In the recent competitive business sphere, it is becoming imperative for women leaders to stand out by crafting well-thought marketing and Public Relations (PR) strategies while leading from the front. These women entrepreneurs have become an example of inspiration and success. They are here to make a difference.
One such inspirational woman leader is Pamela Lewis, President of PLA Media. She is a music industry icon and a graduate of Wells College with a B.A. in Economics/Marketing and a minor in French and Communications. She studied at the Centre of Overseas Undergraduate Program (COUP) for a year and started working at MS Magazine. She was also a part of the marketing team that introduced MTV to the world.
While working for RCA Records in her early 20s, she helped shape the careers of top celebrities like Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, and Alabama. She left RCA to fulfill her dream of starting her own company of what she does best: PR/Marketing, artist development, and working with clients like Lyle Lovett, Patty Loveless, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and the CMA. She started taking up freelance projects and gradually started her award-winning company PLA Media in 1985.
Democratic Leadership
Pamela Lewis tries to lead by example and is open to staff input. She believes in making team decisions rather than dictating. Being an entrepreneur, she is a risk-taker and also very pragmatic. She ensures living below her means. Pamela is careful not to overcommit to her clients and makes sure she has the required bandwidth to adequately provide exemplary, personalized service. Networking helped her to build the success she has now. In the beginning,, she took on small projects with only a typewriter to aid her, and now she proudly captains an award-winning company and staff.
Multi-faceted Persona
Pamela Lewis is an award-winning personality who has owned her own company for the past 30 years. In 2023, Pamela was dignified as a distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration year. She is also a U.S. ambassador for The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF), and a member of the Churchill Society. In June, of the same year, she was invited to be the guest keynote speaker with TUFF Co-founder Dr. Shamender Talwar at the annual Professional Learning Conference held at MTSU.
PLA Media offers all marketing services including:
- Public Relations
- Marketing and Branding
- Social Media
- Website and Graphic Design
- Event Planning
“Entertainment Business is my Forte…”
Pamela Lewis keeps up with the trends and has proficiency in working in the glamor world. However, she has also shifted to focusing on small businesses, restaurants, special events, fashion, jewelry, tourist attraction museums, non-profits, and authors are some of the examples. PLA Media has expanded to be full-service by offering social media consulting, management strategies, and PR/Marketing. Gradually her efforts started paying off and the workload increased. . She started hiring employees and began diversifying. Conscious about the income flow, she bought rental properties as well.
An Ideal Mentor
Pamela Lewis is active and in touch with colleges and universities for mentoring and hiring students. She imparts opportunities to students for full-time and part-time opportunities and picks candidates with the right skill set and hunger to learn. Pamela has recently promoted two employees within the organization and serves on boards of other companies as a partner on a per-project basis.
Perennial Triumph
Pamela Lewis has been successful in building and maintaining a good reputation by standing out among her peers. She doesn’t believe in taking clients away from her competitors. She offers fairly priced, customized campaigns. She treats her staff well at all times by offering perks like profit sharing, retirement benefits, and exercising a 4-day work week. Moreover, she helps her employees by offering to pay for closing costs when her employees buy their first home.
She treats employees with meals and gives out bonuses for performing well within the organization. Post-COVID, the company has been operating on a hybrid model. Coping with the challenges of this model, the company also brings in the relevant technology to accommodate an efficient customer experience.
Innovation with Conventional Approach
Trends in the music industry change constantly and PLA Media is diligent in monitoring these changes. The company stays abreast of the cutting-edge solutions of the music business, at all times. It is conventional when treating clients and the team like family, but it also holds the importance of being up to date with new technology and innovations. Budgets are monitored closely making sure to not go beyond the same. The company hires staff only when needed and is careful about unnecessary salary expenses.
The Nashville Success
PLA Media headed the public relations initiatives for Lighthouse Immersive launching multiple shows in Nashville. The initiatives include Immersive van Gogh, Immersive King Tut, Immersive Nutcracker, and Disney Immersive Animation. To make the campaign enormous, the company pushed the story of the exhibits to local radio and television. It also arranged interviews with leaders and designers from the esteemed Lighthouse Immersive Team. Furthermore, the company is on the constant lookout for opportunities where there is a need to provide creative and cost-effective campaigns.
A List of Elite Class Clients
Pamela Lewis has several top-class clientele from diverse backgrounds. Clients range from celebrities to premium restaurants, the list is one of a kind. Some celebrities are Michelle Wright, Will Carter Band, Cam Allen, and other Grammy winning artists like Steve Earle, Gary Morris, Steve Winwood, and Townes Van Zandt. Some foundations and nonprofits include Nobody Trashes Tennessee, The Road to Memphis, and the DEA Educational Foundation. Premium restaurants include NashHouse Southern Spoon and Saloon, The Row Kitchen & Pub, The Honeysuckle, and more
