Five Questions with Other Publicists
No. 2: Tara Coomans, CEO & Founder, Avaans Media PR
One of my favorite parts of working in PR is how wildly different our lanes can be, and how much we can learn from one another when we exchange information like this. I think every publicist develops their own tactics and tricks from instincts based on the industries, clients, and crises they navigate.
I’m excited to spotlight another brilliant publicist who also happens to be one of my best friends, Tara Coomans. Tara lives in a completely different corner of the communications world. We met many moons ago through volunteering for Social Media Club; I was President of the local chapter and Tara was on the national board. Now, she is the CEO of Avaans Media, an agency representing breakthrough brands rising in quick-growing industries, consumer brands, and purpose-driven organizations. When I freelanced on a project she was managing, I learned so much from her as a leader — she treats everyone as an equal - not an employee, with respect, trust and patience. She is extremely collaborative and an amazing strategist.
A huge thank you to Tara for chatting with me for Spin Cycle. There are sooooo many nuggets of wisdom in here — even though she gave me permission to edit as needed, I could not find anything extraneous. So let’s dig in!
Q: Tara, please introduce yourself and tell us how you first got your foot in the PR/Comms door!
A: My path into PR wasn’t linear. I started in event marketing, producing large corporate events before launching my own event marketing company. After exiting that business, I joined a major B2B publishing firm with more than 100 verticals. I loved it. I eventually partnered with colleagues to buy several of the publications, and we closed the deal the day before 9/11.
Five years later, my dad passed away, and that shifted everything again. I stepped into nonprofit work, realized it wasn’t the right fit, and moved into a company that sold licensed fundraising events. That role brought all my experiences together. I was advising marketing teams and executives on how to make their events successful, from PR to creative activations. It was the first time I was guiding others instead of simply executing.
When we moved to Hawaii in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis, I launched my consultancy, Akamai Marketing, right as social media was taking off. I built a thriving digital communications practice that worked with startups, tourism, and even electric utilities on integrating digital strategy. But when we moved to Los Angeles in 2014, I felt pulled back to earned media. Even then, I sensed the trust gap forming on social platforms, and I wanted to help companies grow in ways that had lasting business value. PR was that path.
Today, my agency is Avaans Media. We work with ambitious companies in emerging industries, and this year we launched a dedicated thought leadership program. Every chapter of my career informs how I work now. That’s the part I value most.
Q: Did you initially set out to practice in a particular space? Why did you pick it?
A: I didn’t start out with a specific specialty in mind, but I’ve always gravitated toward businesses navigating change. Early on, I worked in environments shaped by innovation, regulation, or major cultural shifts, and I realized I loved helping people communicate through that complexity. That eventually became my lane.
Q: Do you practice in the same space now? Tell us a little about what you’re doing today.
A: Avaans Media focuses on ambitious brands in emerging industries (B2B and B2C), that benefit from clarity, trust, and strategic visibility. We’re rooted in earned media, and we continue to expand how we use the full media ecosystem so our clients get modern, relevant, measurable results. My digital background still plays a big role. It shapes how we partner with SEO teams, how we cut through AI noise, and how we advise clients on activations when events are part of their strategy. Everything I did before this work shows up in some way.
Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge about being a publicist in 2025?
A: Two things keep coming up. First, the hollowing out of trusted media. Journalists are working with fewer resources and less stability, and they’re carrying enormous pressure. We owe them more empathy and better preparation on our side.
Second, the trust gap created by AI. People now default to questioning what’s real, especially on social platforms. I think this elevates the value of journalism created by real humans who are either subject matter experts or on the ground experiencing the news. I wrote a LinkedIn post on this recently, and I’d welcome any perspectives or healthy debate on the topic.
Q: What advice would you give to someone trying to jumpstart their PR career?
A: Keep the discipline grounded in honesty. Short-term wins can be tempting, but your reputation is built on how consistently you stand by the truth. Second, be ready for constant evolution. Stay curious about media shifts, keep learning, and stretch yourself beyond what feels familiar. The people who thrive in PR are the ones who stay adaptable and genuinely interested in how communication shapes trust.
You can find and follow Tara on LinkedIn where she often posts timely, engaging dialog on communications topics.
Love you, T. 😉
Regarding the topic of the article, this was a truly insightful read. Understanding diverse comunication strategies, much like algorithmic complexity, is key in any rapidly evolving field, especially with AI advancements.