Meet Patty Harrison | Editor-in-Chief

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patty Harrison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patty, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Funny enough, it came to me in the shower one day. I have a dear friend who is a top billing actress in DFW, and she was wondering how to get in front of agency creatives, because of late, they are all behind swipe cards.

I have worked on the production, ad agency, and marketing sides of this business, and EVERYONE strives to get their story heard to their target audience – by themselves. And they all need each other to make business grow. So, I reasoned a central place to show off TV spots, production stories, marketing achievements, events and more, would be well-received. And, I wanted to interview people, because it’s what I truly enjoy. People are incredibly fascinating!

The visual inspiration for AdChat DFW was an online Entertainment Tonight for the agency, marketing, production and film communities in DFW. I wanted our site to be filled with interesting visuals and people. Fortunately, that group is  happy showing off their wares and loves the attention. And I love helping them do it. It’s truly a match made in heaven…that started in the shower.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Simply put, we are a branding site for the aforementioned communities. Our content is curated from multiple sources, but the main one is companies sending us stories and us doing on-camera, Zoom or phone interviews. We get into the weeds for the true creative, brand and production stories.

I started out in television after graduating from The University of Florida with degrees in Theatre and Broadcast Journalism. My first job was behind the scenes pushing a lot of buttons. From there I landed a post-production job that really put me through the wringer, but I came out so far ahead of the game because of it. Next, I became a producer at Tracy-Locke and then DDB Needham, two large DFW ad agencies, and had the time of my life, professionally anyway. I managed large productions, met many stars, and got paid well doing it. What’s not to love?

My biggest challenge was quitting to be a stay-at-home-part-time-freelance mom, juggling kiddos, carpool, homework and still working on my career. I ended up starting my own rep company, then ad agency keeping up with the roller coaster ride of social media and technology advancement. Every time I turned around there was a new big tech company coming on the scene and I had to understand the implications. This stage of my live was the brave new world in more ways than one.

After a few stints on the marketing side, I took that fateful shower and with the help of incredibly generous companies, launched AdChat DFW.

I think our lives are guided in many ways by the choices we make and what we decide to do or not do with the consequences of those choices. It’s a daily task to keep yourself on track, especially when, as an entrepreneur, you are the only one driving the bus.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I actually just had that experience with two friends who have been in my life since the age of fifteen. One is an artist, so we went to the DMA, and the other, a psychologist, wanted to visit the Sixth Floor Museum and of all things, go thrifting. We only had four days together and spent hours and hours just talking, but did manage a stint at Fuzzy’s Tacos, one of the best casual Tex-Mex restaurants in town. I happen to know the brother of Paul Willis, the founder, and love the background story of that famous restauranteur. 

DFW has been referred to as a big-small-town, and I believe that’s correct. Whether you are a socialite or a Deep Ellum type, you can be happy here. I know I am.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Angie Bolling – Kim Dawson Talent Agency

Lola Lott _ charlieuniformtango

Lee Harrison – Thru Inc.

Chris Smith – Plot Twist Creativity

Norry Niven – Thousand Foot Squid

Website: adchatdfw.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adchatdfw/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adchat-dfw/posts/?feedView=all&viewAsMember=true

Twitter: @AdChatDFW

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdChatDFW/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4u3lyQ6d_fcf9h0A9jpAjw