In Her Words: Fay Shapiro, 63, Champions Thought Leadership in PR, Marketing, and Advertising
Grateful for the mentorship that propelled her career, Fay is paying it forward
Determination is my word for 2025. And it’s part of the story of who I am.
My father passed away three days before my 16th birthday. Later, my mom said to me, “If you want to go to college, you better figure out how to pay for it.” That was tough love. That’s where my survival instinct kicked in. I figured out how to go to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for undergrad (worked my way through it) and I figured out how to go to graduate school at Northwestern University (worked my way through it). The determination that gave me the ability to achieve those goals has served me throughout my life.
I wanted to be Brenda Starr — to tell stories and be a great journalist — but I realized there’s more to it than having your byline in print. Coming out of college, I interviewed with Robert H. Bacon Jr. of Bacon’s, a family-owned press clipping service and media directory company. The interview lasted more than four hours and I got the job. Robert Bacon had also studied journalism at the University of Illinois. He took me under his wing and treated me like I was one of his children. He was a father replacement figure. He opened doors to the communications industry for me. But first, he stuck me in the mail room to pack the directories. I learned the intricacies of the business from how to do the research to create the books to how to box up and ship the books, etc. Within 18 months of working in the mail room and having my desk there, I was running the entire editorial operation and had almost 200 people reporting to me.
I learned that you can’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and work hard. Through determination and survival instinct, I was able to create new products for the communications industry by being a great listener to what was needed, and by paying it forward through the interns. In addition to Robert Bacon, I was mentored by Al Golin and Harold Burson. They were part of the greatest generation in public relations, and I don’t take that for granted.
How has the communications industry changed and where do you see it going?
Well, since the mid 80s, when I entered this space, how the work is done has evolved. This industry continues to redefine itself as we’ve seen with the recent election, but the importance of public relations and communications is never going to go away. PR, advertising, and marketing were in silos 30 or 40 years ago and now those silos are gone forever. I think that we are going to continue to see an evolution of work done by agencies and by internal communications departments.
We continue to face challenges today around breaking the mold. As one of my mentors, John Mack Carter said, “If it ain’t broke, break it.” John was one of the fathers of consumer publishing. He took me under his wing, and he taught me how to be a publisher. He also taught me to swing dance.
What is CommPRO and how and when did it get started?
One day in 2010, while we were sitting in the rocking chairs in his office, Harold Burson said to me, “Kid, the silos between the different communications industry disciplines are breaking down,” and I shared my vision with him about having a platform and building a community where people in PR and marketing and advertising could exchange ideas and share thought leadership. He said, “Go for it.” That was the beginning of CommPRO, the membership community I formed for PR, marketing, and advertising agencies.
Over the past 15 years, CommPRO has grown and found our sweet spot. We’re a community for communications professionals. We now have a partnership with CommunicationsMatchTM, which assists brands in selecting from more than 5,000 agencies, consultants, freelancers, and other service providers. We bring people together to discuss topics ranging from shareholder activism and investor relations to International Women’s Day and women’s leadership. One of the things I’m most proud of from last year is that we launched our first International Women’s Day forum, where we brought together women from the C-suite who each brought with them a young woman who they wanted to inspire. We had 75 people there. It was incredible. I’m also working on a Global Women’s Leadership Channel, in partnership with George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, to spotlight extraordinary women leaders.
What’s the pride and joy of your career?
One of my greatest joys is to pay it forward and mentor young people. For example, one of my first interns spoke at our International Women’s Day. I'm so damn proud of her.
What are your goals for the future?
We’ll do more in 2025 to focus on women's leadership. I’d also like to do more in financial and investor relations. I love FinCom and comms tech.
I would love to go back and get my PhD. I find it fascinating that the traditional media outlets are being redefined. Who knows what’s going to happen over the next four years?
If you could go back in time and give advice to your 25-year-old self, what would you tell her?
Don't be afraid to continue trying new things. Don't be afraid to fail, because through failure, you learn.
Belle Curve Stories is about women who are navigating their lives with grit, grace and growth. What do those three words mean to you?
I define grit as determination and hard work. I've got this vision in my head of John Wayne in True Grit. Grit is being tough, being determined, and not afraid to roll up your sleeves and work hard. Grace is putting others first and knowing when to listen. Growth is not being afraid to try new things. Growth is constantly listening to others and brainstorming.
Fay Shapiro, 63, founded CommPRO at age 48 after working for more than 25 years in the communications industry in Chicago and New York with some of the industry’s greatest minds as her mentors. Today she enjoys paying it forward by mentoring the next generation.
