Two Unlikely Friends Became the Titans of PR: Scott Bartnick and Jay Feldman of Otter PR
Jan. 9 2024, Published 4:07 p.m. ET
Scott Bartnick and Jay Feldman, co-founders of award-winning Otter Public Relations, are not your traditional public relations executives. But according to them, that has made all the difference.
"We didn't study to become publicists," shares Bartnick. "Our unique backgrounds allowed us to bring a fresh perspective to PR. We saw the media landscape shifting and knew PR practices needed to shift with it."
Bartnick and Feldman launched Otter PR as a Web3 native agency that embraced the changes happening in the media space. The two entrepreneurs saw traditional channels like print media and radio losing their hold on the PR space as outlets went digital, and responded by offering an innovative approach to PR that consistently delivers.
Three years after the pair co-founded Otter PR, that approach has propelled them to the top of the PR industry.
The entrepreneurs behind Otter PR
In 2020, when Bartnick and Feldman sat down in their downtown Orlando apartment to launch Otter PR, they already had a few years of experience in the business world.
Bartnick, who had earned a degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Florida, began his business journey working for Fortune 500 companies. He soon decided, however, that he didn't want a Fortune 500 lifestyle, at least not so early in life. He wanted a job that was something he could work on passionately with the goal of earning to live, rather than living to earn.
Bartnick’s first business was The Five Day Startup, a digital consulting firm that helped hundreds of clients accelerate their success in e-commerce marketplaces. In the process of growing the startup, Bartnick became renowned as an expert who could help businesses rapidly scale ventures in ecommerce, marketing, and media strategy.
Feldman also attended UF, where he was a pre-med student, and took a year off to travel through Europe after graduation. He started his entrepreneurial journey while on the road by launching a company that assisted students with college admissions essays.
Feldman returned to the States after a year abroad and began attending Touro College of Medicine in Harlem, NY, while still pursuing his entrepreneurial interests. Instelite, a social media marketing agency that he founded during that season, eventually sold for seven figures.
From public relations startup to fastest growing PR firm
Soon after leaving the world of medicine, Feldman approached Bartnick with the idea for Otter PR. Within a week, they had launched the business from their small apartment in downtown Orlando.
“We both had a vision of transforming the PR industry,” Feldman recalls. “We knew the status quo was no longer delivering the amount of publicity brands needed. The old media platforms — such as newspapers and radio — were losing ground to social media and digital outlets, so we focused our attention there and found new ways to tell stories, engage audiences, and build meaningful media relations. There was definitely a gap in the industry that we set out to fill.”
The duo's instincts about the potential of their innovative vision quickly proved to be spot on. By the end of 2020, Feldman and Bartnick had assembled a talented team and moved into their first offices.
As 2024 approaches, Otter PR continues to experience exponential growth. In addition to its Orlando offices, the agency now also operates out of its own $3 million headquarters in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Otter PR’s team members now total nearly 50 and include publicists, writers, and media experts located in cities around the world.
Otter PR's list of accolades also continues to grow. To date, it has been ranked among the top PR firms in the US by a growing number of outlets, including Clutch, G2, and UpCity. At the end of 2023, Bartnick and Feldman were presented with the coveted Two Comma Club X Award, signifying earning over $10 million in revenue through ClickFunnel marketing campaigns.
"It's been amazing to see the vision become a reality and to help hundreds of brands achieve their PR objections," Bartnick shares. "We know, however, we can't rest on our laurels. As the PR space continues to evolve, we will continue to innovate, delivering to our clients modern media strategies that deliver."