Gooden Group

Katy Fabrie, Senior Account Director

What kind of graduates are you looking for? What kinds of experiences are you hoping they have coming into the workforce? 

Gooden Group offers a high-achieving, collaborative work environment that allows team members to pursue big goals and impact their community in a positive way. For our internships, we prefer students who have completed at least two years of college, studying public relations, journalism, marketing, English, creative writing, communications or a related field. An ability to manage multiple projects at once and strong writing and interpersonal skills are required. Familiarity with basic AP style and social media management principles are great to have, as well. Preference is also given to students with relevant previous internship or work experience. 

For all roles at Gooden Group, we value individuals with a team mindset, varied experiences and creativity. As a company that celebrates inclusive diversity, Gooden Group works to empower people from all walks of life with equal opportunities. 

How has public relations changed in the past decade? 

From the beginning, Gooden Group has been focused on our clients' success. Though PR has changed over the last 20, and even five years, our firm has remained nimble and aligned with our company values of servant leadership, integrity and excellence. We know that social media, and the internet itself, can be both a tool and a weapon. Information travels at the swipe of a finger; in the same way we can share stories and execute strategies to a wider audience, we also know that the impact of a crisis can, in some cases, be larger and more complex through a digital lens. An understanding of the media landscape—both the traditional and digital spheres—is crucial for today's PR pros. Keeping up with current events, trends and social platforms only helps our firm continue to be a trusted counsel source for our clients. 

Are certifications important? Which ones? And are they more important today than they used to be?

We don’t require any certifications, but we encourage those who’ve been in the industry for a while to consider pursuing their APR. The Accreditation in Public Relations is the gold standard in PR and integrates crucial communication principles with best practices in the industry and helps professionals take their PR skills to the next level. 

Tell us about the OU public relations program. What are we as a university doing right? 

Gooden Group has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with OU’s PR program for several years. Many of our team members have spoken to the Lindsey + Asp team, attended Top Jobs and other career and hiring events, as well as hiring over 10 interns since 2014 with two joining the Gooden Group in the summer of 2022. 

OU’s PR program does a great job at preparing students for internships and the workplace. With Lindsey + Asp, students already have agency knowledge and client experience, which helps them better understand how an agency operates. Many are able to hit the ground running. 

What advice do you have for the prospective public relations professional whether they are a student or midcareer professional wanting to make the shift. What are the absolute most important skills they need to have or characteristics they need to embody?

From an agency perspective, we value individuals who are flexible, organized, motivated, teamoriented and have an intuitive understanding of our media landscape and industry. Someone who is passionate about serving others and has a knack for writing will be a good potential fit at the Gooden Group. Every day is different at an agency, so students or graduates with the ability to juggle multiple tasks at once will be successful in our fast-paced environment. 

Imaculada Adolfo, Public Relations Assistant

How is professional life different from college?

Professional life is different because you are not studying for exams anymore (which I certainly do not miss). I like the mix of routine and non-routine settings I get every day. It is what makes it challenging to me, knowing that I will get to do something new every now and then, but I also like to have some routine during the day. I know that when new things become routine, there will be more things to learn. The professional life of a public relations practitioner is unique and diverse. 

How was being part of Lindsey + Asp helpful in preparing you for a role with The Gooden Group? 

Being a part of Lindsey + Asp while a student helped me develop a variety of skills. To highlight a few: 

• Team dynamics is one thing I can link back to my experience with the agency. At L&A, we were all learning by doing. The ability to rely on each other, knowing how to ask questions, how to provide insights in a team setting helped me get acquainted and comfortable much more quickly with the team at Gooden Group. I am grateful to have found such a fantastic group. 

• Time and task management skills. By managing classes, agency and other student responsibilities, I developed management skills that are very important working at Gooden Group, where I support different accounts at the same time, having the ability to shift from one to another, sometimes in seconds, while ensuring excellent work all around is a great quality to have. 

• At L&A, I got to see what to expect from a client account from the beginning to the end of a semester, which provided me with a sense of sequence and planning and helped me think about how to best provide support to the team. L&A was also one of my first introductions to the workplace culture in the United States; I was grateful to have that before heading to work outside of campus.

Kyle Minton, Public Relations Intern

You have a leadership position with PRSSA. How did that organization help launch you into a professional career? And could you talk about the importance of getting involved with professional organizations like this one? 

I serve as director of diversity and inclusion on the OU PRSSA executive board, and being involved with OU PRSSA has already given me more than I can ever begin to comprehend. Getting involved with PRSSA opened the door for me to start truly networking. I was able to meet people in the public relations world face to face, ask questions, receive feedback and so much more. If it weren’t for the level of networking gained with OU PRSSA, I wouldn’t have found my way toward my internship with Gooden Group.