David Joplin: A True Professional Communicator

David Joplin: A True Professional Communicator
By Sabrina DuFran

Photo provided by Moore Norman Technology Center website

Communications and professionalism are strategies that David Joplin, Director of Marketing and Communications at Moore Norman Technology Center, has mastered; however, in his unpretentious way, he confides that the “truth is, none of us have all the answers.”

Joplin actually began his career in communications working on movies, such as “Rainman,” “Offerings,” and a commercial spot for Nissan. He then began as Video Producer for the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech, where he developed corporate, promotional and training videos for new and growing Oklahoma companies.

“Between film, commercial, public relations and marketing, I have worked in the communications field for almost 20 years,” he explained. The past 12 years Joplin has been Director of Marketing and Communications, first at Canadian Valley Technology, and now at Moore Norman Technology Center. He supervises a marketing and communications department of six full time and eight part-time staff members for a $30 million plus organization. Joplin and his staff are responsible for all marketing, public and media relations, advertising, crisis communications and student recruitment.

Joplin received his undergraduate and master’s degree from the Gaylord College of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma. Broadcast Journalism was his emphasis for his undergraduate degree, and for his master’s degree he studied Public Relations. He also conducted graduate work at the University of North Texas and was accepted to UCLA’s film school.

The importance of research in the communication profession cannot be stressed enough, as far as Joplin is concerned. “You must be diligent about conducting research on the front end to guide your communication strategies and messages, but even more importantly, be able to provide post-campaign evaluation data…you must be able to ‘show’ results,” Joplin said.

Joplin advises future PR professionals to consistently follow the R.A.C.E. formula (Research, Action Planning, Communication, Evaluation) for successful results. “Ours is a nebulous profession; therefore, the more we hold ourselves accountable to demonstrate irrefutable results, the more we will succeed,” Joplin advised.  He also stressed the importance of learning from your “elders” in the public relation field, as well as focusing on all job responsibilities of the positions in the public relations department. “Each job matters,” he explained, “and we must learn from others throughout our entire professional lives.”

Public relations is about effective communication with your audience. “At the end of the day, the questions will always be: did your audience understand your message, and did that message make a positive impact?” he concluded.

Not Your Ordinary PR Professional

By: Alex Marcus

Francisco Escobar is no ordinary PR professional. An economics and French graduate from Rice University, Escobar has become founder and president of Dallas based JFE International Consultants, Inc.

Using his business background for 22 years, Escobar worked for a high-tech global Fortune 500 company, mostly in finance and procurement. In 2003, Escobar knew it was time to move on.

“For the past seven years, I have worked side-by-side with a consultant who taught me many of the skills required to initiate and sustain a successful independent practice,” Escobar said.

As his relatively newfound company’s only employee, no day is typical. Escobar’s responsibilities all reside in him, including but not limited to billable consulting work, marketing, accounting, public relations, proposal preparation, new business development, and continuing education. In addition to running his own business, Escobar serves as advisor and consultant to the Council of Public Relations Firms.

How can one man handle all those tasks you might wonder? Self- motivation. For Escobar it is nice and convenient working out of his home, however it can sometimes be quite difficult.

“My "job" is so inter-mingled with my personal daily life, that unless I'm traveling on business, it is difficult to draw the line between the two,” Escobar said. “Every day requires self-motivation for the most important tasks at hand.”

Escobar has shown extreme self-motivation throughout his life. After graduating from Rice University, Escobar went on to obtain his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Business. While in school, Escobar was very involved on campus, frequently attended athletics events and participated in intramural sports. Escobar said college taught him how to live on his own and be responsible for his own decisions.

Aside from responsibility, Escobar said that when entering the “real world” it is important to remain positive and enthusiastic. “You are not entitled to anything until you prove yourself. Don't expect the world to give you anything. Everything happens for a reason and you have to be willing to adapt, change and grow,” Escobar said.

As for advice, Escobar said it is important to have mentors and mentors should have lots of experience and be passionate about their work. By enjoying their work so much and being very focused, they can point new graduates in the direction of success.

Photo provided by Francisco Escobar