Bobby Ampezzan, the Arkansas journalist whose job as managing editor of Arkansas Public Media was eliminated recently when major public radio grant funding ended, has joined Mangan Holcomb Partners/Team SI of Little Rock as a public relations executive.
Ampezzan, a former writer and High Profile editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, joins the PR industry after leading APM, an ambitious statewide reporting collaboration for Arkansas’ public radio stations and ArkansasPublicMedia.org, through nearly two years of grant funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The collaboration, based at University of Arkansas-Little Rock Public radio, continues with a reduced budget and staff.
Ampezzan, whose title will be senior public relations account executive and brand activation specialist, joins Mangan Holcomb and its affiliate, Team SI, in tandem with former KARK News producer Allie Brown.
A Mangan Holcomb news release said both Ampezzan and Brown "bring valuable experience to the public relations department from their broadcast careers."
Ampezzan has a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and a master’s in creative writing from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Brown, a North Little Rock High School graduate, has a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Central Arkansas.
"We are very proud to have two well-known, award-winning journalists like Bobby and Allie join our team," Kristen Nicholson, Mangan’s director of public relations, said in a news release that listed Brown’s Mid-America Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as Ampezzan’s nine awards for print and radio segments, including profiles of Major League outfielder Torii Hunter and jockey Calvin Borel.
After joking that "loose lips sink ships" in the PR world, Ampezzan told Arkansas Business that he simply was offered a "good job" and leaped. He said he had always respected MHP as a journalist.
MHP/Team SI works in marketing, advertising and public relations, as well as digital marketing. The firm has about 100 employees.
