Suggestions
Beck Bamberger
Founder of BAM and OnePitch, Angel Investor, Mentor at Techstars, and Emmy Award Winner
Rebecca Bamberger, PhD, is the founder and CEO of BAM Communications, a public relations and marketing agency based in San Diego. She established BAM in 2008, focusing on representing venture-backed startups and technology firms. Under her leadership, BAM has gained recognition in the industry and was recently sold for $13.2 million to the Spanish firm Llorente y Cuenca (LLYC), which acquired an 80% stake in the agency while allowing it to continue operating under its own brand.14
Bamberger holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Global Leadership and Organizational Change, which she completed in May 2023. Her academic background includes graduating from UCLA with a degree in economics and earning an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh at the age of 21.24
In addition to her role at BAM, she is an angel investor in various startups and venture capital funds, and she founded OnePitch, a platform aimed at improving public relations pitching.34 Bamberger is also a licensed helicopter pilot, a practitioner of Krav Maga, and a trained crisis counselor, showcasing her diverse interests and commitment to personal growth.45
Highlights
What media wants: here's a few quotes from our OnePitch Coffee with a Journalist podcast that I'm including in my PR book coming out in 2025:
“If the subject line is something related to my beat, I would open it and see what's in that. Sometimes it's just clearly irrelevant, so I just skip those.” -reporter from The Observer
“The more detail, the better. Especially if it has ‘entrepreneur’ in that subject line or ‘small business owner,’ I’m definitely going to click on it.”-reporter from Business Insider
“I tend to look for the subject line which may catch my interest. That said, I’m not a fan of somebody writing time-sensitive in all caps, although I do understand that that is often a thing.”-reporter from Fast Company
“I think [calls are] one of the most important things that I can do to facilitate relationships, as well as learn more about companies within my industries that I cover.” -reporter at Crunchbase
“Often, a pitch for a co!ee with someone in the old days, or now it'd be a Zoom call these days, and to get to know someone else in the field, someone who may have something to say that's interesting about a topic that I'm reporting on… I'm very happy to make time for those sorts of things.” -reporter from The Wall Street Journal
“Just send me the idea. The shorter, the better. I just get a lot of pitches that are like 1,000 words long and I can't even look at those.”-reporter from Protocol
“If it's like a deadline sensitive thing or if it's an embargo….make that clear and then to spell my name right.”-reporter at CNN
“I really need a news peg. I really need to know why I'm getting this story now… tell me what's new or different and give it some business context.”-reporter at CNBC
#pitching
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