EP#43: Building a Digital Footprint – with Brenda Duran

Brenda is an established communications professional for the U.S public sector. Prior to her role with the Los Angeles County, she held several positions throughout journalism, media, and communications domains.

Brenda graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism). She later worked as a staff reporter and writer for major U.S news and journalism organisations including:

  • The Southern California News Group
  • US Weekly; and
  • The North County Times.

Later in her career, Brenda served as the Senior Associate Editor for MPA Media and went on to become the Head of Communications for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. Brenda has also garnered several prestigious communications awards throughout her career. These include the FOLIO Award for feature writing, the North American ‘Excellence in Communications’ Award, and multiple accolades for her work in public relations and public affairs.

Discussed in this episode:

  • Why communicators need a love for people and storytelling
  • Brenda’s process for simplifying complex information
  • The latest digital insights: going mobile
  • Making post-campaign data a bigger part of pre-campaign decisions
  • Governments going social: the power of social media
  • Brenda’s advice for government communicators
  • Learning to use modern citizen engagement techniques