Capitol Communicator has been interviewing people who are or have been in the media about their careers and the media. Below is our Q&A with Julie Parker, who spent 13 years on-air, reporting, anchoring and hosting in Washington, D.C., most recently for ABC7 News where she won both an Emmy Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award. In addition, she has an extensive background in media relations and crisis communications, having served as media relations director for two of our nation’s largest police departments and as a senior media advisor for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Parker guides for-profit, nonprofit and government organizations as part of the communications consultancy she founded in 2014.

Julie, what are you doing now?

I am fortunate to run a public relations firm specializing in law enforcement communications with an exceptional team of media and social media professionals. Our clients also include large county governments and small municipalities who have a wide variety of communications needs, including social media management and media relations. During the pandemic, our virtual media and social media training and remote and on-site crisis communications work grew exponentially.

Where did you get your start?

Being a television news reporter in Washington, D.C., shaped my ability to quickly gather, digest and clearly communicate sometimes complex issues into two-minute stories and live shots. Remaining nimble, ready for the unexpected – such as people leaping into your live shot right behind you – and being able to craft compelling stories to make people want to watch is a skillset that has served me invaluably for decades.

Why did you want to go into news?

Mainly to flee pre-calculus. I transferred from Loyola College to the University of Maryland College Park after a few weeks of frustrating non-sensical math equations. Instead of a Business Management major, which required courses such as pre-calc and microeconomics which didn’t appeal to me, I realized instead that I really liked to write, could do it well and loved the idea of the challenge of TV news. UMD was just down I-95 from where I was and there was broadcast journalism program there, so I made the leap. Never looked back, especially regarding math. It’s also a well-known fact that, generally, journalists are bad at math. Truly.

What are the best and worst parts of your current job?

The worst part is easy. Again, it’s math. When it comes to running my business, I find that much of my work comes from referrals. That’s both a compliment and a relief, as I can spend the majority of my time actually doing the work. But the part that I despise and avoid at all costs is the accounting, so I now outsource it and that ensures it gets handled properly and also allows me to focus on what I do well.

The best parts, hands down, are landing the jobs and doing the work itself. The adrenaline rush I used to get from doing live shots I now get when a call for help comes in and either I, or one of my partners, can help the entity needing our services. That leads to another best part. Some of my business partners are people whom I’ve known for 20 years. They say you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, but knowing people on a personal and professional level for that long really gives me confidence about the quality of the service they’ll provide and how we’ll be able to work well together on strategy and execution. That matters when you’re a small business and your name is your bond.

Who have been your role models?

I have reached out to people who I watched running their own successful companies and leaned on them for all sorts of advice. One of the best pieces of advice I received was let yourself turn down business. If it’s not a good fit or it’s not something you truly are passionate about, let it go. That will allow you to be available for the kind of work you really want to do. In my case, I personally enjoy the challenge of crisis communications as well as providing media and social media training. If the business opportunities I get don’t fit my company, I’ll pass. If the work is something we can help with, I determine who on my team could bring the best possible skills to that client and make that connection. It’s incredibly rewarding work.

What stories moved you the most?

I’ll never forget covering the Beltway Sniper story. The random, senseless violence rocked the D.C. area to its core and truly terrorized us all. Standing out there to cover it in the still-dark early morning hours worried us. We thought we, as the media, could be the next targets. Also, I was on the anchor desk not long after the second plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11 and spent the next few hours sharing with the audience those horrible images and what we knew. Sometimes the stories that affected me most were the ones where people let you inside their homes to talk about a tragedy they had just experienced. Their raw emotion affected me deeply and I took the responsibility of telling their heartbreaking stories very seriously.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for the media going forward?

The media as a profession is struggling with regaining the trust the audience once placed in it. There are a whole host of reasons for this and the task is enormous. Television news in particular has the challenge of capturing people’s attention in the midst of our busy, distracted lives.

What would have been your second career choice?

If I could sing, I would have loved to be a pop star. That’s a big if, as I really, really can’t sing. I probably missed my calling as a full-time saleswoman, but there is most definitely a sales element to running a PR firm.

What do you enjoy doing when not at work?

I’m either on the sidelines at softball, soccer or swim cheering on my girls who are 17 and 13. We have two rescue dogs and I spend a lot of time walking them and listening to podcasts. When I’m not walking, I’m on the Peloton, which I was grateful to get during the pandemic as it became a source of escape from 12-hour workdays. I look forward to travel, whether it’s to the Delaware beaches or Italy and planning the next getaway.

Is there anything else we should know about you?

I’m an extrovert and love to be around people who have the same drive and energy that I do. News people are wired very similarly; I guarantee when you’re looking for a quick response to a text, news people past and present will respond within seconds. We move quickly, and thrive in environments where the stress level is high. I would imagine I’ll still be multi-tasking when I’m 80, although I hope it’s from a beach chair with my toes in the sand and a glass of wine in my hand.