Vice President, Earned Media

Company description

At MSL, we’re on a mission to make every client more influential and a positive force of influence in the(ir) world. Why? Because we know that influence = impact and the more influential you are, the more impactful you can be. We’re proud to partner with incredible brands, companies and leaders who want to push boundaries and create change – and we’re looking for passionate creators and storytellers who want to do the same.

But it’s not just our work (and the awards we win for it) that energizes us, it’s who we are as a team. A team of powerhouse professionals that is driven by three core values:
Leading, Learning and Loving. A team that has ranked us a “Best Place to Work” in the industry year over year.

What we’re looking for: A Vice President, Media for MSL’s Consumer Brands practice in Chicago

What you bring to the table:

As an integral member of the team, you will be responsible for leading media strategy development, as well as media relations work across all Consumer Brands accounts. We are looking for an ambitious and results-driven leader with significant experience in creative storytelling that can help teams pinpoint the narrative needed for media. With a deep understanding of the evolving media landscape, you will identify new and nontraditional outlets that align with shifting audience behaviors and influence patterns.

You live and breathe culture. Your Tik Tok FYP is basically a focus group, you know what's trending before your group text does, and you have a point of view on why it matters for brands. You’re also a strong combination of collaborative spirit, innovative thinking, and have a passion for current trends.

What you’ll do: Turn culture into conversation for brands, creating social-first ideas that get people talking, sharing, searching and acting.

• Support Consumer Brands accounts by leading media strategy development, pitching media and securing coverage for our clients
• Lead the development of modern social-first communications strategies that incorporate AI search, LLM visibility and emerging discovery behaviors alongside earned, social and influencer approaches
• Bring a relentless focus on culture, identifying emerging conversations, platform behaviors, influencers and consumer shifts that can create opportunities for brands to earn attention and get people talking
• Champion social-first earned thinking, developing stories and ideas designed to travel across media, social platforms, influencer and communities
• Elevate creativity from strategy through activation, pushing beyond traditional media relations to develop ideas that break through and drive conversation
• Develop talent and inspire teams to think bigger, challenge convention, test new approaches and continually raise the bar for modern earned media
• Build and deepen relationships across today’s media ecosystem — from journalists and editors to creators, newsletters, podcasts and emerging voices — while helping junior team members develop the relationships and instincts that drive earned influence.
• Stay on top of news, culture and emerging conversations to identify opportunities, inform client counsel and help brands show up with relevance and agility.
• Help shape and share modern earned media best practices, tools and emerging approaches that keep teams ahead of how influence and discovery are evolving.

• BA/BS Degree in Public Relations, Communications or a related discipline
• 8-10+ years of experience in earned media and communications within a consumer-focused agency environment, with a proven track record of creating stories and strategies that earn attention and get brands talked about
• Deep understanding of the evolving media and influencer landscape, spanning journalists and editors, influencers, newsletters, podcasts, social platforms and emerging voices
• Equal parts strategist, culture junkie, and storyteller with a pulse on what’s happening in culture; shares a passion for bringing forward-looking ideas that get people to talk, share and search
• Strong understanding of social-first earned, including how stories move across media, influencers, platforms and communities…