Our Roster: Meg Irvin, APR

Meg Irvin is all about making connections, both for clients and in the community. She spends her days doing community relations and media relations for her clients, both on a local and national level. Clients like Mercy Chefs, Kroger Mid-Atlantic and Virginia Distillery Company look to her for her instincts and guidance on newsworthy and compelling stories. Her work has been featured in outlets including TODAY, Esquire, Forbes, Southern Living and The New York Times.

A Pennsylvania native, Meg now lives in Charlottesville with her husband, Taylor, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Max. Her love for community involvement extends past office hours – serving as current president for Massey Alliance and a committee member for Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia.

If you don’t already know her, meet Meg Irvin, APR.

Why did you choose to work at Hodges?

I knew when I graduated from college that I wanted to land in an agency setting. I knew that I would be able to get a breadth of experience and a wide range of experience, and seven years in, that has proved to be true. I feel lucky to have landed at an agency like Hodges, where there’s a flexible culture, a lot of trust and some really great clients.

What are the biggest misconceptions of working in PR?

I think sometimes when people think of PR, they think of movies like “The Devil Wears Prada,” where it’s this super posh job. I’m sure it differs from place to place, but in my experience, while there are many cool aspects to the job, it doesn’t take away from the fact that a lot of the day is emailing and phone calls, just those basic things to keep things moving along. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes for our clients that people don’t often see.

What advice do you have for young people who want to get into public relations?

The biggest thing I always like to tell people is that when you’re reaching out to people as you’re looking for your first job, never make it about them helping you find a job. Get to know them, get coffee with them, and opportunities will come your way. (Hmm, this sounds a lot like media relations!) And with that, I think when people are taking the time and resources to help you, it is a really easy thing to do to show your appreciation. So much of our communication is online now, but there’s something to be said about a handwritten thank you note.

What is something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

Everyone who knows me knows I err on the side of caution, so most people are surprised to find out I went bungee jumping off the third highest spot in the world while on a trip with Roanoke College. It was super fun BUT I don’t think I’d do it again. The jump was exhilarating, but the worst part was the hanging at the end bouncing up and down hoping someone would finally come get you.

What’s your favorite Richmond Eatery?

Oh gosh, this is a hard one! I used to write a Richmond food blog with my colleague Kelsey Leavey called Let’s Share A Dish, which was born out of our love for the growing Richmond restaurant scene. There’s no way I can choose just one, so I’ll go with a few favorites: Joe’s Inn, Stella’s, Edo’s Squid, ZZQ, Heritage and Dot’s Back Inn. They all are super different and fit for just about any occasion!