PR Specialist Quinelle Holder Speaks on Growing His PR Empire Alongside his Wife.

PR Specialist Quinelle Holder Speaks on Growing His PR Empire Alongside his Wife, Having the opportunity to work with Pusha T, and his creative plans for 2021.

Quinelle Holder

We’re extremely excited to be getting back to highlighting some amazing, talented creatives for the new year. We would like to send a special thank you to all of the guests from 2020 who allowed The Lifestyle NYC to be a platform for them to share their stories.

Our first interviewee of 2021 is someone that I had the pleasure of connecting with through a previous guest, Ahmad Davis. I told Ahmad that it would be an honor for me to speak with his long time friend and PR counterpart because of his experience in the media and music business. His come-up story, kind of similar to Ahmad’s, was interesting to me and I wanted to be able to explore those experiences.

Quinelle Holder has been a playmaker in the media and music industry for quite some time. His career started out in media as a staff writer for HipHopSince1987 but then later transitioned into public relations. After being able to build up his name as well as his connections, he and his wife, Sabrina, went on to start their own PR Agency, Medium Creative Agency. Since the start of the agency, Quinelle and his wife have worked with brands such as Red Bull, America’s Best Wings, Chopstars, and more. Medium Creative Agency was also featured in an AfroTech article not too long ago. The company’s VP of Brand Partnerships, Mason Taylor, helped coordinate a room on the audio chatroom app, Clubhouse, where the business mogul, Diddy, discussed the 10th anniversary of his album, Last Train to Paris.

I had the chance to catch up with Quinelle to talk about his creative agency, some of his experiences and inspirations in both media and public relations, how he managed to link up with Pusha T, and some of his creatives goals for 2021. Read the full interview below.

1 - You’ve done a lot of things up until this point working in PR and as a journalist. Early on in your career, who were some of your biggest motivators? 

In the industry, I’d say Rob Markman, Mikey Fresh, and Karen Civil. As far as my personal life, setting a foundation for my future family was the focus.

2 - What was the first major gig you landed in journalism? 

A staff writer at HipHopSince1987. That was when things really started to change for me. S/O Brandon Wyche for the opportunity.

3 - How did you venture off into doing PR?

In 2014 I was a speaker at William & Mary’s 2nd Annual Hip Hop Celebration and Cymandye Russell, who’s currently the Senior Graphic Designer for Patchwork Studios, introduced me to a handful of local talent. Young Money Yawn was among the bunch and was looking for a publicist. I mentioned to Cymandye prior to the event that I was interested in exploring public relations as a possible career path and she told him I was a PR guru lol. Fast forward, I became Yawn’s publicist and the first big record I got to work for him was “Shout Out To Papi” featuring Pusha T and LunchMoney Lewis.

4 - You and your wife, Sabrina, are the founders of Medium Creative Agency, a PR agency that has worked with multiple brands and has lent a hand in other things such as photoshoots and music festivals. How did you two come up with this brand?

Medium was a way for us to combine our collective skill sets and put them under an umbrella. The agency, formally called Medium PR Agency, serves as a medium between where a client is and wants to be.

5 - How do you and your wife choose which projects you’re interested in pursuing on behalf of the brand?

In the beginning, we would reach out to notable brands, companies, and celebrities to build up our portfolio - but now we just go through project offers, which we get hundreds of, selecting only what we are generally interested in.

6 - What’s it like running a business with your significant other? 

It’s amazing. To reach and achieve goals with your best friend as well as your wife brings a special kind of joy. Don’t get it twisted, lol. There are days when it’s tough, overwhelming, and we get annoyed with each other - but that comes with the business regardless.

7 -  You have your hands in a lot of different things and one of your biggest moments of 2020 was being named the Director of Publicity for Pusha T’s new record label, Heir Wave Music Group. How did you manage to make that happen? Also, what was the experience like being a DMV native and having the opportunity to work alongside a Virginia legend like Push?

That came about through my relationship with the label’s General Manager Doug “Life” Wilder. He’s hired me for PR work in the past for Kent Jones as well as BIA, so the chemistry was already there. Working with Push was a dream come true for a kid who grew up in the 757 area of VA. Definitely cemented my prior contributions to the Commonwealth-State. 

8 - For those who may not be aware, what were some of your duties as the Director of Publicity?

In a short, making sure the label and our artists were receiving the right type of press consistently. My job also included putting out bad/negative press related fires.

9 - In your opinion, what are some of the most important traits one must possess in order to be in PR? What are some things you had to learn along the way in order to be in this business?

I think being a great listener, knowing the landscape, and being a solution-based thinker is key. Nothing beats having great relationships though. Over the years I’ve learned to be patient, accept the word “no,” and to always have a backup plan.

10 - You celebrated your 30th birthday not too long ago. What are some of your most proudest moments, both personally or professionally, up until this point? 

Wow lol. Great Question. Honestly marrying my wife, having my daughter, and running my own business. Knowing that every dollar I make comes from the industry feels good. I’m thankful.

11 - What is your true definition of success?

For me as a man, it’s taking care of my family financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As a publicist, it’s helping my clients get as much visibility as possible - in line with their goals.

12 - What words of advice would you give to the aspiring entrepreneur/creative?

Learn everything you can about the business, even things you think don’t directly concern you, and never be afraid to shift gears. I came into the industry doing streetwear lol. Now look.

13 - What are some of your creative plans for 2021?

In 2021 we plan on expanding the company's portfolio with more brand activations similar to the one we did with Sonny Digital and Diddy on Clubhouse earlier this week. We recently hired Mason Taylor as our VP of Brand Partnerships so the future looks promising.