www.HartfordBusiness.com • December 17, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 3
Newsmakers
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Gene Sheehan
By Sean Teehan
steehan@hartfordbusiness.com
T
hirty years after he co-founded Hartford PR
firm Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations
Inc., Gene Sheehan is stepping down from
overseeing day-to-day operations.
Once referred to as the "PR king" by a Hartford
Courant columnist, Sheehan's firm has racked up
an impressive client list over the decades, includ-
ing United Technologies Corp., its subsidiary
Pratt & Whitney, and Kaman Corp.
The landscape has changed since Sullivan &
LeShane opened its doors in 1988, Sheehan said.
For one, the rise of the internet has transformed
the industry. There was a time when PR firms were
concerned with the daily news cycle. Today, with
the constant threat of breaking news online, PR
workers must remain perpetually engaged.
After Jan. 1, Sheehan will continue to work
with agency clients as a senior counselor in the
areas of strategic PR planning, media coaching
and crisis communications, he said.
Even though he's stepping down from his
current role, and cashing out of the business he
started with well-known Hartford lobbyists and
communications pros Patrick Sullivan and Paddi
LeShane, Sheehan, who was a 2014 HBJ Lifetime
Achievement Award winner, believes the cap-
stone of his career is an opportunity yet to be
identified.
When crafting a message, are there any ele-
ments you find to be uniquely successful in
Greater Hartford?
Based on their experience elsewhere, clients
unfamiliar with Connecticut are often surprised
by two things: this state's hyper local focus
and the business-unfriendly reputation of our
political process. Consequently, we work closely
with clients to craft messages that address local
sensitivities and position the client as a good
corporate citizen as well as an economic asset.
What are the best and worst PR moves you have
witnessed on the job?
Rather than cite examples, I would simply say
that the best PR stays ahead of the story by being
willing to comment on the record as soon as an
issue arises. In today's digital media environ-
ment, you either define yourself or allow yourself
to be defined.
A client once said to me that a bad news story
was like a bad haircut — wait two weeks and it's
gone. I replied, that may be true, but too many
bad haircuts and you become known as "that
person with the bad haircut."
In your experience, do former journalists make
for better or worse PR workers than people who
have never worked in journalism?
The ability of a former journalist to adapt to a
public relations career is directly related to their
willingness to accept a new role as an advocate.
I have the greatest respect for journalists who
approach an issue without bias, look at all sides
and attempt to communicate the truth. A public
relations professional must also be committed to
the truth, but must also be comfortable advocat-
ing a position.
What is the No. 1 thing to know about getting
the attention you seek from the right people?
The currency of an effective public relations
person is and always will be experience and
credibility. How have you successfully managed
difficult situations? Who knows and trusts you?
Who can you call and get that call returned? The
bottom line is — as one editor recently said to
me — are you respected and can you be relied
upon to 'put it out there straight?'
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Gene Sheehan
Managing Partner, Sullivan & Leshane
Public Relations Inc.
HBJ
PHOTO
|
STEVE
LASCHEVER
