PLA Media Ramps Up, Adding Two New Staffers
PLA Media is excited to announce the addition of two new employees to the Nashville team. Becky Parsons will serve as a Publicity and Social Media Manager, and Steven Baird will serve as a Publicity and Social Media Coordinator.
“Steven has brought a stability and a dogged professionalism to PLA learned from his Public Relations degree from Middle Tennessee State University, life experience and military training with the National Guard,” says PLA Media President/CEO Pam Lewis. “Having worked several projects together already, we are most happy to have Becky bring her expertise to our PLA team as well and be part of our creative brain trust. Like all of the world, we were not sure what effects the pandemic would have on our business. Thankfully, we continue to keep working and our business keeps expanding into diverse areas.”
About Becky Parsons
A North Carolina native, Becky graduated Summa Cum Laude with her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Appalachian State University in 2018. She went on to achieve her master’s degree in Brand and Media Strategy from East Tennessee State University and received an award for her outstanding contributions to the graduate program. After graduating in May, Becky moved to Music City to pursue her passions in music and publicity.
During her time at graduate school, Becky led projects for a student-run capstone agency over two semesters, teaching her peers the intricacies of public relations and leading successful publicity campaigns. She served as PR Lead and Community Manager for the Brand Storytelling Brand Film Certification, the first-ever partnership between industry and academia in the branded film space. She also served as the Assistant Editor for the regional magazine Appalachian Places, where she continues to highlight Appalachian stories and culture.
Becky has always been highly involved in the music and entertainment space, having played many instruments since childhood. Before joining PLA Media, Becky served as a Public Relations Assistant with Louisville Ballet, an Assistant Brand and Publicity Coordinator with Dead Horse Branding, and as a freelance publicity consultant with local musicians and festivals. Becky’s work has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations for clients, with mentions in DanceInforma, Music Row Magazine, Markets Insider, Yahoo! and more.
About Steven Baird
Born and raised in Franklin, TN, Steven graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Public Relations in 2022. Over the last 12 years, Steven has been a member of the Tennessee Army National Guard and in 2019 deployed to Poland for a rotation that included training with six NATO countries to strengthen relations in Eastern Europe. A recent transition into a new role as a Public Affairs Specialist has given him the opportunity to use his passion for PR to share stories within the ranks by highlighting personnel and training events across the state.
When not at work, Steven can be found around Nashville searching out the best new and upcoming restaurants as well as attending concerts at the countless famed venues around the city. Steven is also an avid sports fan and can be found cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers, Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, and New York Yankees.
Before joining PLA, Steven acquired experience in the hospitality industry as a corporate trainer for multiple companies as well as the retail and customer service industries. Steven is also a licensed pyrotechnician where he has had the opportunity to be involved with displays including on-field pyrotechnics for the Tennessee Titans, Nashville Sounds, and multiple Fourth of July celebrations the city has held.
Please join PLA Media in celebrating our newest additions to the team by congratulating Becky at becky.parsons@plamedia.com and Steven at steven.baird@plamedia.com.