Meet Brianna K Bentov- an experienced PR and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) professional based in North Florida.
It is interesting to know that Brianna’s first career began in the US Navy as a musician, through which she was fortunate enough to travel and tour the world for eight years. Growing up, she had a supportive family who let her explore her world to most of her ability and encouraged all her interests- these interests always revolved around music, travel, languages, and meeting people of different cultures.
Leading up to her position as a PR Manager, she completed an undergraduate degree in PR/Communications while working full-time at Nordstrom. This was after her 8-year Navy career. She was fortunate enough to be promoted gradually from being an intern to a manager at her current organization.
The organization she presently works for, K9s For Warriors, is a nonprofit entity that rescues dogs to rescue veterans. The dogs are rescued from shelters around the U.S. and trained as service dogs to be paired with veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI and Military Sexual Trauma. “There is robust support for and recognition of K9s For Warriors from many different audiences. I’ve helped the organization win significant, positive press coverage around the nation. As a member of the marketing team, I’ve helped the organization win creative awards for work I’ve produced including a newsletter and a blog post,” she says.
In her personal and professional life, Brianna strives to live by her values of being honest and authentic and making the most of life’s experiences. According to her, it has brought her opportunities that she sincerely strived for, such as travelling the world, becoming a professional musician, building her skills in PR and Marketing Communications, and even marrying the love of her life! For her, the main challenge was realizing that – as great as it was – her undergraduate degree was not enough to prepare her for the dynamics of her current field. It was only because of this realisation that she went ahead and learnt as much as she could from her real-life experiences and learnings. “My present challenge is finding which opportunity to take next as there are so many, thankfully!” she says.
For all the women who look forward to building their own career and life, she suggests that believing in yourself is the first step. We must know what our strengths and weaknesses are so that we know how to best support ourselves and our goals. “You must continue to work hard and go for what you want by being honest and authentic. Also, you must always try to network because one connection can truly change your life!” she says.