What does it actually take to build a PR agency from a card table to an industry landmark — and then do it all over again with your own kid? Mark McNeely spent 45 years answering that question. A former newspaper reporter who covered a corrupt governor and got tired of laughing at bad press releases, McNeely bootstrapped McNeely & Associates on $11,000 and a home equity loan, grew it into McNeely, Pigott & Fox — one of the largest independent PR firms in the Southeast — and then walked away to build McNeely Brockman PR with his daughter, Kelly. In this episode, he shares the campaigns he's proudest of, the crises that nearly broke him, and the mentors who shaped how he leads. Founders, agency owners, and marketers will walk away with hard-won lessons on credibility, succession, and building something that outlasts you — covering agency growth, crisis management, family business, mentorship, client trust, and legacy planning.

Episode Highlights

• 00:00 – Mark opens with the philosophy that's guided his entire career: honesty isn't the best policy; it's the only one
• 09:59 – The bad press release that planted the seed for starting his own firm
• 24:18 – Bootstrapping McNeely & Associates on $11,000 and a home equity loan in year one
• 26:22 – The Nashville landmarks his firm helped shape, from Bridgestone Arena to Nissan Stadium
• 36:29 – The seven-year campaign to get wine into Tennessee grocery stores — his proudest professional win
• 40:31 – Why he chose his daughter, Kelly, as his partner in launching McNeely Brockman PR
• 53:14 – The three rules he gives every young PR professional he mentors
• 55:18 – Leading through crisis: 9/11, the 2008 recession, and a half-million-dollar theft

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Mark McNeely: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mcneely-1002a15/ | https://www.mcneelybrockmanpr.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health
Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

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