Meet R. Kurt Osenlund | Vice President of Mark Allen & Co. PR, Creative Director, Head of PrideNOW

We had the good fortune of connecting with R. Kurt Osenlund and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi R. Kurt, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
The quote I return to the most is one by Oprah from the final episode of her talk show in 2011. She said, “Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you were meant to be, and to begin to honor that in the best way possible for yourself.”

I’ve practiced this concept and tried to keep it in mind throughout my career. A lot of it involves paying attention to signposts and signals that pop up in my life. Even in college, when I shifted my major, this idea came into play: I was studying art and graphic design, which was basically my path from birth. And then my writing started surpassing my art, a professor suggested I pursue that instead, and though I kinda screamed inside a little, I knew he was right: An editorial career was truer to my calling; a better road to my success. In many ways this kicked off what became my media career in New York.

And this concept continues to present itself. It’s like a recalibration. I was writing about film and working in entertainment journalism for years before an editor job at Out Magazine came along. Was this true to me? Would I be honoring myself with this pivot? Yes. Five years later that chapter ended. Was I ready to move on from publishing? Could I make better use of my skills at a PR and content firm that offered lots of creative room to grow and build on them? Yes.

In her Master Class, “Designing Your Career,” former editor and entrepreneur Elaine Welteroth defines this centralized north star as our “zone of genius” — the place where our talents, skills, passions and values intersect. It’s the same concept: Honor that zone, and you’re likely to find where you’re meant to be. What am I actually great at? What new endeavors can all of my skills amount to? What am I passionate about right now? What lights me up and makes me happy because I can bring something meaningful to it? I refer to this whole idea as my inner compass, and listening to it is a balance of pushing myself and trusting my gut. Any success or happiness I have can be traced back to that compass.

And apart from kindness and taste level, it’s probably the thing I admire most in others. It’s a great tool to avoid delusion and detect delusion in others. Everyone knows the frustration of seeing a friend or colleague struggle for something that might just not be for them. And everyone knows the joy of seeing someone thrive because they’re doing exactly what they were born to do. Or they’re pivoting and reading signs to see what else their calling might be. It was only recently, at 40, that I made a decision about the topic of my first book, and it feels good because it aligns with all of these pillars. It’s a total inner compass move.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
That’s a lot of questions! First things first: I’m currently the Vice President of Client Relations and the Creative Director at Mark Allen & Co. PR, an elite public relations firm that represents creative companies – from ad agencies and production studios to media brands and more – and amplifies their people and their business. We’re the best at what we do, and as a storyteller, I love it because it operates like an editorial shop and calls on so many of my diverse skills, daily. I’m also the Head of PrideNOW, our specialty division that serves as a consultancy for LGBTQ+ companies and brands looking to reach the LGBTQ+ community. Through this division, I have spoken and curated panel sessions at some of the biggest marketing stages in the world, including Cannes Lions, SXSW, Advertising Week New York, and Brandweek. Previously, I was the editor of Out Magazine, which marked a high point of 15 years of working in editorial and publishing, also with outlets like Playboy, Slant Magazine, Details, TimeOut New York, Esquire, Filmmaker, Indiewire and more.

I think what sets me apart from others is my creative malleability, my empathy and compassion, my rebellious streak, and my taste level. I’ve always understood the importance of being a multifaceted creative, of honing multiple skills at once, and making sure others knew it. It’s a way to ensure your value and to always keep your opportunities wide. I am still a graphic designer, and I can’t count the number of times my art experience has impacted my work as a comms expert. I always knew the importance of being a skilled editor as well as a writer to make it in publishing. These days, I constantly see how being a truly strategic creative communicator is such a valuable, transferable skill. Those who do it well are kindred spirits. And today, I don’t think anyone abides by the “master of none” philosophy anymore – those who are successful are masters of many. My empathy and compassion serve me in every facet of life – from networking and client services to colleague meetings and social settings – and it simply comes from experience, patience and time. Once you can surrender yourself to the fact that you never know where anyone has been or what they’ve been through, there’s really no interaction you can’t face confidently. Because you’ve put yourself in a human place and you’re attuned to people’s needs. It’s not something you gain overnight but it’s a huge unlock.

I mentioned my rebellious streak and my taste level as a culture curator, which sounds totally pretentious, but both have led me to where I am today. Rebellion doesn’t serve me in the same way it used to, but I don’t think anyone should underestimate the value of veering away from the status quo and questioning anything that’s reached mainstream popularity. Creatively, being a discerning consumer and not getting sucked into groupthink is what will make you a tastemaker who people trust, and I’ve always taken a lot of pride in that. What we choose to promote, champion, wear, watch, buy, listen to and surround ourselves with says a lot about who we are, and after 20 years, I think I’ve achieved a certain authority in curating what we collectively call “culture.” It’s sorely lacking today – that discernment – because everyone has access to a platform and the masses have never been louder, but still, if you look at what’s truly shifting the culture, it’s things that crack into a niche. In a world of endless choice, discernment is more important than ever.

And I got to where I am because I hustled. It’s really important to remind myself how hard I worked, day and night, to be successful in my fields, because it’s something that my imposter syndrome can try to erase. Once I decided on my path in college, I breathlessly chased it. I wrote for every outlet I could in my native Philadelphia area, pursued editor gigs, wrote miles of copy, sent emails and packages to countless New York editors, visited the city monthly for as many meetings as I could, took advantage of opportunities that raised my name and profile – and that was all before I even moved to NYC. I kept up that same hunger in the city. I’ve brought it with me to Los Angeles with a different media job. And I built relationships. At the end of the day, nothing is more important than the relationships you build with others. The world is massive – meet people, connect with them, remember them, be known as a person who knows people. And be kind. You never know where a relationship will take you or how your connections will boomerang back to help you in the future.

My Out Magazine era was riddled with achievements, from a cheeky essay about a sex party that’s followed me ever since to the herculean labor of love that was the Out100 issue of 2018. But my evolving career at Mark Allen & Co. has also felt like a huge creative achievement in and of itself, because it’s prompted me to grow, change and learn constantly, and it’s opened up so many opportunities, from working with a vast variety of different companies and creatives to traveling to global events that have expanded me as a person. At the firm, I’ve been a strategist, an account director, a creative director, and now the Vice President, and each step has brought with it its own lessons, creative challenges, and media skills. Furthermore, it’s allowed me to further build my own personal profile in the process.

In every sense, I’m a stronger me because of the work I’ve accomplished, and ultimately, what I’m most proud of is that I’m someone people feel they can trust. People trust my opinions, my suggestions, my choices and my value. That takes a while to build, and if I think about it, it’s basically what I’ve always been hustling for.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Love it – let’s go.
1. Restaurant: Osteria Mozza
This restaurant might literally change your life – it’s the jewel in the crown of restaurateur Nancy Silverton’s Italian hotspots, and it might just be the best restaurant on earth. Dinner should be an experience – this place epitomizes that. Go.

2. Party: Simon Says at Spotlight Hollywood
The best party in LA. It’s challenging to find a queer-friendly party in LA that balances glamour and grit, characters and culturistas. This does it. Its closed-door lounge vibe reminds me of New York, it has a story to tell, it’s well curated and I love that people can smoke.

3. Drinks: Cold Shoulder
This spinoff of the bar Blue Collar is new, and is an intentional hole in the wall, but the artisanal drinks are fantastic, and there’s upside-down furniture on the ceiling. It’s theatrical and chic, and while I don’t even drink, I go there for the mocktails and the atmosphere.

4. Night Out: Gallery ThirtySix and No. 8
This is a great Saturday night experience. Inside the Moxy Hotel downtown, there’s a gallery on the 36th floor that hosts monthly (and sometimes weekly) exhibitions, often with performers and an interesting crowd, and then everyone migrates down to No. 8 (on the eighth floor) and its network of clubs by the Houston Brothers, including Saints and Sinners, which puts on shows with pyrotechnics in a boxing ring above the bar.

5. Hike: The W trail at Runyon Canyon
This is such a reliably challenging hike. It’s challenging enough to give you a solid workout (definitely not for people who just want to stroll), and you can knock it out in about an hour if you’re familiar with it. Hiking in LA is magical. There are countless other places to go, but this is my go-to.

6. Hang: Chateau Marmont
If you want drinks, a bite, late night dinner, people watching, and an overflow of glamorous Hollywood surroundings, the Chateau still has the panache to fulfill all of those things. It’s a very LA place to see and be seen, and you’ll be surprised who you meet.

7. Museum: The Getty Museum
I took a tour of this and learned all about how the architecture is designed to curate your experience, and I’ll never see it the same way again. The collection and the art is great, but the experience is more about the building and how you walk through it. Best of all is how open it is. Every wing is punctuated by an open hallway or a sunlit balcony, which lets you breathe and look out at Los Angeles.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, certainly my parents for not dissuading me from pursuing a creative career. I’ve always had that support, and I know many people don’t. But let’s give a shoutout to my mentors. Today, I think there’s an extreme lack of mentorship, apprenticeship and intergenerational dialogue. I understand the ease of self-teaching via GPTs, YouTube, and TikTok, but that can’t replace the wisdom, intimacy, and nuance that come from connecting in person with people who’ve done what you want to do–or whose path you admire. For me, it’s been vital.

One of my mentors is Keith Uhlich, a brilliant, generous writer and former film critic for TimeOut New York, who was basically the first person in NYC to really digest my work and take my potential seriously, before immersing me in a community of like-minded writers and creatives. Doors just started to open and connections spread like cracks in glass. In one way or another, my professional life kinda leads back to Keith. Another is the extraordinary Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine, a Keith connection who became my first consistent New York editor and taught me so much about discernment, cultural discourse, great writing and humor. Ed was also someone who always treated me like a peer and encouraged my confidence in my own voice.

In 2014 I met Aaron Hicklin, who was my gateway to Out Magazine and who heard about me through another mentor and hero, activist Peter Staley. By that time, as editor-in-chief, Aaron had reestablished the Out brand as a formidable culture and lifestyle pub, and I loved that he brought me in despite me not coming from another glossy title. That was kind of unheard of at the time. Aaron became yet another person who enhanced my knowledge of curation and refinement – of knowing how to take relationships, instincts, great writing and beautiful ideas, and package them together into something valuable that stood up as a piece of culture itself. He taught me things about literature and queer history – canonical knowledge. Out also linked me up with Jason Lamphier, one of the most gifted co-conspirators and pop culture wizards I’ll ever work with. A superior editor, Jason is that rare thing: Someone who could match my freak in regard to culture, wit, taste level, and even grammar. Yes, grammar.

I knew Mark Pasetsky well before we started working together at Mark Allen & Co. PR, where I currently work. Once we did, he became a mentor very quickly. Mark excels at strategic creativity that can make a memorable impact, and he’s been a teacher, not just for how to be effective in PR, but how to be a master at client services, and to truly approach it as an act of service so that, as storytellers, we ensure people and clients are seen and heard. Oprah will also tell you that that is all any of us really want, and in addition to teaching me to excel at that, he’s ensured I’ve been seen and heard as well — my talent is appreciated, my work is valued. These days, while he is my boss, Mark truly feels like a partner. And an essential one at that. I’m grateful for all of the mentors in my life, and I try to be one myself as often as I can.

Website: https://www.rkurtosenlund.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rkurtosenlund/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-kurt-osenlund-3153b414/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rkurtosenlund/

Other: www.markallenco.com
www.pridenowco.com

Image Credits
Headshots: Photography by Casey Kringlen

SXSW photo: Photography by Sebastian Tenorio.
Caption, from left: Kurt Osenlund, Alia J. Daniels, John McCourt, Tiq Milan

Advertising Week photo: Courtesy of Advertising Week NY
Caption, from left: Law Roach, David Collins, Karamo Brown, Kurt Osenlund

Cannes / ADWEEK House Photo: Courtesy of ADWEEK
Caption, from left: Mark Pasetsky, Gabriela Benitez, Marti Gould Cummings, Kurt Osenlund