Backstory Interview with Gregory Vistica


This week’s backstory is about our Founder, Chairman and CEO, Gregory Vistica. In this interview, Vistica talks about launching his public affairs company and his approach to our ever-evolving profession.
- When did you become involved in this career and what drew you to public relations?
In 2003, I left my job at the Washington Post as an investigative journalist to work on my third book and had no plans to start a public relations firm. I got a call from a former source running a private equity firm with a crisis situation asking for my help. I agreed to take a look and did some research. I had some ideas and had the right connections to fix their issue. Eventually I ended up saving them a lot of money — almost $21 million to be exact.
That led to more work. Word started getting around that I was consulting and finding solutions favorable to clients in difficult crisis situations. All of my business came from word of mouth. Before long, I had to hire some folks and brought in former journalists to help out. Eventually I had so much work that I was faced with the decision of staying as an independent consultant or starting a firm. In 2005, I launched Washington Media Group.
2. What experiences have shaped your approach to public relations? How have they influenced your counsel to clients?
My background as a journalist has definitely shaped my experiences. I look at problems more from the perspective of an investigative reporter than a public relations practitioner. It’s a much more critical approach. As a reporter, I exposed government, corporate and individual wrongdoing, which led to some big crises. My experience creating a crisis now helps me solve them.
Part of the solution, at least for me, is being candid and direct. Some people don’t like the candid approach, to hear advice that conflicts with their views and positions. They may pay us for our advice but that doesn’t mean they always take it. As I see it, we’re in this business to help people and in the process the truth can be painful. But I’ve found over many years in this industry, that it’s better to be straight and to the point, rather than to sugar coat things.
3. How has the industry changed and how have you adapted?
Obviously much of the change has been driven through the advent of digital, which has been one of the great moments in history. I will say that we were one of the first firms in the Washington, D.C. area to integrate digital technology with traditional media approaches. We brought them together. We integrated digital with almost every one of our service offerings, from media relations and advocacy to crisis communications. It’s now a common practice among firms to do this. But 12 years ago, most firms just included social media as an independent offering. It has impacted everything we do. Even so, some clients still prefer to see things on the front page of The Washington Post or The New York Times or a printed ad on the back of Time Magazine.
4. What is the role and responsibility of the PR person at the pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis phases?
Pre-crisis basically means handling your day to day client needs. In all circumstances, we have a professional responsibility to represent our clients as best we can, whether to protect their name, enhance their brand, or burnish the image of their CEO. We try to be creative in finding ways to do that. But the most important thing to do when working for a client is to always have your antenna up for problems that could appear.
Mid-crisis is when it’s crucial to give the unvarnished truth about the best course of action. The client has to decide what is the best approach for them. Every situation is different. Sometimes it’s best to get everything out right away so there is not a drip, drip, drip of negative news over weeks or months. Other times it’s okay to wait and size up the situation — but making sure not to appear to be stonewalling. That helps to buy time to prepare a plan that works. People under intense pressure often don’t want to accept the reality of their situation. But it is our job to help them do so and protect their best interests while ensuring they are telling the truth.
If I had to say three things it would be to advise carefully, give the unvarnished truth, and go into a crisis with eyes wide open. You need to be creative and completely honest with the media, work your relationships with journalists to ensure your story is getting out fairly, and convince the client that the media isn’t the enemy.
Post crisis: Go back to client and drill down into the company culture to see where the next landmine may be hiding. Many times after a crisis, companies think they are in the clear. But if they have experienced crisis-like problems once, then their chances of having another problem are that much greater. We try to prevent that.
5. How do you know when to sound the alarm of a major communications crisis vs. less severe issue?
It is based on experience and wisdom and having a knack for looking around corners. How are the reporters going to react? Is it political? What will Congress or the Justice Department do? Is it a criminal issue? Does it involve sexual misconduct or racism? Having experience in different areas like journalism, public affairs and public relations has helped me to better understand at an early point about how big or small this challenge will be and and also to determine the best solution. Also, some things you think are minor can turn into big problems and catch you by surprise. Other times, what you expect to explode ends up fizzling out.
For more information on Vistica and Washington Media Group, visit our website.
