Meet the Speaker: Jay Ducote

Tonight at 6 p.m. in the Holliday Forum, we have one of Baton Rouge’s own superstars coming to speak with us! Jay Ducote is a celebrity chef, blogger and the creator of biteandbooze.com. He is an expert on personal branding and will focus on teaching us about the entertainment sector of the public relations industry.

You can read about him in the March newsletter tonight, but see the extended interview here:

1. What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve received? Engage with like-minded people in order to grow. Essentially, the idea is not only to network and meet people, but to find like-minded people and truly engage with them in ways that can benefit everybody.

2. What is your favorite part about being in the public relations field? I love that I get to cover amazing things and people. I promote the food and beverage culture of Baton Rouge and all of Louisiana, which is one of the most incredible cultures in the world. It’s an honor to get to work with great people, talent chefs, and inspiring individuals.

3. What is unique about your organization? Bite and Booze, LLC is a culinary media conglomerate with ventures in web, print and broadcast media. It also provides actual culinary experiences and includes creating a culinary personality, for which a lot of PR is needed. There’s really nothing else like it.

4. How do you see public relations developing in the next 5-10 years? I see social media continuing to grow in the PR world. It is a news source, an interaction tool and much more. Getting the word out about anything will continue to become a trickier task as people receive messages from all angles. For that reason, while social media is huge, so is developing actual relationships with people and being able to meet in person or pick up the phone. 

5. What is the coolest experience you’ve had while at your current job? Up until last week it would have definitely been being named one of the top 100 amateur chefs in America on the FOX reality show MasterChef, then getting flown out to LA for 10 days to cook for Gordon Ramsay.  But now, the Major League Baseball FanCave auditions might have surpassed that.  I’ll know for sure by the time I speak!

6. What is your favorite book? Lord of the Rings.  Everyone needs to get lost in an adventure sometimes.

7. Who inspires you the most? Maybe this is a terrible answer, but I do. I live the life I want to live. I don’t look at anybody else and wish I could be them. I create opportunities for myself, and I try to inspire others.  Perhaps I need to try to find someone who inspires me a little better!