Hal Bienstock
Managing Director
North Carolina
BIOGRAPHY
Hal has spent nearly 15 years working as a brand strategist and corporate communications executive. He has extensive experience counseling C-suite leaders and developing integrated campaigns that change perceptions internally and externally. Prior to joining Prosek Partners, he spent 10 years at PR agency Maloney & Fox and four years at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery (now RLM Finsbury).
Hal has worked in industries including consumer technology, finance, consumer products, entertainment, automotive, retail and real estate. His clients have included Microsoft, Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz USA, Bloomberg, Tupperware Brands Corporation and Brookfield Office Properties.
As a former journalist with CNBC, MSNBC and other news outlets, Hal is an expert at simplifying complex ideas and helping brands communicate across traditional and digital platforms in a way that resonates with all key stakeholders, including customers, partners, media, investors and employees. He helps clients figure out how to tell their stories and coaches executives through key communications engagements, from media interviews to trade shows to speeches.
Hal has managed major brand-building campaigns that have included thought leadership, executive positioning, digital strategies and experiential events, and he has helped clients weather crises. He earned a Master’s of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Q & A
What are you most proud of in your public relations career?
Building long-term relationships with clients. And having many of them turn into friends.
Name one thing most people don’t know about you.
I’ve seen every episode of Three’s Company – at least twice
How would your mother describe you?
As a baby, difficult but cute. As an adult, smart and hard working, but not quite as cute.
What are your greatest strengths as a public relations practitioner?
My ability to move quickly and anticipate client and reporter needs. In our business, it’s critical to always be thinking about what’s next. I’ve also become good at putting executives at ease. They know I’m putting in the time to give them a thoughtful recommendation backed up by research.
What is your favorite food?
I’m addicted to mixed nuts
Describe your perfect client.
Someone who treats me as a partner and is as interested in the process as the end result. All of my best client relationships have been with people who enjoy sharing ideas and talking through the pluses and minuses of various strategies until we come to a solution.
What three hobbies or activities do you enjoy most?
Going to concerts, exploring various NYC neighborhoods and trying new restaurants
What’s your favorite part of the workday?
The beginning. I enjoy catching up on the morning papers, thinking about how to use what I’ve read to benefit my clients, then jumping in and getting started
Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
A young John Ritter, of course. Or a current-day Jason Bateman.
Are you cat, dog, fish, ferret or bird person? Or none of the above?
None of the above. I will occasionally bet on a horse, though.
What is your favorite quote?
“If it ain’t broke, don’t break it” – former New York Knick Charles Oakley