About us
PR that pays off
long after we’re done.
Since 2010, Tracy Samantha Schmidt has taught people to get the right attention. Today our team also builds custom PR systems our clients run themselves.
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Our story
A PR firm that empowers you
to succeed without us.
We started in 2010 as a social media education company. Tracy taught newsrooms and organizations to get the right attention online. Since then, more than 150 organizations and 25,000+ people have learned our methods.
Along the way, Tracy kept watching friends and clients blow their money on PR agencies and get little back. So she built a better way to do PR. Our publicists build each client a PR system they run themselves to get press, speaking gigs, and online momentum when they need it.
Since 2010, education has been key to everything we do.
- 2010
Social media training
Tracy starts teaching newsrooms and organizations to use social media.
- 2015
Digital marketing and communications
Tracy leaves the media industry, starts the firm, and expands the training.
- 2022
PR systems you run
Our publicists start building clients a PR system they run themselves.
- Today
A growing team
Former journalists, PR strategists, and developers. Tracy leads strategy and training.
Our track record
The right attention, without a retainer.
From venture-backed startups to Johns Hopkins, our clients hire us for the same thing.
Our clients have included
Industries we work in
- Tech & AI
- Healthcare & med tech
- Higher education
- Nonprofits & associations
- Professional services
- Finance & real estate
- Civic & government
- Consumer & food
- Arts & culture
- Media & marketing
The team
Who you’ll work with.
Former journalists, PR strategists, and developers behind both programs. Every engagement starts with Tracy.
Tracy Samantha Schmidt
Principal
25 years across journalism, PR, and marketing. She covered the rise of Facebook for TIME, co-founded one of the first influencer networks at the Chicago Tribune, led global social strategy for Crain Communications, appeared regularly on TV, and taught marketing at the University of Chicago for a decade. She is also a professional speaker who has presented at more than 100 conferences and private events.
Fikir Belete
Executive Assistant & Project Manager
A software engineer by training, Fikir manages workflows, timelines, and deliverables across every engagement so projects run smoothly and clients get consistent support.
Eric Benderoff
Media Trainer & PR Strategist
25 years across top agencies and Chicago newsrooms. At BCW he trained hundreds of Fortune 500 executives. A former Chicago Tribune business editor and tech columnist, he is now a professor of practice at Michigan State.
Collin Czarnecki
Digital PR Strategist
Founder of NOBLE and a former journalist with 2,500 published articles. He has led more than 400 digital PR campaigns that earned 14,000+ media placements across tech, food, and finance.
Cat McDevitt
Social Media Strategist & Content Producer
A Chicago-based strategist who turns dense research and expertise into video that performs. Her clients gain an average of 20,000 followers across platforms after working with her.
Elizabeth Dycus
PR Strategist
A published author and conference speaker who teaches public speaking and speech communication at Austin Community College. Based in Austin, where she is part of the local expressive arts community.
Lauren Viera
Content Strategist, Copywriter & Ghostwriter
Two decades in journalism and branding, from the Chicago Tribune to Leo Burnett to her own practice. Clients include Airbnb, Google Workspace, Condé Nast, and The New York Times Magazine. She teaches writing at Columbia College Chicago.
Heather Stumpf
Photographer & Creative Director
The photographer behind Margo Popio Studios, where founders and executives get personal brand photography that looks like a magazine shoot. Founder of Vavoom Pinups, with more than 3,000 clients photographed since 2008.
Jon Tsourakis
Business Advisor
An entrepreneur with 20 years in marketing, sales, and leadership. President and co-owner of Oyova, named to the Inc. 5000 three times. He led the Digital Mastermind Group, a national peer network for agency owners.
In their words
“Not only did Tracy help me crystallize my ideas and make them applicable to all audiences, but she also helped me understand and anticipate journalists’ reactions. On top of that, she helped me leverage my SXSW speech to attract a ton of media coverage that was a game-changer for the growth of our business.”
Ian Beacraft
Co-founder and Chief Futurist, Signal + Cipher
“As a Johns Hopkins University Provost’s Fellow, I spent over a year training in public-facing and media skills. I then had the amazing opportunity to work with Tracy, who transformed my outlook, presence, and messaging far more than what I learned during the year.”
Dr. Emily Boss
Surgeon and Professor, Johns Hopkins University
“Tracy helped me turn my idea into a story people believed in. Her strategy gave me the tools to build momentum, and it directly fueled our record-breaking $2.5M Kickstarter launch.”
Jonathan Domanus
Founder, CardMill
“Tracy is an expert on social media and she demonstrates that in her explanation of philosophy, strategy, approach, and tactics. ALA staff were enthusiastic about her presentation on social media crisis communications.”
Jeff Julian
Director, Public Awareness Office, American Library Association
Ready to get the right attention?
Book an intro call and we’ll walk you through how our programs work, share pricing, and tell you honestly if it’s not a fit.
Book a call with Tracy