Director, National Media Relations

Director, National Media Relations (Contract)

As a Director, National Media Relations, you are the agency’s go-to expert for securing top‑tier national coverage for our luxury, hospitality, travel and culinary clients. You are responsible for elevating our award‑winning clients into the pages of the country’s most influential publications through feature stories, profiles, trend pieces and larger narrative opportunities.

This is a senior‑level contractor role intended for a highly connected media relations expert with deep relationships in cities such as New York, Los Angeles or other major media markets where national editors, writers and producers are based. You understand what makes a Michelin‑starred restaurant, James Beard Award‑winning chef or luxury hotel stand out to national media, and you know exactly how to position those stories to the right journalist.

You have an impressive track record of securing meaningful feature coverage in outlets such as Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Esquire, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, Departures, AFAR and similar publications. You are not simply pitching stories. You are cultivating relationships, identifying the right angles, advising the team on how to make a story more compelling, and opening doors that would otherwise be difficult to access.

You will work closely with Prim + Co’s leadership and account teams to identify the strongest national story opportunities for our clients, help shape pitch angles and media materials, and directly lead outreach for high‑value placements. This role is ideal for someone who wants flexible, project‑based work while remaining deeply involved in the luxury hospitality, travel and food media landscape.

• Serve as the lead strategist for national media efforts across a select roster of luxury hospitality, food and beverage, travel and lifestyle clients
• Identify and shape feature‑worthy story angles for Michelin‑recognized restaurants, James Beard Award winners and nominees, luxury hotels, notable chefs, hospitality groups and experiential brands
• Advise Prim + Co leadership and account teams on which stories have true national potential and where they should live
• Create and course correct overarching national media strategies based on client goals, industry trends and media opportunities
• Help identify when a story is best suited for a long‑lead feature, profile, trend piece, desk‑side, media visit, editor dinner or broadcast opportunity
• Provide strategic counsel around openings, anniversaries, awards, chef changes, new concepts, renovations, partnerships and larger brand moments
• Recommend new ideas, hooks and creative approaches to make clients more compelling to top‑tier media
• Attend client strategy meetings as needed and provide expert guidance and recommendations
• Travel for client needs, including media tours, desk‑sides, tastings, openings, events and one‑on‑one editor meetings

• Personally lead outreach to national editors, writers, freelancers and producers across food, travel, hospitality, luxury and lifestyle media
• Maintain and leverage a best‑in‑class network of media relationships, particularly with contacts at Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, AFAR, Robb Report, Town & Country, Esquire, Forbes Travel Guide, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and similar publications
• Secure meaningful feature placements, trend inclusions, profiles, list placements, roundups and larger narrative stories for clients
• Develop and execute tailored, big‑picture pitches that go beyond standard product or announcement news
• Identify unexpected and creative media targets and story angles that can elevate clients beyond the obvious outlets
• Facilitate and attend editor dinners, tastings, media previews, hotel stays, one‑on‑one meetings and press trips when warranted
• Advise on and help coordinate desk‑side meetings and in‑market visits with key national editors and writers
• Collaborate with Prim + Co teams on media lists, pitch language, timing and follow‑up…