When a Career in PR means a little Monkeying Around

By Makayla Varner

STATESBORO- Being bitten by a monkey and having your sandwich snatched by it typically

isn’t on many people’s bucket lists.

It definitely wasn’t something Carey Ferrara, a 1999 GSU communications and public relations (PR) graduate, ever had on her bucket list.

Yet there she was, sitting in a meeting room as a zoo brought in a couple of its animals, hoping to gain

sponsors. One of them so happened to be a mischievous Capuchin monkey, whom Ferrara sadly lost her sandwich to later in that meeting.

When Ferrara graduated, she knew what her career had in store for her and was excited for her future. Even if this particular instance wasn’t exactly what she had in mind initially, she still embraced each unexpected moment and soaked in the happiness her degree had brought her over the years.

School Years

Ferrara began her journey in 1994 when she participated in the dual-enrollment program at Armstrong, an entirely separate school from GSU at the time. By 1996, she had transferred to GSU, where she continued to strive towards achieving her degree.

When Ferrara initially transferred to GSU, she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do. She only knew she liked people, events and had a hatred for math, said Ferrara. After someone suggested looking into PR, Ferrara jumped right in.

Later in her college career, Ferarra interned at Jekyll Island Authority in the special events department, where she was responsible for marketing and special events coordination. This type of work was exactly what she had dreamed of; she got to plan events such as fishing tournaments for kids, beach concerts and birding conventions.

Her Career Following Graduation

After graduation, Ferrara worked as a recruiter and student services representative at Savannah Technical College for two years. There, she was largely responsible for promoting the college through admissions.

 Shortly after, in 2001, she took her position at the Savannah Sand Gnats, which later became the Savannah Bananas in 2016. Here, she was in charge of PR marketing, on-field promotions, games/activities that took place on the field, and player relations. 

Ferrara soon found her way back to Jekyll Island Authority, where she remained as an event marketing manager for the next two years. Her responsibilities were very similar to those she held as an intern, including event planning, marketing, press releases and PR.

Even though this position was everything she had wished for, she soon grew tired of the long and early work hours, said Ferrara. Luckily for her, she soon transferred to a different job—one that better suited her needs.

In 2004, Ferrara started working for the State of Georgia at the Georgia Department of Economic Development as a Regional Tourism Project Manager. She remained here for nine years where she no longer had to deal with the early morning hours and event planning that her previous jobs required of her.

Instead, she focused mainly on PR and had the opportunity to travel to multiple locations. During her time here, Ferrara also had children, opening a new chapter in life as she continued to advance her career.

Leopolds Ice-cream was the next step in Ferrara’s career; she started working here in 2014 as the director of marketing and communications, remaining in her position at Leopolds Ice-cream for six years before moving on to her current position at Gaslight Group.

Gaslight Group is a locally owned family of restaurants located in Savannah and Richmond Hill, Georgia. Ferrara never expected to love this position as much as she does and has remained her for the last five years with no plan to leave anytime soon. 

Over the years, Ferrara has been able to handle just about anything thrown her way—from managing hefty responsibilities to dealing with a rogue monkey taking jabs at her.

It’s exactly what Ferrara wanted for her life—a career filled with a little excitement to keep things interesting.