Media Relations
I remain a journalist at heart, having earned my undergraduate degree in journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and started my career as a newspaper reporter in Northern New York. This background helped me understand what journalists need for a great story. During my time at Visit Buffalo Niagara, I cultivated nearly 200 relationships with travel writers and editors across North America and Europe and hosted hundreds of press trips that led to anywhere from 100 to 225 articles about Buffalo each year – a record amount of coverage generated by VBN.
Below are some of the examples of coverage I secured through building long-lasting relationships with media. I will work with you to determine how your story might pique the media’s curiosity on a local, national or international level– and leverage my past relationships to build buzz for your business or organization.
In June of 2019, Men’s Journal profiled Buffalo in a two-page magazine spread titled “The Great Buffalo Revival.” The author, Blane Bachelor, was someone I identified through her coverage of other underrated destinations. I sent an email pitch to her in early 2018, and hosted her on a press visit that summer that resulted in this story the following year.
The Wall Street Journal covered Buffalo in this piece, “Escape to Buffalo: A Skeptic’s Guide to a Great Weekend.” Author Jennifer Fernandez was visiting Buffalo to attend an NCAA basketball game and contacted me to arrange a whirlwind tour of the city. I continued to keep her up to date on new developments that led to her placing this feature the following summer.
Many cities were redeveloping their waterfront, but Buffalo’s focus on redeveloping and re-imagining its grain silos was extraordinary. I pitched the idea to Associated Press reporter Carolyn Thompson, who wrote the story “Buffalo’s Industrial Cathedrals Slowly Finding New Life” that went worldwide.
The Sunday Times of London described Buffalo as “America’s Coolest Summer City” in this summer 2018 piece. I first met author Julia Buckley as she was passing through Buffalo in 2015. We remained in touch and I continued to pitch her on new developments; I hosted her on a subsequent press trip that led to this feature.
Lonely Planet named Buffalo one of its “Best in Travel” Destinations for 2020. This distinction originated when I met Trisha Ping, former destinations editor, at a conference and hosted her on a press trip. She then pitched Buffalo for consideration on the list.
