Member Spotlight

MEET PRSA AUSTIN CHAPTER MEMBER: RYAN KELLY

NAME: Ryan Kelly

CURRENT LIVELIHOOD: Communications Manager with Time Warner Cable

CHILDHOOD AMBITION: I really wanted to be the next Johnny Carson.  I watched his Tonight Show every night and he was the true “king” of late night. However, the comedian lifestyle wasn’t for me, so I re-focused my career ambitions towards journalism and communications in college.

DRAW TO THE COMMUNICATIONS FIELD: I am a news junkie, so my first ambitions were to work in the newsroom. I spent eight years as a broadcast journalist in Waco and Austin, working as a TV reporter, news anchor and producer. I had a great time, but realized it wasn’t a very stable career (or high paying one). I made the switch to public relations because I wanted to work on longer-term strategic projects and initiatives, along with media relations. The transition from journalism to PR was pretty natural for me.

HOMETOWN: I was born in Waco and graduated from Waco High School. I moved to Austin in ’92 to attend UT and have called Austin home since then. I remember my sophomore year at UT around 1993 when we first learned about the internet and everyone was issued an e-mail address. We had no idea we were witnessing the start of the Information Age.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL: Too many to list, but I’ve really enjoyed all the entrepreneurs I have met and worked with in Austin. I love this city because people not only have ideas, they are willing to take huge risks to make them come to life – with the help of PR professionals, of course!

RECOMMENDED READS: I am a huge fan of historical non-fiction, so writers like Erik Larson are at the top of my list. If you haven’t read Isaac’s Storm about the 1900 Galveston hurricane, do it! Shameless plug: if you want an insider’s perspective from Time Warner Cable, with a sense of humor, you should read our Untangled blog too.

FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT AUSTIN AND FAVORITE AUSTIN RESTAURANTS: I’m biased towards restaurants with the casual Austin vibe like Kerbey Lane Café, Vivo’s and Hut’s. My wife and I are also runners (her more than me) and often frequent the Hike and Bike Trail. The best thing about Austin? The pretentious attitude stays in Dallas!