Meet Kat Jones | Founder of Motiv PR

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kat Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kat, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As much as I wish this wasn’t the case sometimes, I’m not one to dive into something without overthinking it a *bit* too much. Therefore, it was a long, tedious, detail-oriented path that began with a random idea popping in my head at the beginning of 2018 to a completely baked out business plan, brand identity, target clients, mission statement, purpose and goals for Motiv PR by the end of 2018.

Throughout my career, I was always the in-house PR person. I had never thought in a million years I would take the leap to start my own firm. I kept telling myself in my 20s and early 30s that I was a spontaneous risk-taker, but in actuality, I deeply valued job security with everything it entailed: consistency, monetary security, healthcare, solid routine, 401K… all of it. But something shifted in 2018, pretty abruptly actually. It was a mixture of confidence in my own skills and abilities, and the ways in which they could be applied, along with the ongoing support from my loved ones and colleagues. That’s when the thought process officially started, and it was at the forefront of my mind from the moment it began; from laying the groundwork for what Motiv PR could look like and how it would differentiate from other agencies, reaching out to potential clients to see if they’d be interested in working with me, building my own website, and so on. It was very important that I had everything lined up – potential clients, a solid business plan and understanding of what Motiv PR is and what it stands for, a digital footprint, and more – before I took the leap. From that moment on, I hit the ground running and I’m so glad I did.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Motiv PR was born out of my love for PR and wanting to apply what I’ve learned over the years across both digital and traditional media to a multitude of brands, people and companies doing really amazing things that my team and I are passionate about. We focus on digital media, content creators, video games, and emerging technology, with a special emphasis on the fandom space – essentially, anything that’s pushing the envelope on how and where people are consuming entertainment, we’re there.

Having been the in-house PR person for 12+ years before launching Motiv, I have experienced a huge range of hiring and working with PR firms. I’ve had wonderful experiences, but I’ve also been let down by a founder or CEO who “wows” me with their understanding of the company and brands I’m working with, only to be passed along to someone else in their firm never to hear from or work with them again, and finding out the person they passed me to knows nothing about our space. It was so important to me that Motiv was not that. I’m involved with every single client we work with, and even though that might not be scalable in the long run, it’s what sets us apart and makes us happiest. For me, it’s quality over quantity – working with the right brands, companies and people that make me and my team excited to get to work every day, versus onboarding a plethora of clients and not having great optics on our day-to-day with them. We’re very specific about who we work with, and I want to maintain that so we are specialized in areas that we love and we know are constantly expanding.

I’m so lucky and proud to work with or have worked with some of the most interesting companies and people in the industry, including Critical Role, Maestro Media, Infinite Rabbit Holes, Blind Squirrel Games, Flavourworks, Real Good Touring, Felicia Day, Studio71, Skybound and more. The types of projects we dive into on a daily basis are right up our alley and bring so many exciting challenges we love to take on. The media landscape is changing on a daily basis, so our goal is to continue to be ahead of the curve with PR, as well as expanding into other areas, including paid media, events management, affiliate marketing, social media management, influencer marketing and more.

As for how I got to where I am today, it’s been an exciting and challenging road. I truly never imagined I was going to start my own firm. I was very driven in my career from the moment I graduated college, but it was always through the lens of a stable job. I had worked for a handful of companies across digital, games, and fandom (Marvel, Machinima, Azubu, and Defy Media) and at a certain point, something shifted and my perspective on taking the leap from in-house PR person to starting my own agency was much more tangible. The moment that shift happened, I started laying the groundwork for what I wanted Motiv to be, officially launching in the beginning of 2019, and never looking back.

Since launching Motiv there have definitely been challenges, but that’s inevitable when you make the decision to branch out on your own. I embrace challenges, because from my experience, I learn and grow the most when faced with challenges, so I look at them as opportunities. Shifting my perspective on what a challenge can do for me in the long run has been a game changer both in work and life.

Every single day at Motiv we strive to deliver specific, tailored strategies for each one of our clients – there’s never a one size fits all or copy/paste situation when it comes to our approach. Every client is different depending on their needs and goals, and we’ll never BS the client on what we can or can’t do. I pride myself on being extremely transparent with the client at every stage (for better or worse), and that will continue to be a mainstay within Motiv, as making sure the client is 100% aware of what’s possible based on their project and what they’re trying to accomplish is a major priority. Being on the same page every step of the way makes all the difference.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Los Angeles is such a sprawling city with so many different nooks and crannies, it’s hard to pinpoint only a few things. However, since we recently moved pretty close to downtown, we’ve been enjoying exploring the arts district. There are so many unique bars, restaurants and activities to do there, with new things popping up monthly. Also, we’re not far from Highland Park, which has some amazing restaurants and bars too, as well as Highland Park Bowl, which is an old school bowling alley with a very special steampunk-like charm.

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?

I’ve been very lucky to have been surrounded by extremely talented, driven people throughout my career, that challenge and inspire me to do things I never thought possible. There are a handful, but a few to call out specifically include:

Javon Frazier (Maestro Media) – I’ve known Javon since I first moved to LA back in 2007. I started working at Marvel in August of that year and began working with Javon shortly thereafter. We both moved around into different positions within the company over the next four years, but throughout that time, we always knew we could count on each other. We helped each other grow, and we have stayed in touch, both as friends and as colleagues, ever since. We work together on a daily basis to this day, continually learning from one another as we grow in our careers.

Rachel Romero (Critical Role) – Where do I even begin with this woman? We met while working at Machinima back in 2011, and immediately connected. I have learned so much from her around marketing and she has learned from me around PR, and with our combined force (more so her, let’s be real), we’ve grown together so much over the last decade plus. I’m lucky to still work with her today, and call her an extremely close friend.

James Shaughnessy and Rob Talbert (Paragon Creative Agency) – Do you ever meet someone who immediately gets you as a person, your humor, your approach to life, and everything in-between? That’s James and Rob for me. I met them while working at Machinima, both of them skilled directors in different areas of production, and our bond was pretty immediate. James and I are very different and Rob and I are essentially the same person (haha), and it all just works so well. They went on to launch their own creative agency, and we have since worked on many projects together. I have learned so much from their collective skills and experience. I also consider myself lucky to call them both great friends, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them.

Isaac Krauss (Octopie Studios) – I get that it’s a little cliche’ to include one’s husband on this list, but facts are facts. Isaac has been a constant inspiration for me since the moment we started dating over 10 years ago. We both work in the same industry and he understands the language I speak. Sometimes after long tough workdays, he has the wisdom and insight to talk me through things when I feel a bit lost. And to be honest, taking the leap to start my own firm wasn’t only driven by my brain – Isaac has always pushed me to do my own thing and take risks, and that’s a wonderful thing when it’s the person you come home to every day. He is a huge support system for me and a wonderful brain to pick when I need it most.

Website: https://www.motivpr.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/motiv-pr/

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

Image Credits
Headshots with green — Aaron Jay Young