Today we’d like to introduce you to Janet Isabelli.
Janet, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Before landing in PR, I held various positions – all of which became part of my career foundation. Shortly after graduating from the University of Chicago, I accepted a position working as a personal assistant for Adrienne Weiss, an international branding expert based here in the city. Coca-Cola, Build-A-Bear-Workshop, Dunkin’ Donuts, LYFE Kitchen, Lettuce Entertain You, Steven Spielberg – this is a tiny smattering of the clients for whom she built award-winning brands.
In addition to handling her personal affairs, I managed a small office. As a result of being exposed directly to Adrienne, I had the opportunity to sit in on new business meetings, meet C-level execs, interface with our creative team in Los Angeles and even draft proposals. It was incredibly fascinating work that, looking back, taught me valuable lessons in being of reliable service to others. It also taught me about the importance of brand development and creating a consistent, thoughtful story that filters through all facets of your business.
From there, I went back to my alma mater, the University of Chicago to help launch a new office. The College Programming Office was built to guide the four-year undergraduate experience through a series of events – from New Student Orientation to Senior Week and Convocation, and everything in between. I was responsible for third and fourth year programming, as well as orchestrating all components of Parents Weekend. It was a serious exercise in event planning!
It was during that time that I came to know the News Office, who would alert the press for special events that warranted press exposure. As I saw that office bring in reporters from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more, something clicked. I thought – I’d love to be the person working with the press! I had liberal arts degrees in Spanish Literature and Law, Letters and Society… so a career in public relations had never crossed my mind until that moment.
A colleague at UChicago sat on the Associate Board for the Field Museum and knew of a woman who had a boutique PR firm. At her recommendation, I called her cold to see if she would be open to an informational interview. As luck would have it, she was hiring and my informational meeting quickly evolved into a real interview that landed me my first job in PR. At ShureBerger – the name of the firm at the time – we represented everything from restaurants and hotels to salons, spas, construction companies, real estate ventures and even medical experts.
Without question, I was especially drawn to the hospitality clients. I grew up in a big, Italian family where food and travel was at the center of our interactions, and I found a similar vein in those who committed their life’s work to make others feel welcome. They were passionate about new ideas and the things they could and would do to create an unforgettable guest experience. In many ways, I found a second family in these clients. I still feel that way.
When a call came from a friend who had helped open the satellite office for Wagstaff Worldwide, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to join an agency that focused solely on hospitality. For nearly 10 years, I had the fortune of working with some of the finest restaurants and hotels in the country, and was honored to help build the Midwest office and grow a presence for the agency in the Southeastern U.S. It was an enriching experience, and provided the top layer of the foundation that led me to my next endeavor.
My husband, John, and I had initially planned to open a restaurant – a lifelong dream we shared. I had worked at Wagstaff for nearly a decade before we met and married, and he had been working for and managing some of the best restaurants in the country and the Caribbean for close to 15 years (The Purple Pig and David Burke’s Primehouse in Chicago, The Blue Door at The Delano Hotel with Ian Schrager, the Maisonette in Cincinnati, and more).
The timing seemed right, so we developed a business plan, began talking with investors, looking at spaces – the whole nine yards. I decided I would do a bit of PR consulting out of my home since it would be some time before our restaurant materialized, while he continued to work at The Purple Pig as general manager.
On the freelance PR front, I was fortunate to receive interest from several industry peers and friends that I had come to know over the years. One call led to another, and within two months, I was representing seven clients out of my home. I’ll never forget the night John came home from work – it must have been 1 a.m. and I was typing like a madwoman at my laptop. While he knew I was taking on projects, he didn’t really know how many new relationships had come to fruition in such a short time. It became clear to both of us that perhaps the universe was leading us in another direction.
The next morning, we had a family meeting – me, John and our dog, Leo – and talked about what it would look like to start a hospitality-focused PR agency together. We quickly realized that between my direct experience and his expertise in the restaurant and hotel industries, we had a unique proposition. That conversation led to a brainstorming session about what we would do differently at IMR… and the decision was made. We had the good luck of growing quickly and hiring immensely talented individuals. For the first year and a half, we all worked out of our condo.
While our primary focus during this time was delivering for our growing client list, it was also seminal to developing the tenets of our business – a mission statement, core values, standard operating procedures, training, our IMR “way” for client management. I guess you could say that because the business opportunities fell into our lap, we were a little back-ended in terms of how it all came together.
Some of our very first clients remain with us today – the Illinois Restaurant Association, Bon Appétit presents Chicago Gourmet, the Intercontinental Chicago Hotel Magnificent Mile, Master Sommelier Alpana Singh… they were foundational to the beginning of IMR. Still others, like Charleston’s HMGI restaurant group and the James Beard Foundation Taste America, are going on 5+ years. For them, and for every client that has given us the honor of representing them at any stage of their (and our) business, I am filled with gratitude.
While we allow our employees to work from home (this has been a tenet of IMR since our inception), we moved into “official” offices about 2 years in. There are 15 of us, and – as we’ve done since day one – we come together at the beginning of every week to talk through business updates, brainstorm for clients, train, host meet and greets and more. It’s amazing to see all those talented people around the big table and realize that we built this. It hasn’t always been easy, and without moments of fear and uncertainty, but we did it. We’re doing it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Fortunately, our road has been relatively smooth. IMR has been profitable since our first day of business, and we are fortunate to work with incredibly talented clients and colleagues. Initially, the biggest struggle was keeping up with the pace of our own growth – we couldn’t hire, build a website or create core materials for our business fast enough! It took us a while to find our rhythm and get out of “startup” mode intensity. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything, though.
As an entrepreneur, I find extensive working hours are part of the deal no matter what, and it can be difficult to find others who can relate to your world. Scheduling time for myself – to exercise, see friends and family, go to shows or events and spend time with my husband out of “work” mode – these are areas that can be tough to keep consistent. But I’ve learned a great deal about balance these past seven years, and when I do carve out the time for those things, I’m better in my work.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Isabelli Media Relations (IMR) – what should we know?
IMR specializes in hospitality marketing for restaurants, hotels, beverage companies, culinary events, industry experts and more. We are based in Chicago and serve clients in nearly one dozen states nationwide.
Our industry has never been so dynamic, and it takes a thoughtful, smart strategy to “break through” the clutter. At IMR, it starts with understanding that every client has its own story to tell – cookie cutter campaigns will lead nowhere fast. It is a tremendous responsibility to be entrusted with sharing someone else’s story, and we don’t take it lightly.
IMR’s biggest practice area is public relations. A strong campaign relies upon being in tune with current, emerging or even yet-to-be-discovered trends and identifying how those may or may not apply to each client. From there, it’s about creativity, creativity and more creativity. To earn stand-alone editorial coverage means that your agency needs to develop very specific story angles, events and sometimes promotions that establish a client as a leader in its category.
This cannot happen without three things: 1) smart account representatives who constantly read, are visionaries, tenacious and excellent communicators; 2) strong relationships and earned trust with members of the press who are open to new ideas, and 3) clients who are equally passionate about embracing opportunities. This may seem like an obvious formula, but when these three components are aligned, as they are at IMR, the sky’s the limit.
Our team is also fluent in social media management, digital insights, four walls and direct marketing, advertising, and event planning – allowing us to provide a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to our clients’ marketing programs. The ability to harmonize with these other tenets is a tremendous value to our clients, providing them with a “one-stop” consulting firm.
We decided at IMR’s inception that video would grow to a paramount role in bringing clients’ stories to the forefront in a visually compelling way, so the video is included in our service packages. We have a full-time multimedia director on staff whose department creates countless productions annually. Videos have been utilized in place of traditional press releases, for social media purposes, for pitching, sponsorship solicitation, for websites, for commercials and more. Moving picture provides a powerful storytelling tool that augments all segments of marketing.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Success cannot happen without a lot of things – determination, tenacity, a thick skin, strong financial planning, good ethics, solid business practices, creativity, a desire to learn. But the longest arc of success comes with openness to feedback. Feedback from employees, clients, media. Without leaning into what others have to say and having “real” conversations with the people we serve, we can’t evolve.
It’s easy to get stuck on auto-pilot when you’re running a company in a fast-paced industry. But if we don’t slow down, stop to ask the questions, we’ll never know what we can be doing to improve.
At IMR, we’ve streamlined processes and created entire divisions of our agency come to life simply because we asked our team members and our clients for their opinions. Every quarter, I sit down with every person on our team, one on one. During those conversations, everything is on the table — work, successes, challenges, ideas, goals, what we can be doing better. It’s an opportunity to really connect with our crew and take a walk inside their brilliant brains. It’s the best time I spend all year.
Contact Info:
- Address: 20 W. Kinzie, 17th Floor Chicago, IL 60654
- Website: www.imrchicago.com
- Phone: 312 878 1222
- Email: partners@imrchicago.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/belliscoop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsabelliMediaRelations/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/belliscoop
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2455325/admin/updates/
Image Credit:
Neil Burger Photography
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