Highly Kosher Professionals: Stu Zakim

JIW: How did you first get started in public relations and corporate communications? How did your studies at Boston University give you a better understanding of those fields?

Stu: At Boston University’s College of Communication, they focused on having the students take on non-profit internships rather than just book learning. At my internship, one client was the Boston edition of the legendary Jerry Lewis telethons. One day, I went to an old-fashioned employment agency in NYC and after taking a typing test, the recruiter looked at my resume, thought I had entertainment experience and mentioned they were filling a job at a major manufacturer/distributor of film, tv and music and would I be interested. Since I was a film and music fan, it wasn’t too hard to say yes. It ended up being with Columbia Pictures and set the course for my career. My studies at BU showed that I had an instinctive knowledge of how to handle not only media relations, but strategy and teamwork. Most importantly, it taught me how to write which is still the most valuable skill for any pr pro.

JIW: While working with Showtime, what were some of your regular duties? Given that it was one of the first subscription-based channels, how was your duties different from previous PR/corporate communication roles you’ve held?

Stu: I arrived at Showtime at a defining time in their history; Viacom, who was their corporate owner, split the company into two divisions and Showtime fell under the CBS umbrella. My job was created to build a bridge of sorts to CBS to help them understand the subtle differences between broadcast and premium TV, which was job number 1 and was one of the biggest differences in what I had done before. While I, as most corporate PR executives, handled executive communications, internal synergies and media relations, my arrival coincided with a heavy programming change that was designed to move the pendulum from HBO to Showtime. The shows (Dexter, Weeds, Brotherhood, etc) gave me a great angle to use to influence not only the media, but the creative community, and the most important audience that premium cable had, the multiple station owners. While I had done image turnarounds, this was by far the biggest and nothing defines it more than a cover of the key cable trade, multichannel news (RIP) which showed the Showtime talent in a car with the HBO talent chasing them.  

JIW: How does your Jewish identity play a role in both your professional and personal life?

Stu: It has always been an integral part of who I am. As a kid, I grew up in a town with a relatively small Jewish population and to many of my friends, I was the first Jew they ever met. At the same time, I was called “Stu the Jew” or “Jewie Stewie” which still stings today. I only dated Jewish girls and while not observant, Judaism plays a big role in my life culturally. The first kids I got high with were my Hebrew school friends, many of whom are still friends. Professionally, I have been very lucky not only in the jobs I’ve held, but my a lot of my colleagues through the years have also been Jewish which has made life a lot easier.

JIW: As President of Bridge Strategic Communications, what are some cannabis clients you’ve worked with and how did you assist in their operations?

Stu: Being an OG in the cannabis space, I’ve worked with clients to help create their image to be industry leaders such as the Happy Munkey as they migrated from legacy (they had an infamous speakeasy that was called “the Studio 54 of Cannabis” by Forbes due to the crowd they attracted) to legal and making them champions of that. Another client that I also worked with from its infancy to being the “go to” dispensary in Manhattan was The Travel Agency. We helped them exploit the novelty of legal dispensaries with groundbreaking stories in outlets from the NY Times to FOX News to Sarah Silverman doing a segment for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. The icing on the cake was winning three CLIO awards including best PR campaign. I’ve also handled other stores in NY and NJ with one, being the sponsor of a JCC’s pickleball tournament.  As my mission is to use storytelling to help eradicate the stigma, that one was a true winner for all.

JIW: How do you envision the needs of your cannabis clients changing as the ripple effects of federal rescheduling take their effect? 

Stu: I think it’s too early to know the impact federal rescheduling will have on my clients since the focus was largely on medical cannabis as opposed to adult use. Leveling out that discrepancy in my mind will be where a lot of focus is in the short term since most retailers are on the adult use side of the equation and as it stands, rescheduling does nothing to help them overcome the many obstacles that stand it the way of their success.

Stu Zakim is a Strategic Communications professional with senior level experience in the entertainment, media and cannabis sectors. He has a strong background and proven track record in brand repositioning, integrated marketing programs, product launches, strategic media relations, development and implementation of corporate communications programs and crisis communications.

He launched Bridge Strategic Communications in 2009.

He has worked for some of the best-known brands in film, magazines and television. Zakim has provided counsel to a variety of iconic media leaders including Jann Wenner, Bonnie Fuller, Christie Hefner, David Pecker and their publications - Rolling Stone, Playboy, Us Weekly, Shape and Star magazine among others. He has also worked as a PR executive at Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures and Showtime Networks. He is a frequent contributor to CNN and MSNBC on media issues.

In the Cannabis space since 2013 as both a PR professional and advocate, Zakim's firm has represented clients in multiple states like The Happy Munkey (NYC), CryoCure (NV). The Marijuana Business Association(WA), LIM College (NY), Berkshire Roots (MA), The Travel Agency dispensary (NYC), Queen City Dispensary (NJ), Boon Town Provisions (NJ), Honey Stash Dispensary (NJ), Heavy Metal Cannabis, The Other Magazine and on the leadership team for Jews In Weed and a member of the executive board of the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. Since 2021, his firm has helped clients win 6 Clio Awards and the firm was a finalist in "Best PR Firm" in Cannabis category from the EMJAY awards.

Zakim, a graduate of Boston University's College of Communication, is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. He was recognized by his peers as one of Top 100 people in the cable industry and serves on the Board of Directors of the Publicity Club of New York.