Tatiana Grant
By Amanda Lewan
June 20, 2014
Tatiana Grant is full of positive energy, her enthusiam practically brimming over the phone. One can imagine her commanding a hall for a large event with ease, readying the room with her excitement. Her passionate and fierce communication skills so naturally to her. Now, she uses these skills to handle public relations for Detroit clients including Mayor Duggan and the Belle Isle Conservatory.
At 29, she’s done more than her mark in the world of public relations and community engagement. But it wasn’t always easy for Tatiana, and she’s worked very hard to start and grow her firm Infused PR.
During her first year of school at Eastern Michigan University a professor told Tatiana that getting internships was key to gaining experience. She took these words of wisdom to heart starting to work in the world of public relations right away. She worked with a firm who handled all public relations for the North American Auto Show, interned at Fox 2 News, and eventually found her way into the world of sports working for the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Shock.
“I was planning events for over 22,000 people,” said Tatiana. “I got really great event planning experience and it also allowed me to really build up my network.”
The sports gig was her dream job at the time, but it came with a hefty price. Working long hours six to seven days a week wore down on her. Eventually, Tatiana realized something had to change. An idea to start a date planning company led her to leave the pistons. The first business idea didn’t pan out, but another one was born along the way.
Tatiana started to take on freelance work during a time when many companies were laying off public relations departments.
“I got so busy with freelance work I couldn’t get around to my date planning company,” she said. She was also busy finishing a Master’s degree in Public Relations from Michigan State University, and taking on a rock star NBA client. By 2011, she realized it was time to take freelancing to another level launching
Infused PR.
The company is led by Tatiana along with an assistant and a small group of talented freelancers, all who help her plan small and large scale events, and strategically mange all public relations and community engagement for clients.
Now a few years later she’s breaking out as the public relations manager for Mayor Duggan. It started with a phone call from a friend to help plan Duggan’s announcement party. Tatiana did the first event for free, an act a faith that led to landing one big client. The day of the party was filled with a blizzard. The weather was so bad she feared no one would come the event, but it was a smashing success.
“It was amazing. So many people were there,” said Tatiana. “Reporters had said it felt like a presidential inauguration. From then I was told Duggan would be a client.”
Thanks in large part to the success of her work with Duggan, Tatiana was recently named among the
2014 class of Crain's Detroit Business prestigious 20 in Their Twenties.
What she loves most about her job now is getting to find balance as an entrepreneur, and helping promote Detroit-based groups she loves. Her enthusiasm sure leaves anyone feeling as if they can’t wait to attend the next event by Infused PR.
All photos by Doug Coombe.