Emma L. Bowen Foundation and FleishmanHillard Join Forces to Drive Greater Diversity Within the Media and Public Relations Industries

ST. LOUIS, April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Emma L. Bowen Foundation and FleishmanHillard today announced a partnership to drive greater diversity and career opportunities for people of color within the media and public relations industries. Since its founding in 1989, the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, together with its 40-plus corporate sponsors from leading media outlets around the world, develop and manage programs that focus on scholastic achievement, direct work experience and professional development for students of color.  

FleishmanHillard is the first global public relations firm to align with the Foundation.

Under the pro bono partnership, FleishmanHillard will serve as agency of record to the Foundation, with responsibility for public relations, social and digital media strategy, and content development. Quinn Fable Advertising will partner with FleishmanHillard and Emma L. Bowen to assist with brand development and creative design. The joint communications initiative will be focused on a number of areas, including 1) educating industry and prospective candidates about career paths and opportunities in media and public relations; 2) expanding Emma L. Bowen's roster of 40-plus corporate sponsors, which currently provide internships, support and experience to minority youth; 3) engaging corporations by providing them with a pathway to the talent pool provided by Emma L. Bowen; and 4) providing leading perspective on issues of race and its impact on American media coverage and consumption.

"Our society has changed dramatically over the last few decades, and while opportunities for people of color have improved somewhat, the communications landscape is still very far from balanced," said Dr. Rahsaan Harris, president and CEO of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation. "This lack of balance has had a negative effect on the way media covers issues, the way our citizens consume that media and, subsequently, our national dialogue. Greater perspective is needed, and that can only happen through better opportunities for, and involvement of, people of color in media. We are excited to be working with FleishmanHillard to bring this agenda to the national stage."

"The Emma L. Bowen Foundation is an impressive organization that is making a deep and meaningful impact on the communications industry," said Dave Senay, FleishmanHillard president and CEO. "Greater diversity will translate into more complete perspective, which is vital to both the media and public relations industries and our society at large. We look forward to working with Dr. Harris and his staff to bring this issue to the forefront, and also encourage our peers to leverage Emma L. Bowen's incredibly deep pool of fantastic young minds with superior skill sets as they expand their talent bases."

Senay, the immediate past chairman of The PR Council, also noted that the Council has taken a leadership role as a sponsor and partner of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation. The Council will act as a bridge between the Foundation and the Council's 100-plus member agencies to provide internships and mentoring to candidates in the public relations field.

About the Emma L. Bowen Foundation
The Emma L. Bowen program is unlike traditional intern programs in that students work for partner companies during summers and school breaks beginning with the summer following their senior year in high school until they graduate from college. During the four-year program, students have an opportunity to learn many aspects of corporate operations and develop company-specific skills. Corporations have an opportunity to train and mentor students with the option of full-time employment upon completion of their college degrees.

Approximately 700 students have completed the program and many have pursued careers in the media industry after graduation.  Its work with FleishmanHillard is the first expansion into the public relations industry for the Foundation. 

The Emma Bowen Foundation's corporate sponsors include:
A+E Networks, Al Jazeera, ARRIS, BMI, Bright House Networks, Cable Labs, Cablevision Systems Corp., CBS Corp., Charter Communications, Comcast NBCUniversal, Concurrent, Cox Communications, Cox Media Group, C-SPAN, Discovery Communications, FleishmanHillard, Fox Television Stations Inc., Gannett Television, Graham Media Group, Hallmark Channel (Crown Media Family Networks), HBO, Hearst Television Inc., ION Media Networks, Katz Media Group, Media General, Mediacom Communications Corp., the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, National Cable & Telecommunications Association,  The Nielsen Company, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, the PR Council, Public Media Consortium, Revolt Media & TV, Scripps Networks Interactive, Television Bureau of Advertising, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting System Inc., Univision, WABC-TV New York, the Walter Kaitz Foundation, Warner Brothers, WLPG, YES Network.

About FleishmanHillard
FleishmanHillard is the world's most complete global communications firm, specializing in public relations, public affairs, marketing, paid media, and transmedia and social content. FleishmanHillard delivers on The Power of True, reflecting the firm's high values, and unique ability to guide clients through a world demanding unprecedented authenticity and transparency. FleishmanHillard was named PRWeek's 2014 Global Agency of the Year, "Standout Agency" on Advertising Age's 2013 A-List; NAFE's "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2014; and among PRWeek's 2013 "Best Places to Work." The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of the DAS Group of Companies, and has 88 offices in 31 countries, plus affiliates in 42 countries. Visit us at www.fleishmanhillard.com.

About the DAS Group of Companies
The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

SOURCE FleishmanHillard

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