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MEET PRSA AUSTIN CHAPTER MEMBER: John Ganzerla

What do you currently do for a living? I work for Eaton’s Aerospace Group managing all global communications for 22 worldwide locations.

What did you want to be growing up? I wanted to be an engineer. 

What motivated you to pursue a career in the communications industry? I actually started my career in film and photography when I was working for the Army Corp of Engineers in Vicksburg, Mississippi. While I was pursuing my electrical engineering degree I worked in this field and fell in love with film production. It was easy for me to work with film and photography so I decided to change my major and pursue that career instead. It wasn’t until I had my own business in Dallas that I primarily worked in communications with PR agencies and Ad agencies. 

Where are you from? Where have you lived? I was born and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. I lived in Dallas, Texas for nearly eight years and then returned to Jackson, Mississippi area with my wife after our first child was a year old. My wife and I are both from Mississippi and met in Dallas. We move to Austin in June 2014. 

What college(s) did you attend? 

  • BS degree from University of Southern Mississippi
  • MBA degree from Mississippi College

What was your first job in PR/communications? University of Mississippi Medical Center in the University Relations department producing educational videos for students and the public. 

What is your best piece of advice to your fellow PR practitioners? Never give up on creating your best work. 

What publication/book/blog do you recommend others read (professionally or personally)? There are two books that I recommend written by Connie Dieken: “Talk Less Say More” and “Become the Real Deal”. I teach a class that Connie developed called “Present to Win” to our leadership and other customer-facing employees. Connie coaches executives around the country from Apple, GE, HP, etc. These two books are a great way to help yourself learn how to extract the information you need to develop your message and create a presentation that will win business and influence people.  

What are your favorite things to do in Austin? Favorite places to visit? Favorite restaurants? One of the big draws for us to move here was the hiking opportunities. My wife and I love going on long trail hikes. Our favorite place to visit around Austin so far is San Antonio because it reminds us of New Orleans, but our all-time favorite country is Italy. There are a lot of restaurants we enjoy but we really like Trudy’s for the margatinis.

What is the best part about your job? I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world and meet some amazing people and cultures. I always wanted to travel and now I spend approximately 60 to 75 percent of my time traveling. My job has a lot of challenges with the changes taking place in the Aerospace industry. There are so many things I get to do and interact with so many cultures that you learn a lot a about people and how to communicate with them in a different way.