In his public relations role, Abney will work closely with the client services and creative teams to develop and manage innovative PR strategies for the agency’s clients. He will build relationships with relevant local, regional and national media to achieve positive exposure for clients and their businesses. As a fully integrated agency, Abney will work to develop PR strategies and plans, pitch media, follow-up on pitches and press releases, maintain editorial calendars for long-lead publications, research and develop proactive pitch concepts and actively pursue editorial opportunities. Additionally, he will develop and execute press events as well as attend industry trade shows.
Prior to joining TBA Outdoors, Abney ran his own public relations agency for nearly twenty years working with a myriad of outdoor clients, athletes and events. His clients appeared in local, regional, national and international media outlets including digital, print and broadcast media. As a freelance writer, he has worked on both sides of the industry from pitching his clients as a public relations guru to receiving pitches for products for possible editorial inclusion. This gives Abney a unique perspective to the industry that he will channel to be the most advantageous for the agency and its clients.
For the last five years, he expanded his talents as an outdoor, adventure and travel writer. His travels have taken him from Greenland to Antarctica with off-the-grid (and a few luxury destinations in between) exploits that have afforded him the opportunity to swim with penguins, kayak among icebergs, build and sleep in a snow cave and walk in the footsteps of ancient civilizations. Adventure is a part of his DNA and he regularly participates in rock climbing, sea kayaking, mountain biking, snowboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, and backpacking. Though he considers himself an novice angler, Abney has dropped a line on four continents with hopes of landing the “big one.” He looks forward to working with the amazing group of sportsmen and women on the TBA Outdoors team to further solidify his hunting skills and perhaps even rise above his amateur fishing status.
Abney joins TBA Outdoors with plans to secure premium media exposure for the agency’s clients and share brand stories across the market while working in the industry that he is passionate about – the outdoors.