Extra! Extra!
COM Alumni Spotlight
Sara Sinek, COM’97
Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Scholastic
New York, New York
Sara Sinek has certainly made her mark in the corporate public relations world. As senior director of corporate communcations at Scholastic, Sinek was part of the lead PR team that launched the last four books in the Harry Potter series. In recognition of her accomplishments, the COM alumna was recently named to PR Week's 40 Under 40 section. Sinek spoke with the COM Alumni Website about PR, COM and her experince launching the most highly anticipated book in the world!
COM: What drew you to PR?
SS: The fast paced environment and the constant new challenges and opportunities. It is certainly not a dull industry. There is a ton of creativity in PR, plus it is very social. An English professor asked me, “Have you ever thought of communications?” I took COM 101 and fell in love with it. In PR, I can be a problem solver and there are always new challenges.
COM: Did you have any internships or jobs while you were a COM student?
SS: I worked at two agencies. One was a very small agency in Boston and the other was a PR firm called Pamela Giddon and Co. in New York City, where we worked with a lot of entertainment clients. I also interned at Sports Illustrated, which I did during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. All of the internships gave me an opportunity to work with the press and with pitching and writing to the media.
COM: What was your first job after graduating?
SS: My first job was at a PR agency in New York City called Dan Klores. It is a mid-sized agency, and I worked in the sports and entertainment division. Some of my clients included Miramax, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Oakley, Redbook, and others. It was a fun environment.
After a couple of years on the agency side, the more I worked with clients, the more I wanted to go to the client side. There was so much going on behind the scenes that I wanted to learn about. A new head of communications at Scholastic was looking to build the department and he hired me to help. It’s been an exciting opportunity to help create that from the ground up.
COM: What special projects have you done at Scholastic?
SS: One of my biggest projects has been working with the Harry Potter series. It is a phenomenal brand in itself. I helped launch the last four books while working here. It was unbelievable, any PR person’s dream—to work on such a high profile, phenomenally successful book.
Another project that I’ve worked on is the Summer Reading Buzz. It is a campaign we developed three years ago to help get kids reading in the summer. It’s an important business objective at scholastic--Target came on board last year as a corporate partner.
COM: How did you react when you learned about PR Week’s 40 Under 40 piece?
SS: Clearly I was in shock, and pleasantly surprised. Every professional magazine publishes these lists. When I was a student, I often wondered how did the people on the lists get there? How can I get there? Now that I actually made it, I find myself asking, “How did I get there?” It is really such a huge honor.
COM: Staying so busy, do you ever have a chance to reminisce about your time at COM?
SS: There are certain classes you always remember. For me, it was this terrific public speaking class which I took in COM which totally helped prepare me for this day and the real world.
What I loved about COM so much was the hands on learning and the professors. They were all professionals giving real life tactics. That’s what makes BU’s communication school stand out. I remember professors helping me plan and attain my internships.
COM: What are some of your favorite memories from Commonwealth Avenue?
SS: The first thing that comes to mind is Warren Towers. Some of the best friends I have today are from my floor in Warren.
I think Boston as a city for college kids is the best. Nothing beats the college environment and being in the city. Once you start working you never get that back.
To get involved, reconnect and share your updates, contact Ryan Bersani, COM senior staff coordinator, at comalum@bu.edu. Perhaps the COM Alumni Spotlight will shine on you next!
