Jamie Gribbon
Account Manager

Through his work at shops like Jacobs and Prosek PR and Blumenfeld and Associates PR in Connecticut, Jamie has had the opportunity to work with brands like Orvis, Mares scuba gear, LEKI and the Iceland Tourist Board. An avid sportsman, he played a key role in launching the CW-X Conditioning Wear and SpringBoost footwear brands. And when he’s not thinking about PR, he’s often found behind the wheel of a racecar, participating in amateur races with the BMWCCA and C.A.R.T.

A conversation with Jamie

As a kid, did you know you wanted to be in PR?
I’m pretty sure a career in PR is every child’s dream until they come to the cruel reality that the world needs fighter pilots and professional golfers. That’s a rough time for everyone.

Very funny. So what did you really want to be?
I originally wanted to be an astronaut. I still want to be an astronaut, actually, but the world needs me here.

People have been telling me I should get into a career involving writing for a long time, and that’s a big part of my job every day – either writing or talking to other people who write. It’s about understanding what it is your clients do and then being able to articulate that in an interesting way.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned from being in this business?
How the media works – how editorial positions are structured, who to talk to, and what kind of information will generate results. Once you understand that, you develop an innate sense of what is and is not news. You can pick the thing that will stick with editors and generate exposure. 

Do you use your clients’ products?
Every chance I get. It’s important to be as familiar as possible with them on a consumer level in order to be an effective communicator.

What motivates you?
Results. I want to see them just as much as my clients do. Really, each client is buying our time and our talent, showing us that they believe in us. And we owe it to them to use everything at our disposal to live up to that trust and do a good job.

What is the one thing that you are most proud of?
Uh, I’m a pretty proud geek. I KILL at trivia contests – does that count?

Yeah, I guess that counts.
Also, I once caught a purse-snatcher outside a grocery store in Georgia.

Tell me a little about your experience with racecar driving.
My Dad got me into it. He and I are both big auto aficionados and he’s done some racing. When I was 17 he gave me a gift certificate to the Skip Barber High Performance Driving School and I learned advanced car control. I started driving competitively in autocross events and then started racing on tracks at an amateur level with the BMW Car Club of America and Connecticut Autocross and Rally Team. After that, I got a chance to drive at Road Atlanta and went to the Panoz Racing School.

What made you stick with it?
Everything. Racing forces absolute concentration. Everything in your mind and body must have only one purpose during that time. You have to let go of everything else in the world but what is happening on that track. If you don’t, you’re a danger; if you do, you’re in the zone. The zone feels good. It’s like transcendental meditation at 140mph.