Gene Sheehan | Managing Partner, Sullivan & Leshane Public Relations Inc.
HBJ Photo | Steve Laschever
Gene Sheehan
Thirty years after he co-founded Hartford PR firm Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations Inc., Gene Sheehan is stepping down from overseeing day-to-day operations.
Once referred to as the “PR king” by a Hartford Courant columnist, Sheehan's firm has racked up an impressive client list over the decades, including United Technologies Corp., its subsidiary Pratt & Whitney, and Kaman Corp.
The landscape has changed since Sullivan & LeShane opened its doors in 1988, Sheehan said. For one, the rise of the internet has transformed the industry. There was a time when PR firms were concerned with the daily news cycle. Today, with the constant threat of breaking news online, PR workers must remain perpetually engaged.
After Jan. 1, Sheehan will continue to work with agency clients as a senior counselor in the areas of strategic PR planning, media coaching and crisis communications, he said.
Even though he's stepping down from his current role, and cashing out of the business he started with well-known Hartford lobbyists and communications pros Patrick Sullivan and Paddi LeShane, Sheehan, who was a 2014 HBJ Lifetime Achievement Award winner, believes the capstone of his career is an opportunity yet to be identified.
When crafting a message, are there any elements you find to be uniquely successful in Greater Hartford?
Based on their experience elsewhere, clients unfamiliar with Connecticut are often surprised by two things: this state's hyper local focus and the business-unfriendly reputation of our political process. Consequently, we work closely with clients to craft messages that address local sensitivities and position the client as a good corporate citizen as well as an economic asset.
What are the best and worst PR moves you have witnessed on the job?
Rather than cite examples, I would simply say that the best PR stays ahead of the story by being willing to comment on the record as soon as an issue arises. In today's digital media environment, you either define yourself or allow yourself to be defined.
A client once said to me that a bad news story was like a bad haircut — wait two weeks and it's gone. I replied, that may be true, but too many bad haircuts and you become known as “that person with the bad haircut.”
In your experience, do former journalists make for better or worse PR workers than people who have never worked in journalism?
The ability of a former journalist to adapt to a public relations career is directly related to their willingness to accept a new role as an advocate. I have the greatest respect for journalists who approach an issue without bias, look at all sides and attempt to communicate the truth. A public relations professional must also be committed to the truth, but must also be comfortable advocating a position.
What is the No. 1 thing to know about getting the attention you seek from the right people?
The currency of an effective public relations person is and always will be experience and credibility. How have you successfully managed difficult situations? Who knows and trusts you? Who can you call and get that call returned? The bottom line is — as one editor recently said to me — are you respected and can you be relied upon to 'put it out there straight?'
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