Becoming a PR Maverick
Julian Richtarich ’24 has always wanted to be like his dad.
Growing up, he watched as his father took the helm of his own cybersecurity company in Connecticut. He’s been there for his father through it all: celebrating during the best moments in his career, and comforting him during the lows. Shadowing his father throughout those years sparked an entrepreneurial interest in Richtarich, who became inspired to start a business of his own one day.
“My dad says, ‘If you love what you do, it’s not work,’” said Richtarich. “It’s been cool to watch and be a part of that.”
Richtarich arrived at Endicott as an entrepreneurship major, but after taking other courses at the Curtis L. Gerrish School of Business, he became interested in marketing. He’d always considered himself a social person and could see himself selling a product or service.
At the end of his freshman year, Richtarich became a double major in entrepreneurship and marketing and dove into his first internship at Contractor Nation, an in-house marketing firm in Seymour, Conn., where Richtarich worked to revamp different construction brands and supported the team with data analysis.
Richtarich obtained his second internship at Wilson Creative Group in Naples, Fla., where his family relocated during his sophomore year. At the small advertising agency, he helped to plan placements of clients’ print and digital ads, becoming versed in a new sector related to his degree.
Richtarich decided to pursue his semester-long internship at CGPR, a marketing and communications firm focused on active lifestyle brands in Marblehead, Mass. As an Associate Account Coordinator, he oversaw clients’ projects from start to finish, including the creation of marketing and PR materials. He became a pro in Google Analytics, researching data for new prospective clients and their products.
To spread the word about his clients’ products, Richtarich was responsible for writing weekly pitches and press releases for national news outlets such as The New York Times. Richtarich also connected top social media influencers across Instagram and TikTok with his national and international clients.
“PR is such a fast-moving job that you’re learning on the fly,” he said. “It’s all about who can release the information, who can be the first to say something, the first to put this piece out about this news.”
Working among a staff of 10 at CPGR, Richtarich received personalized feedback on how to hone his skills in PR writing and marketing. He learned to identify his mistakes and how to fix them. These concepts then directly translated into his coursework.
“I learned new information that would then pop up in the classroom, and I’d see how it related in real life,” said Richtarich, who plans to pursue a marketing job in Boston post-graduation. “That was cool to make the connection between what’s happening and what I’m learning in the classroom and how it all meshed together.”
A member of the Endicott men’s tennis team, Richtarich has become more confident during his four years at the Nest, thanks to his internships. From mentoring younger students on the team to taking initiative in his internship meetings, he’s boosted his leadership skills along the way.
His advice for a successful internship? Don’t be afraid to get outside your comfort zone.
“Be open to change and the unexpected,” he said. “You don’t have to take the first internship either; you can take multiple offers, and find the one that works for you. Don’t just settle on the one that’s close to home and is easy and is what you know. Reach out there and find the internship that’s going to challenge you and push you forward in a positive way.”