Areas of expertise
Food and beverage PR, media relations, client management, and social media.
Ashley Martinez is an Account Supervisor for JS2 PR, where she oversees media relations and PR strategy for clients. With five years of PR experience under her belt, Ashley helps clients amplify their stories through relevant media opportunities, crafting pitches, and securing press in print, online, and broadcast. Ashley develops quarterly objectives, strategies, and tactics for clients, as well as crafts media materials, i.e. interview talking points, client fact sheets, and press releases. She likes to keep up to date with new trends in hospitality, food, and restaurants to implement in client strategy.
Being a foodie herself, she is always down to try out a new hot spot, food cart, food truck, or festival, and is on the constant hunt for that Instagramable dish to share on her Instagram!
Experience
Prior to JS2, Ashley worked for Washington, D.C.-based food and beverage agency ThreeLockharts PR, where she managed client and media relations, pitched local and national media, ran social media platforms for all clients, and worked with top D.C. food and lifestyle influencers. Notable clients included Stephen Starr’s restaurants Le Diplomate, St. Anselm, Parc, and The Dandelion, as well as Chef Michael White’s Osteria Morini D.C. and the opening of Nicoletta Italian Kitchen in D.C.
Education
Ashley earned a B.A. in Public Relations with a minor in Business from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and the Student Hip-Hop Organization (SHHO).
3 Questions With Ashley
What’s the best thing you cook?
While this might not be “cooking” I can make an amazing salsa, thanks to my grandma!When was a memorable time you made lemonade out of lemons?
Transitioning over to a new PR agency in a new city during the pandemic! I wasn’t sure if I would be moving back to D.C. or moving forward in LA and my lemon of a dilemma was turned into lemonade starting with the JS2 PR team in January.Why do you love working in food and beverage PR?
My passion for food and beverage PR started out working directly in restaurants as a host, server, and barback! This opened opportunities for me in PR and I haven’t looked back. Also, I might be biased but the food & beverage industry is the best!