Having helped form several technology public relations agencies over the course of his career, Rich Moore, who graduated with a degree in journalism in 1989, owns and operates Big Sprocket LLC, an independent tech communications consultancy founded in 2017 and based in San Mateo, California.
Running his own tech communications consultancy provides Moore with the opportunity to meet fascinating and accomplished people, an aspect he especially enjoys. He explained that with tech startups and earlier stage companies, one gets to see the ambition and drive behind why someone thinks their startup should matter.
“In a way, you’re working with something that hasn’t been formed yet, or if it has, it’s still early on and still needs work to sharpen it,” Moore said. “All of those companies’ stories start with the people, and these people are just fascinating.”
Moore said that the name for Big Sprocket came to him after looking at his bike and observing how the chain and sprockets generate energy, which is also comparable to working with tech startups.
“You have to move and get things going,” he said. “It’s all about generating energy and motion and moving the young company forward.”
With startups, he said, you must do smart, aggressive PR, otherwise you won’t separate the company from its competitors and create momentum for the business. Moore said his job helps startups build credibility and make a name for themselves.
Moore initially worked as a sports editor at his high school in Marietta, Ohio. He wanted to expand his horizons and went to Ohio State to study journalism. During his years on campus, he worked for The Lantern and covered the university president and the State Board of Regents.
After college, he moved to New England, landing in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to work as a reporter for several local weekly and daily newspapers, including The Amesbury News and The Haverhill Gazette.
Moore found his love for working with technology companies when he was recruited by a colleague to work at a small PR firm in Boston. That firm was working at the time with Compaq Computer Corporation and Lotus Development, two promising startups that grew to become major tech companies later acquired by HP and IBM, respectively.
Moore and his colleagues helped these technology companies translate their technical achievements into compelling stories the general public would understand, as well as help shape the companies’ corporate story and public image.
Moore settled down in California after moving to Silicon Valley to help the Boston agency he was working for open an office in Mountain View, California.
“I did that with the notion of going out there for a year or two to help get that office up and running. But it’s now been 35 years,” Moore said. “I didn’t imagine spending the rest of my life in California.”
Along with leading Big Sprocket, Moore also serves on the Advancement Board for the School of Communication at Ohio State. Serving on the board, he works to conserve the core journalistic fundamentals he experienced at the school.
“I’m a big believer of strategic communication, but I’m an equally strong believer in the core journalistic skills: strong writing and storytelling,” Moore said.
Moore also works to help conserve California’s waters and wild fish as a board member for California Trout, an environmental non-profit. He is also a mentor for Students Rising Above, a non-profit in San Francisco dedicated to impacting the future of low-income, first-generation college students who have demonstrated a commitment to their education. He and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 33 years and have three sons who all live in California.
Article by Student Kobie Parrish.
