James Pritchett

Background

About James Pritchett

Storytelling became an important part of my life when I discovered journalism as an occupation option in high school. I enjoyed learning the process of researching, interviewing and learning a person’s history, their experience, their thoughts. I relished transforming those notions, words and observations into vignettes provoking emotion and action from the reader. Since then, I’ve served as a writer, editor and manager for college, commercial and military newspapers, magazines, websites, social media programs and broadcast operations. My career serving defense clients as a public affairs professional spanned more than 25 years. In my experience, the key to public affairs – to getting the audience to absorb those crucial themes and messages – is creating compelling content through the real-life stories of people. Technology and culture have dramatically changed both the media and methods we use to tell these compelling stories. What we read on inky newsprint yesterday, we scroll through on our phones and tablets today. Stories we watched on the evening news, we now find on Facebook or YouTube. What was captured with pen and paper, 35mm film, shoulder-stabilized cameras and giant, corded mics, might now be captured with a smart phone. All of it. And, that content can be published immediately from the field. While the equipment and delivery systems are still evolving, the individual stories of triumph and failure, resilience and flexibility, development and decline, if relayed honestly and with care, will command attention and share a glimpse of one person’s life to another. These words and images, these small peeks, are also the means to meeting our clients’ communication goals. I still enjoy being a part of the process every day. BTW, I embrace organizational change and program management, am a good steward of budget and equipment and have a wealth of experience with social and emerging media.