Joy Donnell, Founder of 720PR

If you see this face aimlessly wandering through Southern California, you know Joy Donnell is having a good day. The East Coast transplant and Beverly Hills based PR professional who spends most of her week working to keep her corporate clients happy, describes just that as her ideal day.

While studying for an English degree at William and Mary (with a minor in Japanese cultural studies), Joy imagined a career in international law was in her future. When a friend suggested PR instead, Joy couldn’t think of anything worse. Eventually coming to the realization that with her combination of verbal aptitude and social finesse a career in public relations was the perfect fit, Joy went on to join a large PR firm after college, then out on her own.

A year and a half of freelancing in Atlanta, and one too many humid Summers later, Joy moved to Southern California where she started the boutique branding and public relations firm 720PR. Using her experience working with corporate clients, she teamed up with a partner specializing in celebrity branding, and the pair formed the strong (and all-female) team that runs the firm today.

So, if you see this woman wandering the streets with no map and a carefree smile, don’t worry.  Joy is anything but lost.

1.  Dealing with celebrities and PR, how much of your social life is intertwined with business?

My social life overlaps with my business on a daily basis yet, I don’t mind. A large part of PR is social capital, so I vigorously maintain as well as expand my network. After work cocktails and red carpet events often blur that work/life line, but I love what I do and I love the people in my life. There’s no monotony.

2.  How does your “fundamental interest” in people translate into running a great PR firm?

I like digging into mindsets, seeing how different peoples in different countries think and figuring out how to relay the same message to someone in South Africa as well as Sweden. I think you have to be interested in people if you intend to have a career where you relate to the public. Helping individuals and corporations with their global public perception requires being a bit of a cultural anthropologist.



3.  In college, you also studied Japanese culture. What fascinated you about this area of the world, and what passion, if any, do you still have for it?

Once, my class watched this tape about learned facial expressions. During moments of disgust, the Japanese subject forced himself to smile while the American subject allowed himself to frown and gag. It blew my mind! That was the first time I realized that different societies have different behaviors that are socially acceptable. It eventually opened me to my career in PR.



4.  Why do you love LA, and do you ever miss the East Coast?

All the sunshine, palm trees, and lack of humidity in LA greatly improved my disposition, but I miss the East Coast in lots of ways. I love East Coast food. I miss the charm and hospitality of Southerners. I just don’t miss the weather.

5.  You chose a female business partner. Was that a purposeful decision or just the right person for the job?

It was kismet. Li and I are long time friends and an opportunity to work together aligned once I came to LA. Li was doing celebrity placements and branding, so it made sense to team up. Our collaboration allows 720 to nurture brands while maintaining a PR strategy, so the message the brand sends to the public never deviates.

6. At what age did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

By the time I was 5 years old I had witnessed members of my own family being successful entrepreneurs. I was never awed by the money or the private planes and such, I was enamored with the freedom. Once I put 2 and 2 together, I knew I wanted that kind of freedom and autonomy. That’s fed my ambition for as long as I can remember.

7. Describe the person who would best complement both your life and your business.

My ideal man is passionate, compassionate, successful and ambitious. One of the things he’s most ambitious about is me and our family. We truly like each other and understand one another. I think at the end of the day you need understanding and common goals, and those things maintain the trust, love, and respect.

8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Traveling with my family. Being healthy and happy. Sharing what I know about publicity with as many people as possible and empowering those in business for themselves with the skill of self-promotion. I also want a nonprofit that encourages youth to utilize their social power.

Joy’s Bio:

As Founder of Beverly Hills boutique 720 PR, Joy Donnell has aided branding and public relations efforts for corporations such as DaimlerChrysler USA, The Carissa Project and Virgin Re*Generation spokesperson Carissa Phelps, GM, Warner Bros.’ Oscar-nominated film Blood Diamond, and many others. She’s also connected brands to several celebrities including Samuel L Jackson, Patti LaBelle, and Calista Flockhart.

Donnell’s PR advice has been featured in print and online media including best-selling author Mike Michalowicz’ Toilet Paper Entrepreneur and The Social Media Professor while her Hollywood social jaunts have been featured in Genlux and Cosmopolitan magazines.

Want to connect with Joy? Follow her on Twitter and on her blog “Do it in Public”!