holly johnson
~ public relations, marketing strategy, copywriting
A travel, tourism, hospitality and consumer marketing specialist, Holly
brings to clients more than 26 years of related experience. Before creating
a public relations division of Imagica, with business partner and husband,
Perry Johnson, she was vice president and director of client services
for ClarusPR, an Mphasis Integrated company, headquartered in Denver.
Holly merged her former business, Johnson Communications, with ClarusPR
in 2002. She founded and was president of Johnson Communications, a leading
travel, tourism, hospitality, consumer products and business-to-business
firm for more than eight years, where she and business partner Perry
Johnson took the company from a one-person public relations start up
to a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm
with a nine full-time staff and over $935,000 in annual revenues.
Prior to starting her own firm in 1994, she worked at JohnstonWells (JW), a leading Denver-based PR firm, where she was a group manager for clients such as Coors Brewing Company, the Flathead Convention & Visitors Bureau (FCVB) in Northwest Montana and the Denver Art Museum. One of her most prized projects was the development and implementation of a national media program for Coors Brewing Company’s newly formed specialty import division, UniBev Ltd., to launch its new full-line of specialty beers, the first-ever line for a major brewer. The launch attracted national media coverage in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Bon Appetit as well as The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, to name a few. On the resort side, Holly also handled the real estate agreement announcement between Keystone Resort and Intrawest Development Corporation.
Before joining JW, Holly was the public relations manager for the Colorado Tourism Board and before that, Colorado Ski Country USA. In both positions, she was responsible for implementing local, regional and national media relations programs, including coordinating press trips to Colorado and media tours and receptions in major cities across the U.S. In 1988, she was appointed as media liaison for the Colorado Tourism Board and Colorado Ski Country USA for the 1989 World Alpine Ski Championships in Vail to broaden national and international journalists’ perception and experience of other areas in the state.
Throughout her career, Holly has been closely involved in the travel, consumer products and food & beverage industries, both personally and professionally. She has served as public relations consultant for the Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen, Vail Resorts, and for two of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs in America.
Holly’s personal aspirations mirror her professional expertise – she’s an avid cook, traveler and outdoor enthusiast. She’s passionate about running, skiing, cycling, scuba diving and traveling to new places, from rugged outdoor adventures to pampered, full-service experiences.
Holly is a graduate of the University of Denver and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mass communications.
