Some say people working in public relations should be seen and not heard. Others say they should be heard and not seen. I say the rules have changed entirely. Much of that is thanks to powerhouses like Lisa Ekus who redefined the rules starting in 1982 when she opened the first public relations agency solely devoted to publicizing cookbooks, chefs, and food products.
This year The Lisa Ekus Group celebrates 35 years in business “representing a world of culinary talent.” As the company grew it added a media training division, created a literary agency and now manages careers for authors and culinary spokespersons. Her clientele of more than 200 authors reads like a “Who’s Who of Cooking in Food & Beverage.” Saying your career-cookbook-product-project is being managed by Lisa Ekus is a badge of honor. Lisa still works out of her 200-plus year old farmhouse in Hatfield, MA. Again, she’s a rule breaker, bucking the “you need to be based in in NYC to succeed” old school thinking.
After all these years, Lisa had amassed an enviable collection of more than 10,000 books (mostly cookbooks). So, when is she writing her cookbook or culinary memoir? We’ll ask her July 12th.
