The Common Sense Colloquy: Q&A with Shawn Smith of Shawn Smith Communications

As I have written before, in 2018, I had an idea for a national network of multicultural and LGBTQ owned and operated public relations agencies. The idea was inspired by my friendship and collaboration with LaTricia Woods of Mahogany Xan Communications. I took the idea to LaTricia, and she said yes before I even finished my pitch! And from that conversation, The Change Agencies was born and later launched with four other partners.

Now, six years later, The Change Agencies includes 15 agencies across the country and counts African American, Asian American, Native American, Hispanic and LGBTQ owned public relations firms in its membership. LaTricia and I are now the co-leads for the network, and I featured her in this series in January of 2024.

Earlier this month, we announced our 2024 Class of new members of The Change Agencies: Abenaa Hayes, Shawn Smith and Sandy Diaz Haley. Each of these women is already an industry leader. Now, they’re also members of The Change Agencies and we’re highlighting their new membership by including them in this series of interviews. We have already featured Sandy and Abenaa and now we’re adding Shawn Smith of Shawn Smith Communications.

Shawn Smith is founder and CEO of Shawn Smith Communications, a consulting firm that provides integrated communications services to a diverse range of clients, from corporate giants to emerging brands, authors and entrepreneurs. She is an experienced branding and communications expert with more than 20 years of experience leading branding, marketing and communications for major brands and organizations. Prior to founding her own firm in 2023, Shawn was a senior executive at Disney and at Warner Bros. She has developed and directed global PR campaigns for Disney Stores and Disney films, created and conducted multicultural campaigns for Chevy and Wells Fargo and directed major market, cross-cultural and multi-platform communications initiatives for a number of other brands.

Shawn lives in Los Angeles and is a native of Southern California (and a proud UCLA Bruin). She began her career working with legendary publicist Pat Tobin and built on her experience as a senior account executive in the film and television division of Rogers & Cowan. She was named one of PR Week’s 40 under 40 Ones to Watch in 2011. In 2013, she relaunched the Black Public Relations Society, LA and served as the group’s president for the next six years. In 2019, she became the first African American president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

I was introduced to Shawn by my friend Shaleek Blackburn and encouraged to talk with her by my friend and fellow TCA member Bernadette Davis who has worked with Shawn in the past. With connections like that, how could I not reach out for a conversation. I’m so glad that I did: I knew right away after meeting Shawn that she is both smart and thoughtful. If Shawn says she’ll do something, she does it and she does it well. And if she makes a commitment, she means it. Although I haven’t had the privilege of working with her yet, I know from her colleagues that she has the perspective of an entertainment industry veteran who understands how to focus on the right audiences for the right products and services.  I consider myself lucky to have met her and can’t wait to work with her. For now, I’m so happy to welcome her to this ongoing series. My thanks to Shawn for sharing her wisdom with us – and you.

Q: Why is a network like The Change Agencies needed? What role do you see it filling in the marketplace and why should clients hire one or more of The Change Agencies to help them change the way they communicate across cultures?

A: The Change Agencies quickly dispels the notion that the industry can’t find excellent communications professionals that are diverse. We are here, doing outstanding work and making a significant impact, and have been doing so for a long time. Many of The Change Agencies members came from top tier agencies, global companies,  or leading non-profit organizations before venturing into entrepreneurship. We excelled in these roles and took all of those experiences to create agencies that reflected us while providing our clients with the same level of strategic thinking and creativity.  We know how to develop campaigns that resonate with a variety of audiences(and if we don’t know another TCA colleague is ready to collaborate and bring that expertise to any project). We bring our full selves to our work, which only benefits our clients. It’s smart business to know how to speak to a cross-section of cultures and have the ability to pull those levers as needed to drive a campaign.

Q: Why are you passionate about inclusive communication? What excites you the most about this work? 

A: I’m excited about telling powerful stories and creating narratives that are culturally relevant and nuanced when needed. I’m inspired by younger generations who demand the world acknowledge differences while celebrating our commonalities. Even within campaigns designed to speak to everyone (general market), there are stories to be told that resonate with specific audiences, and I’m excited to have led campaigns that have achieved both. Although there are times when it seems there is a pushback against celebrating all people, there are bright spots in the work that we do, and members of The Change Agencies are at the forefront.

Q: How has your career experience helped you in leading inclusive communications and marketing initiatives with clients? What lessons have you learned that have applied to your work?

A I started my career as a journalist, writing for community newspapers that often tell stories not covered by mainstream media (even more so during that time). When I transitioned into public relations, I began working at agencies that created multicultural campaigns. The foundation of my professional career is telling stories that speak to diverse audiences. As I navigated my career, I learned that not everyone has that experience and sensibility, and it’s a superpower that I’ve brought to every role. It’s a skill that makes me an even stronger communicator, and I’ve had to use it in unexpected ways to serve my company or clients. One of the most important things to know is that diverse communities are not one big audience but a multitude of smaller audiences with a range of perspectives. It’s important that when we’re speaking to specific audiences, we do it with understanding and authenticity.

Q: What’s the best “common sense” advice about communications you’ve received?

A: It’s PR, not ER. It can be stressful at times, but let’s keep it in perspective 🙂

Q: What’s the best “common sense” advice about communications you've given to others?

A: I often tell young professionals that you have to be able to stand by your decisions. Make good, smart judgment calls for the situation with the information that you have and then be able to articulate how you came to that decision. Most of the time, if you can do that, leaders will respect you even if things don’t go smoothly. And when things aren’t going well, repeat to yourself “it’s PR, not ER” and move forward!