The role of the fashion publicist has evolved significantly over the past couple of decades, and Savannah Engel has been boots on the ground through it all. In this delightfully chaotic episode recorded ahead of last fashion month, I chat with the founder of Savi about growing up in the Mississippi Delta — with a mother who was one of the first female executives at Wrangler — and how learning to work the room at SMU frat parties eventually led her to explore a career in PR, landing a gig at Michael Kors while she was technically still enrolled at school. Tune in for Savannah’s hilarious storytelling, as well as her take on why the world of public relations as it once stood is over; how she learned that “people and parties” is her most valuable skill; how trauma bonding with fellow assistants via nightlife made her indispensable to her bosses because of the relationships she built; what it was like starting a community building agency long before that became a popular term; lessons she learned from working the door at clubs, as well as through hosting and doing seating charts for dinner parties; the realities (and lack of ROI) of a small brand putting on a runway show; why no amount of online socializing or clout can replace IRL human interaction; what makes an actually good party; how publicists shifted from someone behind the scenes to becoming more forward-facing; whether everyone has what it takes to become an “It Girl” in the age of social media, and so much more.

This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson.

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