By: Amelia Valery

The field of public relations is broad, complex, and strategic. Holly Silvestri is the co-owner and partner of The Ferraro Group, one of the biggest public relations and affairs firms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Silvestri deals with top corporate clients to ensure they connect authentically with their target audience. Silvestri’s main clientele includes healthcare, construction, and technology organizations. Some of her biggest recognizable names are Apple and Dunkin Donuts, but everybody has to start somewhere. 

Silvestri majored in Journalism at San Diego State University and landed a job straight after graduation as a newspaper reporter. She earned the opportunity to be a crime reporter and was passionate about the stories she published. The jump from journalism to public relations might not seem like a far leap, but there’s a common factor that Silvestri loves – writing. She would have been content to continue working at the paper until a friend called to invite her to work as a partner for a public relations firm in Las Vegas. 

“I was hesitant,” she said. “I was ready for a new career opportunity and wanted a more lucrative job.” 

After starting her new career path, she stayed at the firm for only three years before breaking out on her own. Silvestri grew professionally over the next seven and a half years before getting tapped on the shoulder by The Ferraro Group. She found the deal enticing with the possibilities of managing a statewide public relations and affairs firm. They made a proposition to merge with her company. It felt like another leap and after a lot of thought, she accepted. 

“It has been 15 years now, and I have never regretted it,” Silvestri commented. “It was a risk to merge, but it has paid off well with a company that keeps growing.”

Silvestri considers the merger to be one of the biggest accomplishments of her career as she was able to grow into new directions and areas of expertise with her new partner. The company experienced challenges and Silvestri encountered several stressful times. The most trying period included the 2008 recession. Silvestri navigated the financially challenging era and successfully avoided layoffs. 

“While it was a stressful time, we met the challenges and obstacles head-on and learned from them,” Silvestri said. 

At The Ferraro Group on a regular day, Silvestri is in charge of business development, overseeing management, and connecting with corporate clients. The most time-consuming part of her job is handling meetings with her array of high-profile corporate clientele. As a result of these types of interactions, Silvestri has created a playbook of questions asking clients to define their target audience. This information drives her campaigns and allows her to be prepared to best serve their clients’ goals and objectives. The results include opportunities to understand who their audience is and why they are important while labeling top priorities. From this information, Silvestri is able to write press releases, connect with influencers, and establish other tactics to “get the word out there.” She realizes that every client is different, and her job is constantly evolving to fit their needs. 

“It’s been a good career choice,” Silvestri said. “It is always something new.”

For Silvestri, the skills of working in public relations boil down to five things: writing, communication, strategic mindset, research, and adapting to the social media and digital world. She mentions how writing is important for speeches and talking points; while communication is needed to establish the client’s top priorities. Silvestri believes all five points are necessary to be successful and well-rounded as a public relations professional. 

“It’s important to not be stagnant,” Silvestri said. “And to look ahead to the future and new successes.”