Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Janes.
Stephanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I majored in Music (vocal performance) and minored in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Delaware. Even though I loved music, I also loved fitness and worked at the college gym teaching spin classes and muscle conditioning. I think I actually worked five jobs in college: a full time student; in the music library; for the local opera company, Opera Delaware, as a singer; and at the fitness center as a spin teacher. I have always loved to keep busy!
After UD, I moved to Philly to attend Drexel University to study Arts Administration, which is where I first discovered how to effectively market arts and culture organizations. I interned for the Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Philadelphia Orchestra in their marketing departments, and learned how to put together marketing budgets and the basics of Public Relations and Media buying.
After that, I moved to Boston and lived in South Boston for 8 years! I started working at ArtsBoston, which gave me a great introduction to the Greater Boston arts community, which is so vibrant, rich, and varied. I had the opportunity to work with music, theater, visual arts, and community presenters as they marketed their performances to the public.
After ArtsBoston I moved over to the Celebrity Series of Boston, one of the most respected arts presenters in America. It was at the Celebrity Series that I truly learned the craft of Public Relations and how to effectively pitch and secure stories. They present the best performing artists from around the world like Alan Cumming and David Sedaris on the main stage, along with amazing local Boston-based artists like Maria Finkelmeier and Castle of Our Skins in their Neighborhood Arts program.
In 2015 I decided to open up my one-woman PR shop and branded it as “Stephanie Janes PR” (https://www.stephaniejanespr.com/). I love working with journalists from all over the world to highlight my client’s events and stories, and setting up my own business seemed like the next logical step in my career. Thankfully, I have an amazing group of clients which include the Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston Camerata, tenor Rene Barbera, Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker, composer Jonathan Bailey Holland, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and many more. It is so inspiring to assist these artists and organizations in their own artistic journey.
Aside from my arts career, I also love to travel and have just started a travel blog called The Roving Fox (https://www.therovingfox.com/). I started traveling seriously in 2006 with a backpacking trip to Bali, and have since backpacked around Europe, in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, and parts of South America. I’ve had some wonderful and crazy experiences like getting stung by a jellyfish while swimming in Nice and zip lining down a waterfall in Ecuador. I started the blog as a way to document my journeys and to share some travel tips along the way. My next trip will be to Costa Rica to volunteer with a sea turtle conservation program called La Tortuga Feliz. I love animals, and hope I can help in a small way to preserve their habitat by volunteering. I am planning on documenting the process on the blog and on The Roving Fox Instagram.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the scariest times in my career was deciding to start my own business. It was very hard to jump from a safe and secure job with a regular paycheck to freelance work where clients and income is never guaranteed.
I struggled (and still struggle) with impostor syndrome, or the feeling that I am not good enough to achieve success. I have to continually remind myself that I am good enough, I am a hard worker, and I can get the job done. There is always a little voice telling me that I “can’t” do something that I have to actively work to overcome. I think it is hard to tell when someone is struggling because a lot of what we see on social media are other people’s successes, or their best moments. I just have to remind myself that we all struggle on the inside, and just present our best selves outwardly. I do the same thing online! I doubt my self-doubt will ever go away, but I try every day to work hard and remember to love myself.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Stephanie Janes PR and The Roving Fox – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
What sets me apart from other publicists is my ability to connect with a story and draw out the most interesting angles. I also have great relationships with journalists in America and Europe, and depend on them to help tell the stories most effectively.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My future plans include continuing my education and refining my skills in digital media, continually connecting and re-connecting with journalists to keep our relationships present, and working hard for my clients. I am also planning on blogging more as I travel to share tips on budget travel, city itineraries, and tips about finding travel deals. I am also taking Spanish lessons with a teacher from Peru on Skype. I love keeping my language skills up to date and giving my brain a chance to develop new abilities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therovingfox.com/ and https://stephaniejanespr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therovingfox/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRovingFox/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/operastephanie
Image Credit:
The photo of Jonathan Bailey Holland is by Robert Torres.
The photo of Rene Barbera is by Anna Barbera
Urban Nutcracker is by Peter Paradise
The one of me and Debbie Voigt is by Graham Wright
The one of me by the purple wall is by Ken Perry
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
