testing the offering two weeks ago, we have already produced live programming from the floor of a major conference and created a new recruitment show for a national client. Next month, we’re taking the show on the road to Shanghai, China to produce a live streaming campaign for a global client of ours.”
It’s that kind of demand that is forcing PR agencies to rethink their content strategies. “Content is king but it’s also killer in the time and cost it takes to produce,” says Parise. “TV news knows how to get it done quickly and affordably in ways that resonate with audiences. That’s what attracted me to move to Philadelphia and join Gregory FCA. They’re working to deploy these same approaches to corporate storytelling, a revolution of sorts and the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that has made Gregory FCA, the largest PR firm in Philadelphia, a top 50 U.S. firm, and among the 150th largest PR firms in the world.”
