Lecturer Dan Farkas celebrates five years at The Ohio State University as both an instructor and advisor of the student-run public relations firm The PRactice. Farkas is a former radio and broadcast professional who has his own podcast.
As advisor of The PRactice, Farkas oversees a student executive board and helps students manage real clients. He provides guidance to the students on agency work and provides professional resources that help students run the firm like a true agency. Farkas believes that extracurriculars and experiences outside the classroom are just as important if not more important than those in class.
“You will always have this room [The PRactice] and these resources,” Farkas said.
He encourages students to exhaust every contact, make as many connections as possible and learn new skills they think would be applicable to their future.
Farkas oversees students as they form teams and grow closer to each other while working together for their clients. Farkas said, “The semester ends, but the journey continues.”
As a graduate of Ohio University with a major in broadcast journalism, communication was the last thing he thought he would get involved in.
After working in television stations across the country, he leaned into the broader field of communication. Farkas worked as a writer for Break Media, account director for The Milenthal Group and project manager for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Farkas started a podcast, ‘The Strategic Communicator,’ about how to use communication to make the world a better place. His guests have included Jason Falls, a nationally sought-after speaker on influence and marketing; Karen Swim, a national leader in strategic communication, ethics and taking the plunge as a business owner; and Paul Roetzer, a leading voice on artificial intelligence in strategic communication and the author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence.
Farkas’ podcast episodes dive deep into answering hard questions like how we can be ethical and what diversity really means in communications. He sees the world as “an open play book” asking the ongoing question, “how do we make the most of it?” The podcast teaches listeners how they can make connections and explore paths of life they may have never considered. It offers a unique perspective on major world issues in the world and how communication plays a part.
Farkas taught at Ohio University and advised the OU student-run public relations firm before moving to Ohio State in 2017. At Ohio State, he teaches communication courses such as COMM 2321: Writing for Strategic Communication, COMM 3334: Strategic Message Design and COMM 4337: Public Communication Campaigns.
Along with his podcast and his work at Ohio State, Farkas’ greatest experience in communication came from a young girl in his neighborhood. Two years ago, Farkas’ neighbor’s daughter, Natalie Gray, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and began her battle with cancer. Natalie wanted to use her journey for good and set up The Natalie Gray Foundation to help other families whose children have brain tumors. Farkas helped the family by connecting Natalie and doing whatever he could to get the word out.
Farkas lives by the philosophy, “if you’re the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room.” He believes everyone needs to know that they don’t know everything and that there is always an opportunity to grow and learn from others. He advises students to dive deeper into concepts they are interested in and to know that people want to help. “By making connections and asking questions you can learn way more than just by taking classes.”
Article written by student Sheba Sulser
