Meet Charlotte Shaff of The Media Push

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Shaff.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My career began in television. In college, I was trying to find something that combined my love for advertising with the media and I discovered the perfect fit in my first internship at WUPW FOX 36 in Toledo, Ohio. It was in the Promotions department. I had no idea there was such a thing in TV, I thought there was just news and sales. (During this time, WUPW did not even have a news department, but the popularity of FOX network programs had spiked due to shows like “Beverly Hills 90210.” The station ran a lot of syndicated programming and I was able to create local promotions to get people to watch those shows. This was it, Promotion was now my goal in life and when I graduated from Central Michigan University in 1993, I was ready to begin my TV career. But not so fast, I discovered jobs in TV paid pretty poorly and I needed to cover rent, so I worked in the restaurant business for a few years as a server and bartender. But when an internship in Grand Rapids at WZZM opened up in Promotion, I took it while also working nights at a local pub. This was my “foot in the door” as they say and from there I learned to work my way up until I could finally snag a TV promotion producer and writer position. I learned how to edit on AVID and ProTools and creatively write TV news topicals and promotions. I grew weary of the cold and snow of Michigan so I took a chance and sent my resume tapes to all the warm weather states hiring for TV Promotion Producers. A station in Phoenix, AZ called me for an interview and in August 1999, I moved across the country to work at KNXV.

For three years, I expanded my skills and love for news, promotional writing and community relations. But after some challenges with the negativity of news, I decided to move on. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I wanted to stay in something that dealt with the media and promotion that didn’t involve the doom and gloom of news. I worked for the Maricopa County Department of Transportation doing internal communications and while I loved my boss, the slowness of government was not for me. Then, I moved on to a job with an advertising agency working solely in promotional added value for a big sandwich fast-food chain. I was able to work with tv and radio and newspapers, but it still wasn’t the right fit for me. I was able to hone more skills working contract jobs for the Fiesta Bowl events for a few seasons, but I knew a job with a boss wasn’t for me. I wanted to be the boss.

After a lot of thought, I decided to take a leap of faith and I started my own PR business in August of 2005. I was able to take over a client from my former TV boss at KNXV who had worked in PR for a while and I realized then that this was what I was destinted to do! In media relations, I am able to help get local small businesses find exposure and credibility through the media. I was able to share good stories. I was able to help consumers stay safe, be healthy, save money and learn about new wasy to improve their lives through the work of my clients. I knew what happened in a newsroom and how reporters and producers chose stories and so I pitched accordingly and my business began to grow. I would definitely say that it was not easy. I was single. I had a mortgage and a lot of credit card debt. But in the back of my mind, I always had a goal… to get at least 10 clients a month and have a set retainer for each of them. And if I got married, I wanted the opportunity to be able to work at home to be a mom too.

Little did I know, that while being a WAHM, working at home with kids is not easy. But I didn’t want to be stuck in a newsroom or agency office as a mother. I knew how hard it was for mothers in those situations and how management was not very understanding. In the beginning of my career, I spent a lot of time networking with local chambers, women’s groups and taking on any job I could take. I thought I could do it all, media buying, marketing, event planning, but I soon realized that my niche was pitching and media relations. I was able to create a business built solely around that element. If a client needed other assistance in marketing or advertising, I was able to refer them to other solo practitioners in the community.

Through the years, my business grew through word of mouth. In fact, I don’t advertise or pursue clients. I let them come to me. The majority of the clients under The Media Push umbrella right now have been with me for at least 5-10 years. They stayed with me through the recesssion too because they understood the value of public relations. During my time running The Media Push I have also been on many media/PR panels and was a blogger for the Valley PR Blog which helped me gain more visibility with the local media. One thing is for sure in PR, your relationships are KEY to your success. I am currently overseeing 12 clients and 2 nonprofits, plus contract work with other PR practitioners in the Valley.

Also, during the past decade, I got married and have two boys, ages 7 and 8. I work from home because it is less overhead. I truly just need a computer, my phone and great transportation to do what I do. Because I work from home and don’t have the opportunity to experience the “water cooler” talk with co-workers like I used to at an agency or newsroom, I use social media constantly through the day to stay on top of trends, news and what is happening in the local media. I also manage many of my client’s social media accounts too, which is an added element to my business offerings. I can truly say I am doing exactly what I dreamed I would do. I just didn’t know it as a college student back in the 90s. My experiences and relationships have shaped me into a successful business owner and I’m so happy to be running The Media Push for 13 years now.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a long, hard road to success. Starting your own business is not easy. My strengths are creativity and writing and relationships. My weaknesses are in accounting and math. I learned after a few years of serious debt and money issues as a business owner that we must hire others who are good at what they do to be a successful business. I thought I could do my own taxes. I thought I could balance my personal and business checkbook. But I couldn’t. Eventually, I found a good accountant and she set me straight. It was a couple of years of many tears on my part to learn how to budget and cut back and get organized, but with that weight off my shoulders, I am much more successful. I used to focus on how I was going to pay my bills and let some bad clients take advantage of me. I learned the power of sticking up for myself, showing my worth and asking for what I deserved in payment. You want to help people, but you can’t pay bills with good intentions and promises.

I also learned as a mom, you can’t do it all. There is pretty much no way to effectively do your job as a PR professional or as a mother when you mix kids with biz. While I have the luxury of “making my own hours” at times, the reality is I am a busy PR pro who has 10+ clients and they deserve my attention during the day. My boys have been in childcare since they were babies and I do not regret it AT ALL. I believe that the time you spend with your children is about the quality of the experiences, not the quantity. My boys learned how to be independent, confident and social through their childcare and early learning experiences. I grew up with my parents running a small business. I remember my parents not coming to the classroom to volunteer or go on field trips. This bothered me, so, as part of my goal to be a WAHM (Work at Home Mom) I wanted to find a way to make time for that kind of stuff with my children when they were in school. In reality, I don’t really feel the best IN the classrooms, I want to help with the bigger picture, so I serve on my children’s school’s PTO board instead. I can’t make it to everything on campus and my boys know it, but I can find ways to make school and PTO a priority because I want to. I doubt I would have been able to do this if I was at an agency or TV station and this why I am thankful for running my own business.

Please tell us about The Media Push.
The Media Push specializes is helping Pheonix area businesses get exposure and credibility in the local media. I specialize in helping the small business who might not have a budget for an “agency” to get on TV, in the paper or local magazines and on the radio. Because I work from home, they don’t pay the overhead of a big staff or rent of an office space, etc. I love to work with businesses who have an “evergreen” quality to them. For example, I work with a group of mechanics (NARPRO.com) and we are always able to generate pitches and stories around car and trends. Is it hot outside? How does the heat affect your car’s tires? Going back to school? What to do before you buy a used car for your student. I love a business with a great owner backstory. What did they do before they started their business? What challenges or issues surround them that have made them stronger? What is unique about what they do from others in the industry? I also love to help with social media. The power of social media can help tell the stories of my clients too. It is a great way to expand behind that story that ran in the paper or the segment they had on a local morning show. I’m so proud of being able to help tell the stories of local small business owners and showing them how special their expertise and information is to consumers.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have hired an accountant and had some money in the bank when I started. But, I truly believe our experiences help make us into who we are now and we need to go through some challenges and hard times. It only makes you stronger and smarter in the long run.

Pricing:

• Clients must expect a minimum of $1000 monthly budget and 3-6 month retainer to start

Contact Info:

• Address:  3039 W Peoria Ave #C 102-149, Phoenix, AZ 85029
• Website: www.themediapush.com
• Phone: 602-418-8534
• Email: charlotte@themediapush.com
• Instagram: charshaff
• Facebook: themediapush
• Twitter: charshaff
• Yelp: n/a

Image Credit:
The one of the doctor on Scottsdale Republic front page is from the Arizona Republic

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