I work alone (But not really) – The Life of an independent PR practioner

As an independent practitioner operating in the PR profession, I have the freedom and flexibility of working with a number of companies and organizations in diverse industries.  I also have the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere, anytime, to limit overhead and unnecessary expenses, while still going on field trips with my children.

Call me indie, a solo-preneur, entrepreneur or small business owner, I think of myself as an individual contractor who builds services around my expertise (crisis management, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, strategic communications) and wraps an experienced-team around specific projects to benefit clients and help them achieve their objectives. Think of me as an interim Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications or VP for External Relations.

So while it may seem I work alone, I often work as a member of a team that includes other professionals, such as lawyers (of which I am also an attorney), auditors, risk officers, designers, programmers, video-ographers and others. 

By design, I am a generalist and find people to round out my strengths. I work hard at developing relationships with other professionals to engage on the right project at the right time.

Without overhead and as an independent practioner, I am able to charge less for my time and devote more time to working individually with each client. I am less informal (and may be casually dressed) than a traditional firm -- You get me instead of a junior public affairs associate, and together, we get one-on-one time without the drama. My time is flexible but my time is yours. 

Daniel Cherrin

DANIEL CHERRIN |served the City of Detroit as its Communications Director and the Press Secretary to Detroit Mayor, Ken Cockrel, Jr. He is a public relations + affairs specialist who just happens to be a lawyer, with 20 years of experience providing senior public relations and government relations’ counsel to organizations on state and federal regulatory and legislative matters, as well as issues affecting corporate and individual reputation, crisis management and the media. Daniel is the founder of NORTH COAST STRATEGIES (Est. 2005) an independent public relations consultancy that combines the best of a big agency with hands-on executive-level experience and support. As a signatory company to the United Nations Global Compact, we are dedicated to addressing issues around human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. We are also focused on redefining your brand and changing the conversation to create an impact.