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A year ago, Lauren Cutillo thought a walk across campus was a trek. It’s amazing how things changed for the 22-year-old Ohio State public relations graduate.
Now her commute might consist of a plane ride to New York, a red-eye flight to Los Angeles to man the runways at the Kodak Theatre for the sexiest show on earth, or the comparably tame drive up Interstate 670 to the Limited Brands headquarters.
Such is the life of a public relations assistant at one of the most recognizable names in female fashion: Victoria’s Secret.
“I keep the models happy and don’t lose any press,” Cutillo said.
For more than a decade Americans have fallen hard for the gorgeous and seemingly flawless angels: Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima and Karolina Kurkova. Women want to be them, and men and young boys eagerly await the opportunity to take a peek in their wife or mother’s monthly catalogue.
Although the closest the average person gets to the models is the intimacy of his or her 13-inch TV, Cutillo deals with these lingerie goddesses on a regular basis.
The first step to Cutillo’s success actually came from sheer luck. She was hosting at a restaurant in New York when she ran into her present boss by coincidence and discovered an opening at Victoria’s Secret.
This was unlike any other job that Cutillo had applied for. She relentlessly sent her resume to the company and the rest is history.
“Once I heard about this position, I was completely relentless and sent my resume over a dozen times,” she said.
Cutillo’s success didn’t come without planning and dedication. She prepared for her career many years in advance by utilizing the expertise of OSU professor and friend Dan Steinberg, whose program incorporates the appropriate communication curriculum with internships.
“It’s not hard if you’re willing to put together a multi-year plan and then execute that plan. From about your sophomore or junior year, you should be taking the courses and completing internships that will lead to whatever business you would like to work for,” Steinberg said. “Lauren was interested in Victoria’s Secret in public relations so she took the internships early on and worked with the internship coordinators and she got the job at Victoria’s Secret, but it wasn’t luck that she got the job. It was something she had worked on through her internships and course work.”
Both Cutillo and Jennifer Fahey, another OSU graduate, followed Steinberg’s program by engaging themselves in the business early-on and by pushing themselves to be as involved as possible.
Fahey attributes their success to Steinberg because of how he prepares his students for the real public relations world.
“It requires a lot of dedication and motivation and constantly thinking about what the next step was going to be,” Fahey said. “It was a strategic thing that I was constantly using every minute of my college time to think about how I could get to where I wanted. So in college I started interning at Limited Brands in the community affairs department when I was a sophomore and I interned there for 20 hours a week for my sophomore and junior year then I decided I wanted to become a multifaceted employee at Limited so when I graduated I would have a lot to bring to the table and hit the ground running.”
Cutillo and Fahey are not alone. Steinberg’s program has had a major influence on much of the public relations industry.
Cutillo said almost everyone in her department has had Steinberg as a teacher.
“I know Lauren and I know her boss and her boss’ boss,” Steinberg said. “I had them in class.”
Cutillo’s duties are wide ranging encompassing much of what she learned at OSU.
“Every day is different,” Cutillo said. “Our department is responsible for everything that is editorial, any product placement, and any specials such as news stories or TV appearances such as “The ‘Today show.'”
Although Cutillo’s PR world is usually a hectic scramble to please the superstar models while preparing for the press, she still has a few normal days in the office.
“I participate in conference calls, bra launches, meetings with agencies and samples for the upcoming season,” Cutillo said. “I also talk about what books are popular, who shot what and what credit requests are needed.”
Although many seniors are hanging on for dear life with their remaining college days, Cutillo is glad that her glory days are in the rearview mirror.
“I did enjoy school,” Cutillo said. “But I enjoy everything the job entails, I put a lot of pride into it, and I don’t procrastinate like I did in college.”
What seemed like a lot of pressures – a midterm, paper or a group presentation – would barely even register on her radar.
“The most difficult part of my job is how you react under pressure,” Cutillo said. “A lot of things come up that you have to respond quickly to, and you have to keep everyone happy.”
Fortunately, Cutillo has the skills set to effectively juggle these demands.
She boasts organization, good time-management skills and never taking no for an answer as qualities to ensure she always gets the job done.
Cutillo said it’s a very tough industry to break into, but once you get your foot in the door, your knowledge and education will carry you to the top.
“I would say ambition is the key,” she said. “It comes down to how bad you want it and if you continue to go after it.”
Kelly Oliver-Hornyak can be reached at [email protected].
