Team Spotlight: Gavin Mathis

The man behind the byline

When Gavin joined Prime Movers Lab as Communications Partner we were able to immediately leverage his talent for telling people about what we’re doing. I had the chance to sit down with him and get to know how he thinks about his role as a storyteller as well as his life outside of work. Welcome to the team, Gavin!

Brad: You bring an amazing set of very specific skills to our portfolio. Walk through your path to Prime Movers Lab — what brought you here?

I started my career working on Capitol Hill for Sen. Max Baucus on the Senate Finance Committee, which was a tremendous experience. However, when he decided to retire, I had to quickly find a new opportunity. After leaving “the hill,” I lobbied for a number of tech companies like eBay, Verisign, and others.

Since then, I’ve continued to go deeper and deeper down the tech/startup rabbit hole — first with Edelman and then Method Communications (two great PR agencies) — which is how I ended up at Prime Movers Lab. I’m really lucky to combine my communications/PR skills along with my political background to help startups that are making a big impact and developing breakthrough technology that will transform the way we live.

Brad: What drew you to public relations?

I originally thought I was going to be a journalist, but there were too many causes that I cared about to merely cover them. I wanted to drive change and support clean energy, breakthrough healthcare advances, and education funding. While I was in graduate school at George Washington University, I knew I needed to apply my communications and media skills to public relations rather than journalism because I felt that I could have a bigger impact.

Brad: What do you think about when you are trying to communicate that impact and mission to an audience who may not have a background in the field a company operates in?

I’m really lucky that much of the work has been done for me, because all of our portfolio companies are doing such exciting things, from 3D-printing homes to building supersonic and even hypersonic aircraft to helping people with ALS communicate. Our portfolio companies are at the forefront of so many cutting-edge trends. Media are really interested in the new space race, greentech, and most of our investment areas.

My job is connecting the founder to the right reporter at the right time, highlighting some of these macro trends, and painting a picture of where things are going to go.

Brad: When I think about public relations, “crisis management” immediately comes to mind. Do you agree with that characterization? Are you someone who is drawn to crises?

For many people, crisis comms is why they get into PR. There is something exciting about being in the middle of a news story and trying to help a client mitigate negative press and come out stronger on the other side. It’s fun trying to turn a narrative around. This is probably why I liked working on Capitol Hill as much as I did. I liked knowing what the headline of The Washington Post was going to be a few days in advance.

Brad: Has anything surprised you since you started working here?

I continue to be impressed by the caliber of the founders we’ve invested in and how incredibly thoughtful and brilliant my colleagues are. We have literal rocket scientists, neuroscience researchers, and leading experts in so many fields. It forces you to improve and iterate every day.

Brad: Tell me about yourself outside of work — what do you do to unwind on Friday or what does a great Saturday morning look like?

I have a 5-year old son who I try to keep up with, so I spend a lot of time at the pool or a nearby lake when I’m not working. He is already a better golfer than me.

Also, I’m one of those people who will probably always get a print newspaper so you’ll likely see my wife and me on our back patio with coffee and the paper on a Sunday morning.

Brad: Any good vacation plans coming up or recently?

I need to get back to Montana soon. I hope to make it back this holiday season to see family and catch up with friends.

Brad: What’s something people may not know about communications or public relations?

Most depictions of PR flacks in movies are not very flattering. I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but there is no blackmailing reporters or intimidation. You have to be a resource for reporters. I think you need to have a lot of respect for journalists to do your job well. Some of the best PR people I know are former reporters.

Brad: What separates good from great communications?

Emotion and good storytelling. If you are trying to get people to take action, an emotional appeal is a shortcut and usually the best motivator. Whenever I work with a reporter, I try to tell them the story and deliver all of the assets (interviews, data, etc.) in a compelling way that focuses on the human element as much as possible. For example, I love Diamond Age Co-Founder and CEO Jack Oslan’s story about why he started his company. He wanted to find a way to reduce the housing shortage because his son was going to move away from the Bay Area when he couldn’t find an affordable home. That is an incredible founder story, and every one of our founders has something unique like that motivating them. It’s my job to find that.

Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.

Sign up here if you are not already subscribed to our blog.