Berklee College of Music
Education meets storytelling, building Berklee’s brand beyond the classroom and disrupting the music industry.
Empowering
PR Campaign
Partnered with Berklee Online to lead traditional PR efforts for the launch of music’s first fully virtual master’s degree programs. Developed and executed a campaign to boost visibility, drive enrollment, and keep the programs newsworthy well beyond the initial announcement, cementing Berklee’s role as a trailblazer in online music education.
From Breaking News to Breaking Barriers: The Berklee Online Story
When our team first partnered with Berklee Online, we had a clear headline to share: the launch of the music industry's first-ever virtual master's programs. Media outlets eagerly covered this innovation—but what happens when the initial excitement fades and your client still needs meaningful coverage?
That's when we dug deeper.
After the announcement buzz quieted, I gathered my team for a creative reset. We needed fresh angles. During a brainstorming session studying Berklee's organizational structure, we uncovered something remarkable: women were leading the charge at the executive level in an industry historically dominated by men.
This wasn't just an interesting observation—it was an untold story with cultural significance.
Rather than pushing out another standard pitch, I crafted a narrative specifically for Billboard that spoke to their editorial interests and values. We positioned CEO Debbie Cavalier not just as an educational leader but as a change agent actively reshaping gender dynamics in music education through both student opportunities and instructor representation.
The result transcended typical industry coverage: Billboard featured our story prominently with "Spotlight: Berklee Online CEO Debbie Cavalier Is Teaching Gender Parity With Roles for Female Students, Instructors."
This campaign accomplished something more valuable than temporary visibility—it established Berklee Online as a thought leader in inclusive education, sparked important conversations throughout the industry, and connected with prospective students who shared these values, driving enrollment with purpose and meaning.
Check out the Billboard exclusive here.
Take a look at the Media Kit.
