Olivia G. Pearson
The Social Publicist
“As a kid, other kids called me bossy. That hurt my feelings for a while, then I realized you're not bossy baby, you’re a boss.” - Olivia G. Pearson
Olivia G Pearson has always known who she was and where she was going in life. Growing up she moved around a lot. Living in places like Detroit, Ohio, New York and California pushed her to put herself out there and find new friends. The experience taught Pearson about the world. Now she is able to recognize and immerse herself in different industries, cultures, and markets to be able to relate to the people in an organic way.
Throughout school she had a variety of friend groups. Pearson was the little girl coming up with the games to play on the playground. In 7th grade she started an underground tabloid, where her and her girls spilled all the juicy secrets. She says, “I was always starting something to bring people together who liked to do the same things. I made sure everyone got what they wanted, when no one knew what to do, I was like this is what we do.”
In high school, she put herself in cheerleading, track, and AP courses. She was loved by students and teachers alike. One day while her AP English teacher was listening to a conversation Pearson jumped into. She paid attention to how Pearson carefully constructed a plan for her classmate to carry out their goal, her teacher told her that she should be a publicist. Pearson says, “it was easy for me to come out with a clearly laid out plan that they can execute.” As she considered the thought of Public Relations she said to herself, “I like helping people, I don't like being handcuffed to one certain industry and PR gives me mobility.” She graduated Fitzgerald High School in 2011 and attended Denison University, School of Liberal Arts in the fall with a Public Relations Major.
Attending Denison University in Granville, Ohio was a dream come true for Pearson, but when she got into the curriculum she realized it wasn’t what she expected or wanted. Her courses there were teaching theoretical work and research. She says, “I didn’t come to school to do research.” So she came home to Michigan in 2015 and continued her degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. At Wayne she was given more applicable knowledge with practical work. She says the Wayne State network connected her with the tools and professionals she needed to work in the Public Relations industry.
Public Relations is a broad career. There’s corporate relations, agency relations, freelance relations, etc. While Pearson was considering her niche she thought about how much she loved social media and analytics which was one of her courses at the time. It dawned on her that she could morph “traditional” public relations work with the new age technology of social sites. At that moment the seed for her business the Social Publicist was planted. In college, she was a part of The Public Relations Student Society of America, the Black Student Union and she interned at DTE Energy Company.
“I’ve always had to start from scratch, I’ve always had to find a solution for somebody’s problem, I’ve always had to prove my value in a new space. Those were the strengths that were left with me.”
Her time with DTE familiarized her with the Detroit market wanted and needed. After College, she worked with Infused PR Agency led by her mentor Tatiana Grant and Detroit Public School Community District. These jobs crafted her event planning skills, photography skills, writing skills, media relations, and social planning skills. She worked on campaigns like the launch of Beacon Park and the all McDonalds in SouthEast Michigan and current Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She says, “it’s the community aspect for me. The Detroit market is dear to me and I want to make sure the work I do makes for a better Detroit.”
During her time working with corporate, she was also taking on freelance contracts under her business The Social Publicist. She worked with Dine, Drink, Detroit on their burger battle, Taco Showdown, Rose All Day, and Eastern Market events. Her last corporate job was with Ford Motor Company working with their internal communications. Working with Ford “taught me how to step into my power, I had a lot of responsibility.”
On June 12th, 2020 she was informed that she no longer worked at Ford. COVID hit the world by storm and shook up her world. She says, “ I couldn't wait around for another job, I already have these skills.” She decided to do The Social Publicist full time. Now their clients include:
A production company in LA,
Olympian Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce
The Detroit Beauty Collective
A Non-profit Org supported by the city of Detroit
Pearson takes challenges head-on while working through her imposter syndrome. She describes her office as a wall full of sticky notes. She says, “I keep a notebook on me to write down things for my clients or future clients that might fit for their message.” She went on, “I am inspired by what I experience and what I see that catches my eye. It's a part of marketing, it's a part of Public Relations.”
“It's empowering and humbling having my own business. It gives me pride and self-confidence, I believed in myself enough to make this happen.”