The Boardroom Is a Classroom: What Board Leadership Taught Me About Serving Our Clients
Here’s something I’ve learned about leadership: there’s the version of it that stops at the P&L, and then there’s the version that shows up on a Tuesday evening, unpaid, to help a theater company develop its strategic plan for the next five years, or to help a college evolve its curriculum. I’ve spent most of […]
VVK Podcast | How Detroit Leaders Build Real Workforce Readiness
A high school diploma doesn’t automatically translate into a stable job, and pretending it does leaves Detroit youth carrying the risk of a system that hasn’t kept up. We sit down with Michelle Reaves (Executive Director, DAPCEP), Jessica Hauser (Executive Director, Downtown Boxing Gym), and Laila Bell (VP of Learning and Impact, Skillman Foundation) to […]
How Philanthropies and Corporate Foundations Can Build Authentic Connection
Data tells us what is happening, but emotion tells us why it matters. For years, philanthropic and corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams have leaned heavily on proof of impact: grant totals, reporting metrics and program data. But data alone is rarely enough to move key audiences forward. Building trust with community partners means moving beyond […]
VVK Podcast | Preserving Detroit’s Character: Growth, Change and the Future of Authentic Neighborhoods
“Authentic Detroit” gets used as a compliment, a warning, and sometimes a weapon in development debates. We wanted to slow that word down and ask what it actually means on the ground, especially in two places that Detroiters care about deeply: Midtown and Eastern Market. Craig Fahle is joined by Melanie Markowicz, Executive Director of […]
We’re Hiring an Accounting & HR Manager (Part-time/Contract)
About the Team VVK PR + Creative is an independent, integrated communications firm based in Detroit, with offices in New Jersey and South Carolina. We help brands define themselves with strategic and creative communications services. We are a team of nearly 25 PR strategists, digital media specialists and video producers who implement comprehensive campaigns that […]
Send Us the Link
Every few weeks, a link shows up in my inbox. It might come from the person in charge late at night, or from someone who was asked about it in a meeting. Underneath it is usually some version of the same sentence. “Can you make me a video like this?” For a long time, I […]
VVK Podcast | Detroit’s Startup Moment: AI, Capital and the Future of Innovation
Detroit has always been a place that builds. What’s different now is the speed, the tools, and the stakes. In this episode of the VVK Podcast, we sit down with Mike Mattacola, CEO of Advaita Bio, and Patti Glaza, EVP for Venture and Managing Director of ID Ventures at Invest Detroit, to discuss what’s actually […]
Curiosity Over Certainty: Reflections on My First Mackinac Policy Conference
There were two key moments that stayed with me during my first time at the Conference and as a Mackinac Future Leader. The first lasted maybe fifteen minutes. Tuesday evening, after check-in but before the event fully began, the halls of the Grand Hotel briefly emptied. I intentionally walked through the space, mostly alone, taking […]
Beyond Opening Day: How Hospitality Brands Build Legacy Through Storytelling
When people think about hospitality PR, they often think about grand openings. The ribbon cutting. The influencer previews. The first wave of media coverage. The excitement that comes with introducing something new to the market. While those moments matter, they’re only the beginning. One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter in hospitality communications is the […]
The Future of Agencies Is More Human Than You Think
I recently sat down with Nicole Schuman, Managing Editor of PRNews at the PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference for a conversation about where agencies are headed and what’s already changing in our business. Here are five takeaways from that conversation and how they show up in our work at VVK PR + Creative. 1. The […]