Hello everyone, and welcome back to People You want to know
podcast. So excited to introduce you to a
friend and our very first guest that's APR professional Rebecca
Brooks of Rebecca Brooks PR. Often on podcasts like this, we
hear from the stars, the celebrities, the personalities,
but who are the people working behind the scenes to support
this talent? And what does it take to support
the best? That's what I wanted to chat
with Rebecca about. Rebecca is the founder,
entrepreneur, and intuitive strategist who launched The
Brooks Group at the age of 25 in New York City.
From the beginning, her work has been guided by a deep ability to
see potential before it's fully formed, and to help people
translate who they truly are into stories the world can
understand. For more than 25 years, Rebecca
has partnered with visionary entrepreneurs and creators at
pivotal moments in their journeys, helping them clarify
their voices, expand their platforms, and grow with
intention. Her early transformative work
with Rachael Ray marked a turning point for the agency,
expanding its focus beyond beauty and fitness into a
broader lifestyle lens included hospitality, food, travel, and
culture. The story of how Rebecca ended
up representing Rachael Ray is pretty incredible. 1 of
Rebecca's college friends was a talent agent who wanted to
connect Rebecca with Rachael. At the time, Rebecca didn't know
much about hospitality and food and that industry was nothing
like it is today. She was basically like, what's
Food Network? Rebecca had said no to the
meeting because food personalities weren't really a
thing back then, and Rachael said no to the meeting because
she had a really bad image of PR.
Our people. The college friend, convinced
them to meet anyway, and the rest was history.
Rebecca helped pioneer what we now know as the Lifestyle of
Food category, and it opened up so many new doors.
Rebecca's company has represented famous chefs like
Jacques Torres, Andrew Zimmern, Guy Fieri, and Adam Richman, and
she's helped launch products for Chrissy Teigen, Thomas Keller,
and many more over the years. She's represented personalities
in various other categories as well.
After the original Queer Eye, she presented Tom Felicia to
build his brand. She worked with Lori Graner from
Shark Tank, Samantha Brown who was originally on Travel
Channel, Frederick Eklund from $1,000,000 Listings and much
more. In addition to her work as a
communications leader, Rebecca is also a Certified Women's
Leadership Coach, a Reiki Master, and a lifelong student
of mindfulness and energy based practices.
These disciplines inform the way she leads, listens, and advises,
bringing presence, clarity and intuition into every
partnership. Outside of work, Rebecca finds
grounding and joy and movement and exploration, cheering for
her sons and husband from soccer stadiums around the world,
strength training, practicing yoga and meditation, hiking,
traveling and gathering around the table to experience food and
culture with friends and family. What can I say, folks, she is
really a people. Do you want to know?
There's a bunch of other cool historic moments that Rebecca
has made happen that I figured I should mention to you.
She was there with Guy Fieri when he received his Hollywood
star. And Guy, as a thank you, even
made Rebecca her very own star plaque with her name on it.
In general, she got to know Guy very, very closely and she even
booked Guy on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Rebecca got Rachael Ray her first Oprah booking, which then
ended up establishing the partnership between Rachael and
Oprah. She was Gary Vaynerchuk's first
PR team when he launched his wine library.tv product.
If you remember those days. She supported a few of his other
key projects like his book Crush It and then his wine brand
Empathy. I'll add that I had the
tremendous privilege of of being roommates with Gary's nephew,
David. David, if you are listening to
this, you're the best of the best.
Of course, Rebecca is also entirely responsible for making
Andrew Zimmern's appearance on my podcast happen.
I am so grateful she trusted me with this conversation.
Behind every successful person is a whole team, a whole
village. PR people make or break your
career. They are integral to your
development as a creative chef, whatever it may be.
It's so cool to get a glimpse of Rebecca's world.
The more I learn about PR, the more I realize that it's really
more of an art than a science. It's having the right
relationships, being in the right room at the right time.
I have so much respect for this incredibly challenging role
that's so crucial to the success of all of the personalities we
know and love. I also want to add a bit about
Rebecca's intuitive work. Now.
What I'm about to share doesn't have much to do with what she's
doing, like the practices, meditation, Reiki.
But learning about it from her made me want to go down a rabbit
hole here because I wanted to understand what's accepted
versus frowned upon in Judaism. So what does the Torah say about
psychics, mediums and all that jazz?
Dreams, intuition, spiritual discernment, all of that is
integral to Judaism and Jewish life.
It's more like consulting the dead, fortune telling and
sorcery that are frowned upon. And there are different reasons
why they're frowned upon or outright forbidden.
Firstly, it's giving Pagan a lot of practices, like sorcery for
example, are associated with paganism.
Judaism also encourages trust in God, which fortune telling is
the opposite of. Those who claim to be fortune
tellers can give false hope to vulnerable people, which is
unkind. I'll also add the spiritual
explanation for something like this is that we're meant to live
our lives in the fullest here in the physical world.
When we engage with mediums and fortune tellers, etcetera, our
soul is connecting to something it's not supposed to connect to
right now. It's connecting prematurely.
As with all things in Judaism, there's a weird delicate balance
and a lot of Gray areas here when it comes to Jewish
mysticism. It's very, very gate kept.
Lots of rabbis out there have like psychic, like medium like
abilities, but they'll never ever share.
It's on an if you know, you know basis.
Anyway, that's my little tangent on the woo stuff.
Please enjoy this episode. Rebecca.
Hello, welcome to people. Do you want to know podcast?
So great to be here, thanks for having me.
I am so excited to chat. Look, I have a lot of people,
all sorts of guests. Many of them are always, you
know, in the camera. And you are my first PR
professional on the show and I think you are the dark horse of
the industry and there is so much wisdom and interesting
knowledge that you can share with my audience today.
So please tell us about yourself.
What do you do and how did you get there?
So I grew up in Saint James, which is a small town in Long
Island. And my parents, especially my
mom, they were so proud of being Jewish.
It was very important to them. My mom was very involved in
Hadassah. She had countless fundraisers at
the house. They brought us to Israel many
times and especially loved entertaining for the Jewish
holidays. I learned so much from her.
I learned actually, when I think about it, I learned hospitality
from my mom, learned about entertaining, making people feel
welcome, and just showing up and Sedaka giving back.
And for me, Judaism is about community, connection and
contribution. There was always an underlying
expectation that you show up and really do something meaningful
that lights you up. And for me, that made a lasting
impact. I went to Hebrew school.
I may or may not have been known for cutting some classes, but I
did graduate and I had my bat mitzvah on Masada, which was
absolutely just like a momentous experience growing up.
I was also known as a little bit of a rebel, so.
I can see that. I can see that.
And that that theme definitely carried throughout my life.
But at that particular time, my parents really wanted me to date
someone Jewish, and I always did the opposite of whatever they
said. So that went on until about my
sophomore year in college when I met Meadenburg.
Now, Mark grew up partially in Israel and I have to say my my
parents are really, they were thrilled.
And after college I went with him to Israel to meet his
family. And a few years after that we
were married. We have two kids, Max and Sam.
Sam lives in New York City and Max lives in Los Angeles, and I
have to say I feel incredibly blessed.
They are thriving and living their best lives.
I want you to talk about how you started your business because
that also deals with your husband and his.
Family, totally. So for me, I'm I was a
communications major and I had absolutely no idea what I wanted
to do. So I went to Boston University
and when it came time to choosing a major, I closed my
eyes and I was just like, OK, PR, that sounds great.
I love people. I consider myself a people
person, but I really didn't know anything about it.
Clearly it was meant to be. And when I graduated college, my
first job was in a really big corporate PR firm and I was in
the consumer electronic and investor relations group.
And I have to say I didn't even say it feels obvious like do
something you love, join APR firm that has clients that you
are passionate about. I just didn't know.
So I took the first job I could get and I worked at this agency
for a year. I hated it.
I learned I could not conform to corporate culture and but I did
learn as well how to be a good assistant, how to deal with a
lot of difficult personalities. And I also learned that I need
to find a job with clients that light me up.
So I left that agency and I started looking for a job.
It didn't happen right away. So I decided, OK, I love
fitness, so I'm going to become a fitness instructor.
And I started teaching various classes.
And then I realized, OK, if I could combine things that I'm
passionate about fitness and beauty at the time, then it
would be the ultimate job. So I went and I found an agency
that had beauty clients and it was this very small agency and I
learned everything there from from A-Z.
So at a really young age I started bringing clients into
this agency and I I loved it. And I also realized I wanted to
work at another agency that had fitness clients, so I took the
beauty clients that I brought into this agency and went to
another company. So I learned I could not conform
to a corporate culture, and that's not for me.
I also learned I had a knack for new business, so I decided I
would start my own agency. What was the worst that could
happen? PR is a service.
So I started the Brooks Group when I was 25 in my husband's
office. He was in the family business
and they had a huge space. So I took an office there and
when I started the company, our specialty was beauty.
Two of my first clients were beauty inventors.
One of them was called Hair Dini, and Dini was a hair
stylist from Dallas who came up with a product called The Hair
Dini and it was spendable foam covered wire.
You twist it up into your hair and she went from zero to 20
million in less than two years. And back in the 90s, that was
like a huge story. My other first client was a
product called Curves and a woman invented that product as
well. She created the first silicone
gel insert that goes into your bra.
They were. Interesting.
Plan of them after that, but she was the first.
So in the beginning, for the first eight years we were
everything. Beauty, hair care, skin care,
cosmetics and a lot of inventors.
Another one of my first clients was Bare Essentials, which is
now called Bare Minerals, and we worked with them for eight years
and they grew tremendously. It was a really incredible
story. I remember that era, that like
golden era of Bare Minerals, when everybody wanted to
purchase those products and how well they lasted, how natural
they were. It was great.
It was amazing and I was doing something a little differently
back then that is pretty common today, but I was always telling
the story behind the product and in beauty PR that wasn't done.
It was like you're promoting a foundation or a lipstick and it
was just always very straightforward.
But I knew there was more to it. And that's how I help my clients
even back then, build their brand through storytelling,
right? There is a business story, a
parenting story, a product story, like it was really the
lifestyle of a person. I really think in some sense you
were ahead of your time because when we look at like, social
media and marketing today, it's only about storytelling.
Like even the largest celebrities have had to kind of
make their lives feel small and relatable.
Even the Kardashians, you know, with the meme culture and
authenticity and relatability, like the vertical series that
brands are doing that are skit comedy, we're all boiling down
to kind of a baseline of humanity.
And that's why I think that form of storytelling people can
always connect with. So that's why I think in some
sense you were so ahead of the curve.
Now, you know, you know, the media NPR landscape is changing
rapidly with AI. You know how much time it takes
us to send out communication for the Jewish world in particular,
it's changed a lot because of the rise of anti-Semitism.
Today you support some of like the best, you know, food,
hospitality, chefs, creators in our kind of world of media and a
lot of them are Jewish, but they're not like Jewish creators
in the sense that that's what their platforms focused on.
How are you deciding with them how to talk about maybe
anti-Semitism or being Jewish? What are those conversations
that you're having with them? So for our clients, it's really,
I tell them they have to do what feels true to them and to really
talk about what they believe in and not be afraid to just stand
in their power and share their truth.
And you know, it's each person has to do what they're most
comfortable with. So I just share, you know, my,
my opinion and kind of help to guide them.
And then then they choose really ultimately what they.
Want the choice is theirs. I had my first like PR
experience recently. For those listening, the Jewish
PR space is actually quite limited.
Unless you're like a top tier Jewish activists, you know,
charging $45,000 and speaking engagement, there's really not a
lot of PR support for you. And even then the kind of PR
support that's available is on retainer like minimum $5000 a
month. If you're a small creator,
you're not going to make it back right in a month most likely.
And there is an up and coming PR group that I'm in touch with
that has done a tremendous amount to support smaller
creators like myself, a noise group.
And they called me up to do A to moderate a panel with a
Holocaust survivor. And so I went ahead and I did
that. And unbeknownst to me, they
brought in CBS to report on that conversation.
They brought in New York Post. And all of a sudden my name was
in these publications that when you Google Margarita Laidova,
these articles come up. And I had no idea that this
would happen. And it was such a cool
experience. Like I really understand the
value of these kinds of almost passive media opportunities and
the long term effect they have in building out your portfolio
as a public figure. The thing I want to ask you
about is let's imagine your creator who's gotten themselves
in a bit of a pickle. You said something wrong on the
record, you made a mistake, you fumble.
What are the like do's and don'ts of that moment?
In that moment, I mean, today, transparency is everything.
And years ago when I worked with Gary Vaynerchuk, he certainly
taught me that. So it's really important to own
your mistake. If you make a mistake, if you
say something, it's OK. Everyone, we're human.
So own it and move on. Don't spend too much time like
talking about it or even mental space like own it, move on and
people are forgiving. Why do you think so many people,
or even artist creators with PR teams tend to double down?
Like when they've made a mistake?
Are they being advised to do that?
What do you mean by double? Down Well, let's say they made a
mistake or there's some kind of crisis, Instead of saying, you
know what, this was a mistake, I would like to apologize to
anybody that I've hurt. It will be something like, you
know, this was never the intent of our messaging.
We did not mean it this way. We are troubled by the response
this has gotten as it's clearly misunderstood.
Something like that. I would never recommend that.
I think it's just own it and move on.
Why do people do that? Yeah, I think you're right.
It's just it could be some some bad advice.
There was one of my favorite podcasts is a behavioral science
podcast and as you were speaking about, you know, owning your
mistake, it reminded me of apologies.
How to apologize correctly as a behavioral scientist.
There are 6 Rs that you follow to do a proper apology.
The 1st is regret, so expressing regret, meaning owning your
mistake. The second is rationale, perhaps
contextualizing why the mistake occurred or what led to the
mistake. The third is responsibility,
taking responsibility for the mistake.
The 4th is repentance, showing that you would like to be
forgiven. You hope that you can make it
right. What would make it right?
Repentance is an integral point of showing a sincere apology.
The 5th is repair, so explaining how you plan to repair it.
And then the 6th it perhaps the most important request to
forgive an invitation. OK, Is there a way that after
everything we've discussed that you'd be willing to forgive me?
Or will I have made it right? If right, it's an invitation for
dialogue, for continuing the conversation.
And I thought that that was such an amazing, like, profound
framework that of course, when you hear it, you're like, Oh my
gosh, that's right. That's so obvious.
But someone really had to think of that.
And there's a mechanism in that that works.
The other thing in that podcast that I learned actually was
about how to say no, which I think is such a related PR kind
of situation where often times when you're representing your
clients especially, you have to say no to things that feel like
they don't fit the brand or they're not in the spirit of.
Let's say when you support Andrew Zimmer and maybe he turns
down some engagements because they have a different philosophy
on hospitality or they're not as other centered as you'd like.
There are ways to say no that are strategic in that they don't
offend and they don't feel like a no to the person receiving it.
So the simple first, simple one obvious is saying no but
offering a referral to other resources, right?
That's very obvious. The second one is if they ask
you in person, tell them you want to think about it and
follow up over e-mail because in person you're much more likely
to say yes out of pressure in the environment.
Another one, that is if you're the one making the ask, framing
it as do you or anyone you know, or taking the pressure off by
saying, if this is not up your alley, no pressure, just say
hell no. And it's such a light hearted,
pleasant way to give somebody an out.
But my favorite one that I've heard recently from Dan Ariely
was how to say no by saying you have a rule.
I'm going to run a hypothetical example, You know, so sorry,
Andrew Zimmern actually has a hard rule.
He doesn't do any engagements virtually.
We're going to have to pass on this one, but we wish you all
the best. I'm just totally making this up.
But when you frame it as this is not personal, this is a rule
that applies to everybody equally.
Suddenly it's so easy to let them know.
Land without a feeling. Painful and icky.
I like the rule idea. The thing is, you can't be
fibbing, right? Because if you say no and this
is a rule, then and then he does something.
Two months later, of course. I'm, I'm always really
straightforward and honest and I absolutely always will, you
know, try to help them find someone else.
And the truth is, so our clients are so busy all the time.
So a lot of the time it's really scheduling.
So it is important for it to be on brand.
And if a client is on the fence, I always advise them to like,
even to like close their eyes for a minute and feel into like,
do they want to do this? Is it a hell yes or is it a hell
no? Right.
It's important for it to be a hell yes.
You always go on your gut. Yeah.
Speaking of trusting your gut offline, you told me about your
passion for spiritual learning and mindfulness.
You might be like the only person I know who's attended a
Joe Dispenza retreat not only once, but multiple times.
And you've also learned how to do Reiki.
Can you tell me about this? What brought you to this and how
does it jive with your Judaism? So my journey of spiritual
exploration started when my mom died more than 20 years ago.
She was my person. I just couldn't wrap my head
around her being gone. So I went on a quest to connect
with her. I start going to intuitives that
went on for many years. I, I felt like I connected with
her. And one day someone said to me,
everyone can do this. I was like, what?
So I love learning new things. So I started taking so many
different classes. I became a Reiki master.
I learned how to read energy. I took shamanic practices class,
I went on retreats and it's like it's a muscle.
I practice, practice, practiced and learned how to do it.
And it's really been incredible because I've always been an
empath and now being able to like, connect with people on a
deeper level, being able to read them, being able to help them.
Even in my work, it's taken it to a whole other level.
I started going on retreats, various ones, and my favorite by
far has been Doctor Joe Dispenza.
I've been on a few. And what's incredible is that he
teaches you how to bring your heart and your brain into
complete coherence so you can receive messages.
And also he he teaches you how to be in the present and in the
future, not ruminate on the past, because where you put your
attention is where your energy is.
So if your energy is constantly in the past and you're
ruminating about something that happened, it could be with a
client, a Co worker, a loved one, that's where your energy is
and you're never going to move forward.
So I mean, I can't some up, you know, 7 days of teachings in a
few seconds, but it's been incredibly invaluable.
And when I'm super passionate about something, I find ways to
not only spread the word, but even to work with people I'm
passionate about. So I started doing some work
with his one of his nonprofits called Give to Give and that
which is my heart. Interesting.
Seven days. It's a long time to do a
retreat. This is like a pretty big
undertaking. I am so curious how it develops
for you. I'm wondering what is your
message to the Jewish people? My message is we are incredibly
resilient and so important to stand in your power and anyone
bring you down and be yourself. Don't be afraid to share
messages that are really important to you.
Short, simple and profound. I like it.
Tell me, how can people connect with you and keep up with your
work? They can visit our website
whichisbrookspr.com. They can follow us on Instagram
at Brooks PR and happy to connect with anyone.
Any clients that you want to shout out so people know if they
want to do bookings with the clients to reach out to you?
Absolutely. We represent Andrew Zimmern,
Robert Irvine, We work with Jacques Torres, many of them for
more than 10 years. We work with hospitality
companies across the country and we're really known for working
with personalities of purpose to help them build their brands.
And over the years, like our our first food client was Rachel
Ray. We work with her for four years
leading up to the daytime talk show.
And that's really how I got out of beauty and more into food
personalities. And over the years, we've worked
with the most inspiring people. When Rachel show launch that
door closed. But we started working at that
time with Andrew Zimmern and Guy Fieri, and we've worked with
Scott Conan and Curtis Stone. And I've had some really
incredible pinch me moments over the years.
Mark and I, we went with Andrew to Israel when he was shooting
Delicious Destiny. Oh my God.
OK. I worked with a Cheech Marin to
launch his mezcal. This is such like an energetic
career full of vibrancy and experiences.
I'm leaving with more questions and answers honestly and I can't
wait to learn more. Tell me I have one final
question for you is one that I ask every guest.
Is there anyone you'd like to nominate for people you want to
know? I would love to nominate Diane
Neal. You might know her, or you might
remember her from mine order years ago.
She's an actress used to represent.
Interesting. OK.
Being made Alia to Israel a little over a year ago and she's
got a phenomenal story. I think she'd make a great
guest. Thanks so much.
Thank you very much for doing this.
This has been a delight. Thanks for having me.
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