Holly Ferris

Alumni profile: Holly Ferris

Imagine walking onto campus at 17 years old, knowing what your career was going to be, but needing a professor to approve your major because you’d already declared another one. That’s what happened to Holly Ferris when she originally applied to CSULB as a business major and decided to switch to public relations. It was the right decision: Since graduating in 1993, Ferris has gone on to a distinguished career in PR. She’s also stayed involved with the department, as a lecturer and adviser to student clubs.

When you started at CSULB, did you know you were interested in public relations?

Ferris: I did. I discovered the profession back in high school. I participated in a career development after-school program that was put on by the PR department of a bank. I went to the library, and I looked up “public relations” in the job books. It mentioned that it was about writing, and I loved writing, and being a solid communicator. So I marched down to Cal State Long Beach, where I’d already been accepted into the business program. I went to the journalism department, and told someone I needed their signature to change majors.

You were a corporate intern at Toyota for a year, after which you moved into a full-time job at the company. How did that happen?

Ferris: I graduated in May 1993 and was a corporate intern at Toyota in June, which was a full-salary, full-benefits job. I moved into the publications department, where I wrote for the dealers newsletter, magazine and company newsletter. I wrote articles non-stop and was helping design the publications. Four months into my position as a corporate intern, the company posted a job for motorsports PR administrator. They were looking for someone with eight-plus years experience, and I did not qualify. But I thought, I should just apply for this job, and if nothing else, it’ll show that I’m not afraid to go for it. So I applied — and I got the job. I stayed there for five years.

You moved over to Lexus and had a few other positions before being made manager of public relations for Lexus. But after having your second child, you decided to make a change. Why?

Ferris: I thought I was going stay there forever, be this career mom, have the nanny. Lots of my friends did that, and it looked like such a great life, so I believed that was where I was headed. But as I started to look at my life, I thought about never being able to see my kids because my position at Lexus was travel-intensive, and I had an epiphany. I loved my job, I loved my brand and I loved my colleagues, but I also loved my family. So I made the decision to start my own business. My husband thought I was nuts, but I’d always talked about starting my own business. I just thought it would be closer to retirement. When I gave my notice, everyone was shocked because everyone knew I was in it to win it. I didn’t leave because I didn’t like it. I left because I wanted a different life for my family.

After leaving Toyota, you created Ferris Communications in 2003. Tell me about it.

Ferris: It’s a small PR firm. Currently, we offer all sorts of PR and marketing services, everything from media relations to crisis communications and events. Right now we’re mainly focused on non-profit clients and business-to-business clients. The fun thing about the way my business is set up is that I’m everything: I’m the account coordinator and the vice president. I get to do all the work, and I operate as an individual. But I do partner with others when I have larger clients. I’ll bring in a team of photographers, for example, to support my clients in whatever they need.

In 2007, you started teaching PR classes at CSULB. How does it feel to be back at your alma mater?

Ferris: I’m connected to the campus. The class I teach was my favorite class. It’s what really taught me what PR was and made me believe that it was what I wanted to do. I love to make sure that my students understand what the profession is, what it has to offer, what it isn’t and how to be professional and ethical. I get really fired up to see those light bulbs turn on or have students come back to me and say, “I’ve changed my major, I declared PR” or “I switched from communications to journalism and PR.” That’s very rewarding. I clearly express to them what an exciting profession it is, and hopefully, they do the research and realize this is what they want to do. I want to see my profession grow, to see people practicing my profession in a ethical and professional way, and I feel like I get to contribute to that with my 35 to 40 students every semester. I just love that, I love my profession, so if I get to contribute to the next generation being smart and ethical—that’s kind of cool.