Same same but different

We Getpressis share a vision – while also being a colorful bunch who don’t always agree. That can sometimes create friction, but even more often it leads to fruitful exchange and creativity. We love that.

Today, we’re introducing you to three members of our team in an interview: Karo, Jana, and Anne-Marie.

What can you expect? A mix of PR, team organization, and honest learnings from agency life: Karo tells us why she prefers to triple-check her emails, why PR urgently needs a more up-to-date perspective – and why her team mascot is a squirrel for good reason. Jana reveals her spirit animal (Team Turtle 🐢) and explains why AI isn’t a replacement brain. And when it comes to our CEO Anne-Marie, one thing applies: Teamwork makes the dream work.

Read on.

Meet: Karolin Gunzelmann

[she/her]

Role: PR Manager
Your working style as an emoji: ⚖️
Hidden talent: Wrapping presents pretty 🎁
Favorite lunch: Leftovers from the day before or instant ramen 🫣
getpress in three words: smart, team, speedy

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Karo, forget your email signature title for a moment. If your role fully reflected everything you do at getpress, what would it be called?

Probably something like: PR & Team Organization Person for (Almost) Everything.

I’m lucky to have a lot of creative freedom at getpress. My main focus is PR and everything that entails, but I also handle plenty of tasks outside of that. For instance, I support my Team Lead with all sorts of team-related duties—from planning team events to onboarding new hires. I’m also on our team event committee, helping to organize all our getpress gatherings 🤓

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What has been your biggest milestone at getpress so far?

Since I’ve been at getpress since my traineeship, there have been quite a few. Some highlights: obviously my very first media placement, my first customer kick-off that I led on my own, and every team event that goes smoothly and leaves the Getpressis happy 😊

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What was your biggest fail—and what did you learn from it?

There have been a few of those, too. One that sticks out—because I can still feel the stress as if it happened yesterday—was when I pitched a journalist for a podcast and accidentally included the wrong podcast name in the pitch.

When I opened the reply, I had a brief moment of panic. Luckily, the journalist took it in stride.

My takeaway: You can never double-check your emails too many times—AND mistakes are not the end of the world 😉

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Looking ahead: What does the industry need right now, and what contribution would you like to make?

I think the industry urgently needs a more modern perspective.

Unfortunately, many agencies still bill by the hour rather than by results and use mass email lists instead of personalized outreach. That dilutes what PR can actually achieve and damages the reputation of PR professionals when journalists’ inboxes are flooded with irrelevant pitches.

I do my best to provide real value to the journalistic side. PR and journalism are industries that can—and should—work hand in hand. That’s how truly great voices get heard 😇

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If you Getpressis were animals, which one would you be and why?

Fittingly, I’d be our former team mascot: 🐿️

I’m known within the team for liking things structured, well planned, and organized. Squirrels are really good at that! For example, they use complex memory strategies to organize their food supplies. I think it’s a pretty fitting – and inspiring – comparison 😄

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Meet: Jana Geldner

[she/her]

Role: PR Manager
Your working style as an emoji: 🕵️♀️
Hidden talent: Riding a unicycle
Favorite lunch: The third cup of coffee
getpress in three words: competent, smart, fast

Jana, forget the title in your email signature for a moment. What would your role be called if it fully reflected everything you do at getpress?

Deep-Dive Detective and Firefighter.

I’m good at quickly getting to grips with new topics, I like going deep, while still keeping an eye on what’s currently being discussed in the media. Complex clients and industries? Love them. Jumping in spontaneously to support the team at short notice? Always happy to.

What has been your biggest milestone at getpress so far?

I think for all of us, the moment when you get a profile piece about an exciting client placed in major media outlets like Handelsblatt, FAZ, and the like is a defining milestone.

That was an aha moment for me back then and, honestly, it’s also a little addictive.

What was your biggest fail – and what did you learn from it?

At the very beginning of my time at getpress, we were still using Notion internally. At one point, I accidentally deleted an entire campaign board. Luckily, it could be restored.

What I learned: Don’t press buttons when you don’t know what they do. And that you don’t get fired immediately for deleting data! (Fortunately.)

Looking ahead: What does the industry need right now, and what contribution would you like to make?

Authenticity and genuine expertise.

I use AI frequently and gladly for analysis and routine tasks. But especially when it comes to content, it’s becoming increasingly clear: if texts or pitches are written entirely with ChatGPT, without any actual knowledge behind them, you’re sacrificing credibility.

I definitely want to maintain a critical and analytical perspective on topics.

Especially in our industry, the ability to really engage with a topic and understand what’s actually behind a story is essential. That’s why experience with AI tools – and critically examining their output – will become a necessary basic skill.

The goal: AI as a valuable tool, not a replacement brain.

Imagine you Getpressis were animals: Which one would you be and why?

A turtle.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a profound explanation for this. I just think they’re cute. 🐢

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Meet: Anne-Marie Struck

[she/her]

Role: CEO
Your working style as an emoji: 🤹‍♀️
Hidden talent: Planning trips
Favorite lunch: Falafel-Halloumi-Magali wrap
getpress in three words: ambitious, turbulent, lovely

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Anne-Marie, forget the title in your email signature for a moment. What would your role be called if it fully reflected everything you do at getpress?

Head of a Little Bit of Everything.

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What has been your biggest milestone at getpress so far?

Well, being allowed to hold the position of CEO has certainly been the biggest one so far.

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What was your biggest fail – and what did you learn from it?

Once, I had a SUM formula in Excel that wasn’t correct. Sounds trivial – the consequences weren’t.

The takeaway: Excel can do a lot, but working with it is also very prone to errors. Always use the four-eyes principle, double-check formulas, and, on the side, do a rough calculation on paper to see whether the numbers actually make sense.

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Looking ahead: What does the industry need right now, and what contribution would you like to make?

The industry is going to change fundamentally, and we’re only seeing the beginnings of it right now.

“Made by Human” will be a new seal of quality in the not-too-distant future.

But that doesn’t mean we should shut ourselves off from AI – quite the opposite. The people who will come out stronger are those who understand exactly which tasks can be outsourced to AI and where the human touch remains indispensable.

That’s exactly what we’re actively driving forward at getpress.

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Imagine you Getpressis were animals: Which one would you be and why?

A lioness: I need my pride around me, and you can only be successful as a team.

Do you still have questions for Karo, Jana, and Anne-Marie?

Drop them in the comments on LinkedIn!

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