Erin Steed

About

Erin Steed celebrates nearly three decades of communications excellence, slipping seamlessly between the roles of PR strategist and consultant, digital media producer, writer and public speaker. Her work each day is comprised of a unique formula of any of those components and more. That's because her primary success isn't defined by tactic, it's defined by listening. A former reporter, Erin retains an innate ability to “interview” a client or contact, then take the information gathered to identify a need, craft laser-sited messaging and execute it in a way where the client feels heard, the audience is intrigued and response is rockin'.

Erin earned a Journalism degree from Texas Tech University in May, 1992, with a broadcast specialization. Erin spent 15 years as an on-air TV news anchor and reporter, working many Texas markets, as well as at the network level. Erin also served in an executive newsroom management capacity for the Gannett Corporation, a long-time broadcast industry powerhouse that just recently acquired Belo and its 21 TV news properties. Erin has covered historic hurricanes, interviewed three sitting U.S. Presidents and traveled extensively, reporting live from the scenes of breaking news around the country. Erin's career in TV news began before the era of internet and computers and finished in a time when scripts were typed into smart phones and uploaded remotely to the teleprompter. While social media boomed after she left news, Erin quickly mastered its best uses and enjoys it as a new, instant and extremely effective communications tool for her wealth of contacts who continue to punch the clock as working news reporters, producers and managers.

Hurricane Katrina was the turning point in Erin's career. With a one year old daughter, Erin was asked to commit to spending a month in New Orleans for the NBC network covering Katrina. Erin, always one to volunteer first for spot-news events and travel, realized family had changed her priorities. After finishing her NBC contract, Erin left TV news in 2005 and became a stay-at-home mom.

The curious nature and writer's mind of a true newsie cannot stay idle long, and Erin quickly transitioned into the PR world. Erin launched Steed Creative in 2005, an agency that delivers a new blend of PR to include client coaching and consulting, with a focus on training clients to be their own news reporters. Cross-media affords businesses and individuals the opportunity to tell their own stories and put them before their chosen audiences, yet doing so requires guidance and training or the results can be contradictory to the goals. Erin's current and past clients include Country Music Television (CMT,) the cities of Frisco, Dallas and Fort Worth, American Airlines, Presbyterian Hospital and a number of small businesses. Erin also enjoys non-profit work and offers pro-bono services to a number of organizations. In addition to her role on the National Professional Advisory Board, Erin also serves on the board of Houston's Character Matters Service Dogs, a companion animal and service dog training and placement non-profit.