Most people leave an industry and never look back. Eleanor Hawkins left her job to report on it, which turns out to be a brilliant strategy. Her unique position, understanding both sides of the media relations dynamic, gives her reporting an insider's perspective that traditional journalism paths simply can't replicate. When you've been the person pitching stories and managing crises, covering those same dynamics from the newsroom creates valuable authority and insight.
Eleanor's conversation reveals someone who has questioned traditional career ladders, challenged whether audiences matter as much as communities, and somehow coordinates international sister trips while reshaping how media properties operate. Her thoughts on what communications really does for businesses, combined with strategic moves happening at Axios, suggest she's thinking several steps ahead about where the industry's going.
Eleanor Hawkins: "Focus on Impact, Happiness Will Follow"
- Axios Communications Reporter: Took the opposite path of most journalists - started in communications, then joined the Axios newsroom to cover the role she used to do, reporting from a place of authority as a former practitioner 📰
- Jungle Gym Career Philosophy: Describes her career as a "jungle gym, not a ladder," bouncing from US Senate politics to defense policy to media, covering how comms, PR, and marketing impact business 🎢
- Community Merger Leader: Part of merging Axios Communicators Pro with Mixing Board to combine premium content with thriving peer networks for corporate affairs, comms, and brand marketing leaders 🤝
- Audience-First Advocate: Champions the shift toward an audience-first mentality and "cult building," emphasizing showing up authentically where audiences are rather than traditional broadcasting 👥
- Sister Trip Coordinator: Last text was coordinating annual sister trip with her three sisters who live across the world - "let's get serious about Sister trip" as the oldest, herding the cats ✈️
📰 News That Matters
Aisha Malik
Alex Weprin
Rebecca Rubin
☀️Tomorrow on ATM
He shoots, he "com"SCORES ⚽️
XOXO,
