One of the questions I get asked most often is, “Do I have to live in New York to work in Fashion PR?” Well, there is certainly a ton of value in establishing your career in its epicenter. For fashion, beauty and lifestyle public relations, that is certainly New York City followed by Los Angeles. The sheer number of PR and marketing agencies, brands and opportunities to collaborate with other professionals working in related careers simply doesn’t exist in other cities. However, it’s not a requirement that you must choose between the subway and insane traffic to find a great communications job in an industry you love. Great brands and agencies exist everywhere, you just have to know where to look. Nordstrom is based in Seattle, Free People is in Philadelphia, Neiman Marcus is in Dallas and Addidas is in Portland.
Recently ABODO published a research report on the best cities & careers for job seekers in 2016. The report analyzes employment opportunities in the top-five fastest growing industries, including PR, communications & media, within the 25 most populous cities in the U.S. Not surprisingly, researchers uncovered the most opportunity in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, noting that “Our data shows that if you’re looking for jobs in major cities in the public relations & communications sector, your best bet is to start your search in either Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. or Seattle. Opportunity is surely available across the country, but the most opportunities are available in these five major, rapidly-growing cities.”
Overall, the market is broadening, with agencies and brands choosing to stay in places they love, and as a result, they are creating passionate pockets of industry in towns like Nashville, Atlanta and Miami. With an increased desire for flexibility among employees, agencies are also sometimes willing to retain amazing employees seeking new vistas by moving toward a more virtual working environment.
What city are you looking at for your next move?
