Peter Shankman, a social media guru, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the monthly Public Relations Society of America meeting on Wednesday, April 15, in Birmingham.

Shankman has been labeled as an entrepreneur, author and speaker, and recognized “globally for radical new ways of thinking about social media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity and just about everything else, as well.”

Shankman is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc., a marketing and PR strategy firm. The Geek Factory, Inc. is located in New York but caters to clients internationally.

Shankman is also known for Help a Reporter Out, a Web site that connects journalists to their sources via social media. HARO already has over 36,000 members. Thousands of journalists across the nation use this Web site on a daily basis.

“I found out about Peter Shankman and HARO through one of my classes,” said Kelly Adams, a senior PR student. “I receive e-mails from HARO daily, I follow him on Twitter and I often read his blog.”

Shankman also founded AirTroductions in 2005, which re-launched in January 2008 as TripLife. TripLife is the largest social networking and connections Web site for all travelers.

“Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them” is a book that Shankman wrote that was published in 2006. The friendly book takes a look at ridiculous PR stunts that were pulled in history and offers an explanation of why some worked and others did not. Shankman provides inspiration and a guide of how to get your company noticed in a nontraditional manner.

“I heard that Peter Shankman was coming to Birmingham through Charles Bloom, associate commissioner for media relations for the Southeastern Conference, when he came to speak about PR in sports,” said Adams. “Since we have already been talking about Peter Shankman in class, I was interested to hear that he was coming to Alabama, and I wish that I could go hear him speak.”

Some of the clients that Shankman has worked with are the Snapple Beverage Group, Walt Disney World, Vantage Point Venture Partners, American Express, Discovery Networks, New Frontier Media, OpSec Security, Napster, Juno, GenuOne, Dream Catcher Destinations Club, Harrah’s Hotels and many others.

Shankman is often quoted in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, and USA Today.

Born and raised in New York City, Shankman still resides in the city in between his frequent traveling. Shankman is a keynote speaker for several workshops, conferences, trade shows and private companies throughout the year.

During his off-time, Shankman is a skilled runner. He has completed 13 marathons and three Olympic distance triathlons. Shankman is also a sky diver, hence his Twitter name, skydiver, and picture.

Shankman has made himself indispensable in the world of public relations. From writing a book to launching several Web sites, he seems to have done it all. Shankman will undoubtedly provide motivating and fundamental advice at the PRSA meeting in Birmingham this week.


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