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Welcome to "Why I Love Public Relations," uncover the passion behind the press release: PR pros reveal their journeys, triumphs, and why they wouldn't trade the buzz.
For this episode in our Why I Love Public Relations, we sit down with Samantha Berdini, Senior Account Manager at Category Communications.
In the office, I’m known for…
Samantha - In the office, I’m known for my deep knowledge of the news industry—but also for keeping things light. I like to bring the grit, hustle, and element of surprise a newsroom has into our PR team. One of my favourite sayings is: “This is PR, not ER.” There’s a time and place for heads-down, strategic work, but I’m also a big believer in sprinkling in laughs and not taking ourselves too seriously.
What drove your interest in the public relations industry?
Samantha - I spent the first six years of my career at Global News Toronto, doing a bit of everything—writing, chasing stories, assigning resources, and eventually stepping into a leadership role as the Toronto Assignment Editor. Working in one of Canada’s largest newsrooms gave me a front-row seat to how stories are shaped, how teams move under pressure, and how the news impacts real people in real time.
My experience in news taught me how to stay calm when things felt chaotic, how to prioritize what matters, and how to make fast decisions with incomplete information. Most of all, it deepened my love of storytelling and collaborating with passionate, curious people.
PR was always in the back of my mind. I’d seen colleagues make the transition, and I was intrigued by the idea of helping shape the narrative from the other side. What made it real for me was a serendipitous moment—someone I knew from university was launching her own agency. I could see the fire behind what she and her co-founder were building, and I wanted in. Timing is everything.
It was the perfect next step: a chance to stay close to the media while stretching into new territory—client strategy, the tech and real estate sectors, brand positioning, and earned storytelling.
I often say I didn’t leave journalism because I stopped loving it. I just found another way to tell stories that matter.How do you describe what you do to those outside the industry?
Samantha - I swear I’ve explained what PR is to my lovely grandparents probably 45 times—and counting. My go-to is this: PR is about helping people and brands shape their story and promote their mission in an organic, authentic way. We keep a pulse on current events, cultural trends, and media shifts, and help connect the dots between what’s happening in the world and how our clients can (and should) show up in it.
It’s part strategy, part instinct, and all about relationships.
What are the most pressing challenges facing public relations today?
Samantha - What isn’t changing right now? Between elections, AI, economic uncertainty, and growing political tensions—especially with our neighbours to the south—everyone is feeling uneasy. For PR pros, that’s both a challenge and an opportunity. Many of our clients are directly impacted by things like tariffs, taxes, and shifting trade dynamics, which creates fertile ground for timely commentary.
But PR is a balancing act. Just because something is trending doesn’t mean it’s a strategic move to weigh in. My advice to clients: take a breath. Don’t react until something actually changes. Commenting on a growing conversation is one thing—completely pivoting your business based on speculation is another. Wait for the full picture.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the PR industry?
Samantha - Start building your network now. In journalism, relationships were everything—from building trust with sources to leading a team through lean staffing with empathy and grit. That’s even more true in PR. Your network is your currency.
Make the cold intro. Ask for a coffee. Send the follow-up. Get to know what makes a journalist tick—what they care about, what kind of stories they love, what they don’t want to see in their inbox. That approach should guide every pitch you send.
When I entered PR, I had a strong base of media contacts, but I wish I’d spent more time connecting with people outside of my immediate newsroom. Building a diverse, cross-industry network is critical—and not just for pitching, but for perspective.
Why should marketers allocate more budget to PR?
Samantha - PR doesn’t always get the love it deserves in a marketing budget. But I think that’s changing. Marketers are often focused on growth, performance, and ad strategy—they don’t have the bandwidth to monitor journalist beats or newsroom shakeups. That’s where PR shines.
We help shape the story to land in the right places. And because many of us come from newsrooms, we’re bringing lived experience, not just theory. Our relationships are our edge—and that’s what brands are really investing in when they bring on PR partners.
What is the most unique job you’ve had?
Samantha - One of the most unique jobs I’ve had was working as an Assignment Editor during my final years in news before I made the leap into PR. Why is that unique? Because “assignment editor” can mean completely different things depending on the newsroom.
Some spend their days chasing breaking stories and dispatching crews from the assignment desk (which I did earlier in my career). Others focus on setting up interviews and supporting reporters in the field. And then there’s the version I lived: managing the machine that makes the news go to air.
That role taught me a lot—about leadership, about making quick calls under pressure, and most importantly, about people: both in the newsroom and across the communities we covered. It’s a job I’ll never forget.
Do you have a suggestion for a Communications or Public Relations person we should interview? Let us know.
Other interviews in the series:
