Let's Get Local - Pluck PR

Morning, today I have another "let's get local" feature for you featuring the gorgeous gal below who is killing it in the PR biz. Kate Gundry is the brains behind the public relations firm Pluck PR. Like so many of the ladies I get the privilege of featuring in the "let's get local", I met Kate through my blog and have been able to mingle with her at some great local events in our little city. I was so excited to interview her for this feature and get to learn a little more about her personally and professionally.
Check out all the details of this talented beauty below.

above image via Elizabeth Clark Photography

 Tell us a little about Kate, the gal behind the PR Firm, i.e. what you like to do on your free time, personal style in fashion or home decor, guilty pleasures etc. 

My day-to-day revolves around my email and phone so I try to ensure my weekends are less digital device-heavy. I’m attempting to enforce a “no email” rule on myself for Saturday and use my phone less on the weekends overall. Of course that stops when it comes to Instagram, which is my biggest guilty pleasure. I love taking pictures, making them look cool(er) with apps like Snapseed and PicFrame and then sharing them while looking at what everyone else is up to! I work in tech PR for a few startups too so I tend to want to play around with the latest apps everyone’s talking about – Candy Crush was nearly the death of me.

When it comes to style and home décor I think the most defining characteristic for me is “lived in”. Whether it’s fleeces from high school or a vintage turnip washer that we recently upcycled into a rustic bar cart, everything can truly be used in our house. Sometimes that means that we use things until they fall apart but at least our friends and family can relax when they’re at our place knowing nothing is too “precious”!

Other current guilty pleasures, in no particular order, include: Breaking Bad, chevron print throws, milk glass vases, Ikea, Hudson’s Bay blankets, our DIY sous vide machine, Hendrick’s, Gilt Groupe, The Voice and Recycle Studio.

   What made you want to start up your own firm and what are some of the services you provide?

I started Pluck in early 2012 to be able to provide public relations services to B2B technology companies in a new way. At the time I was working in a more traditional agency that took the information they were given by clients and disseminated it as requested. They were quite effective in their results but it wasn’t very creative, exciting or progressive in terms of where PR as an industry was headed.

At Pluck entrench ourselves with each client and become not only an asset for media relations efforts but also a sounding board for CEOs and marketers trying to maximize all of the efforts that they’re putting into their brand - be it a social profile or a content marketing strategy. I’ve been working in tech PR for about 8 years now and the industry is so different from where it was in 2006. It’s more fluid and fun if you’re doing it right!

     How would you describe your typical day at the Pluck PR offices?

Today Pluck’s a total of five people working out of a great office in Back Bay. A typical day starts with a large coffee from L’Aroma, many client and media calls, the occasional video chat, Songza playlists in the background, lunch with a startup, venture capitalist or reporter and then I try to end a few days a week with a stop at Recycle for spin class. It gets me offline and energized!



above image via Elizabeth Clark Photography

Congratulations on your recent wedding! Any advice you have from your big day?

Thanks so much – I think I’m still recovering from our wedding, which was in August! My biggest tip is to slow down. We raced to the altar (we were engaged for a total of 9 months) and in retrospect I’m not sure why we didn’t enjoy being engaged for longer! It would have given us time to think more carefully about our choices from vendors to even our guest list. No need to rush when you’ve already got the ring, right?!

above image via Hello Love Photography

    What accomplishment are you most proud of to date & or what's the best advice you received when starting your own firm?

I’m proud of our growing team at Pluck. We’re building something that I hope stays as unique as it’s been for the last two years. Finding great, talented, smart, fun people who I want to spend most of time with has been no easy feat and we’re gelling really well now as a team. I’ve asked for and gotten a lot of advice on hiring but there’s something to the old adage of it just feeling right.

 Growing up in Boston you must have some secret gems in our beloved city. As a New Englander, what are some of your favorite spots to dine & or visit?

I grew up on Marlborough St. and now live on Commonwealth Ave. and while I haven’t gone too far I will say that the city I grew up in is not the same city where I now live. If you can believe it, I don’t think I ever went to the South End in my entire childhood and when I moved back to Boston four years ago that’s where I was living! The restaurants down there are all in my top 10 from Coppa to Toro to B&G.

above image via 

As the Chair of the Young Friends of the Public Garden I have to say my favorite places in the city to visit are our parks. They’re largely taken care of by committed private citizens and groups and I think a lot of people don’t realize that. Without a personal love of the parks by many neighbors, they wouldn’t exist in their current state. Our green spaces are our secret gems and my favorite people are part of the community that supports their preservation.

 above image via