Board Member Spotlight: Kaylin R. Staten, APR
This month, we are also highlighting our Board Member Kaylin R. Staten, APR.
Kaylin R. Adkins-Staten, APR, is an award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner, writer and business owner based in Huntington, W.Va. Kaylin has 18 years of journalism and communications experience (11 years specifically in public relations), spanning from her days as a high-school newspaper reporter to present day.
She is an alumna of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in public relations in 2010. Kaylin owns Hourglass Media, which aims to unveil the hearts of stories through public relations, writing and educational opportunities. Previously, she worked in nonprofit public relations at United Way of the River Cities for five years. Kaylin currently serves as PRSA-River Cities Chapter Past President (2020) and has served as President (2018-2019), Treasurer (2017) and Secretary (2016). She currently serves on the PRSA-East Central District Board and is the Digital Committee Chair and a QuickStart Committee member. She is a board member for Dress for Success River Cities in Huntington, W.Va., and serves on several nonprofit planning committees.
Her first and favorite professional love is writing, and she blends that passion into her public relations and other communications work for clients and in personal projects. She released her first book, From Granny’s Kitchen, in 2016. Her children’s counting book, Plastic Cupcakes, was released in 2018, with more written works coming soon. She has been featured in The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Women’s Health, American Profile, Harness Magazine, PRSA’s Strategies & Tactics and a slew of local and regional publications.
During her career in PR and journalism, she has received several PRSA-River Cities Chapter Tribus Awards, PRSA-WV Chapter Crystal Awards, and PRSA-East Central District Diamond Awards. Those include the Best in WV Award from PRSA-WV in 2011 for her Community Relations Campaign work for “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day” and the Best Tactic in the Tri-State Award from PRSA-River Cities in 2020 for Cabell County Family Resource Network’s “Kids’ Dental Health Month Electronic Press Kit.” Her business’ work on the statewide The Call WV campaign also garnered two Bronze Telly Awards in 2016. In 2010, Kaylin earned the Marvin L. Stone Award for Outstanding Journalist at Marshall University, an award given to only one student per year. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations in October 2018 and became one of only approximately 4,000 accredited PR practitioners in the world and one of 11 in West Virginia. She was named as one of The Ironton Tribune’s “35 Under 35” recipients in 2020.
She is an advocate for mental health, human empowerment, mentorship, and education/children’s issues. In her spare time, Kaylin enjoys writing; reading; watching “Star Wars” movies; traveling and seeking adventures; spending time with her husband Jared, son Luke (arriving in September 2020!), and cat children Ilia Garnet and Meera; and daydreaming of Paris.
Home Chapter: River Cities
What is your favorite part about being part of PRSA (National, District and Chapter levels)?
I have been involved with PRSA since my PRSSA days at Marshall University. I have always enjoyed the camaraderie of membership and the notion of professional development and extended learning mixed with networking. I have developed hard and soft skills I wouldn’t have necessarily had without serving at the Chapter and District levels. I am also an awards geek. I’ve served as a Silver and Bronze Anvils judge (as well as a judge for many other Chapters) and have spearheaded PRSA-River Cities Chapter’s first two years of the Tribus Awards. I like being able to see all of the amazing public relations work going on in small to large markets.
What do you hope to contribute to PRSA-ECD in 2020?
My main task at hand is to help enhance PRSA-ECD’s digital footprint with the help of the board and input from Chapters. So, I want to continue the momentum of previous efforts and add some new tech and tactics in 2020 and beyond. I also want to help Chapters get the resources they need when that need arises, and making that easy is a top priority.
What is your favorite part of public relations (and other related communications industries)?
Being able to tell stories, whether it’s through the lens of a client’s messaging or sitting down one and one and talking with someone for an interview. You can never underestimate the power of storytelling, and that is what drew me to PR in the first place. That, and never having the same day twice. I like having multiple projects and campaigns to work on and honestly how integrated the industry has become. I’m never bored, that’s for sure!
Talk about your career. What have been some highlights and missteps, and what have you learned from them?
I have been part of so many wonderful campaigns and projects that it’s difficult to choose just one! So, I will express something I learned while being a business owner. Being a PR practitioner and owning your own company are not the same thing, and I have had to develop a new set of skills to be at the helm of my company. I have learned SO many professional and personal life lessons during the past five years that my company has been in existence. There’s something about being thrust to the fire that will allow you to learn what works and what doesn’t VERY quickly. At the beginning, I tried to be everything to everyone, especially if I had the skill set to handle a certain campaign or tactic. What I realized was that tailoring my processes to a niche set of offerings allowed me to be more authentic and passionate about the work I am doing.
What would you say to a prospective member who wants to join PRSA but is on the fence?
I always tell these individuals to try it out. See if you like it and what you can glean from attending a regular meeting, speaker series, panel discussion, workshop, conference, etc. Be open-minded and willing to learn. I feel like there is always something new to learn, and PRSA’s content adheres to industry standards, best practices and ahead-of-the-curve tools. Being part of a professional organization adds to your credibility and reputation, no matter what sector you work in.
What do you like most about QuickStart, the Diamond Awards and/or other PRSA-ECD initiatives?
I really like meeting with all of the Chapter, District and National representatives at QuickStart. You are able to put faces to names and learn about their successes and missteps along the way. PRSA-ECD always has relevant and comprehensive presentation topics, and I think attending is a vital part of being a Chapter leader within our District. I attended as a Chapter leader, and I always encourage others to attend as well.
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