Over the course of my career, some of my closest professional relationships — and friendships — have been with PR professionals.
They are the connectors. The relationship builders. The quiet force behind many of the most important conversations in cybersecurity. When journalists need access, context, or the right expert at the right moment, PR pros are often the lifeline.
Bill Brenner
I know the stereotypes. I’ve made the jokes myself. In the month leading up to RSAC and Black Hat, I used to stop answering the phone at my desk and proudly referred to it as the “flack hole.” There’s a long tradition of reporters rolling their eyes at “PR flaks.”
But here’s the truth: the best ones are movers and shakers. They make the introductions that turn into working relationships. They help shape stories beyond the press release. They create space for meaningful dialogue between journalists, analysts, vendors, and practitioners. Some of my best moments in cybersecurity trace back to a thoughtful connection made by someone in PR.
Bill Brenner
This week’s #FollowFriday highlights five professionals I’ve been lucky to work with — people who prove that great communications is about far more than pitching.
Tony Welz
Tony never just sends over the latest press release and calls it a day. He brings angles, context and ideas on how to approach a story beyond the raw news. That matters in cybersecurity, where the noise level is permanently set to eleven.
He has been an important connector across this industry — press, analysts, and security vendors. He understands how those ecosystems intersect and how to make those intersections productive instead of transactional.
He takes the time to actually learn about the journalists he works with. Early on, he connected with me over our mutual love of heavy metal. I appreciated that, and we've been working together ever since on too many projects to count.
Where to follow:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonywelz/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/twelz
Company: https://w2comm.com/
Michelle Schafer
I first met Michelle at ShmooCon in 2009. Since then, she has consistently connected me with the cybersecurity professionals I most needed for whatever story I was working on at the time. She doesn't just pitch. She orchestrates – a force of nature when it comes to getting the right people in the right room. If there is a way to make a connection happen, she will find it.
Case in point: she once flew to Boston and drove a client an hour north to my hometown to do a briefing at my neighborhood Starbucks. That is commitment.
Over the years, she has done far more than send story ideas and client introductions. She has connected me with people I have gone on to work with. Real collaborations and relationships. In an industry built on access and timing, Michelle has always understood that the real value is in trusted connections.
Where to follow:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-schafer-0812a21/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/mschafer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mschaferdc/
Company: https://www.merrittgrp.com/
Leslie Kesselring
Leslie figured something out early: If you want to truly help me, connect me with CISOs. Ahead of every RSAC and Black Hat, without fail, she messages me with a curated list: thoughtful lineups of security leaders worth my time.
Over the years, I have forged working relationships — and real friendships — with many of the CISOs she introduced me to. Those conversations have shaped stories, panels, editorial strategy, and in some cases, long-term collaboration.
Leslie understands that access to leadership is not about proximity to logos, but about meaningful dialogue with the people carrying the weight of security programs on their shoulders.
Where to follow:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliekesselring/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/LeslieKess
Company: https://kesscomm.com/
Tim Whitman
When I first started covering cybersecurity for SearchSecurity.com, I was drinking from a firehose. What's a DDoS? A man-in-the-middle attack? Cross-site scripting? How do you interpret a Microsoft Patch Tuesday bulletin? Tim Whitman was the first PR guy to pitch me story ideas in that phase, and he was – and still is – a lifeline.
He is gregarious. There is usually a “dude” somewhere in the sentence. He moves fast. He believes in the people he represents. And like Michelle, he once brought a client to my local Starbucks for a briefing — an appointment nearly missed, causing him a minor heart attack. But he kept working with me.
He is also the only person I have ever met who, upon seeing him in real life for the first time, looked exactly how I had pictured him.
Where to follow:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwhitman/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/prman
Company: https://www.netskope.com/
Pete Voss
Pete is another PR practitioner who understands something fundamental: get to know the journalist before making the first pitch. That approach changes everything.
Instead of firing off story ideas cold, Pete invests the time to understand what I cover, how I frame stories, and what actually makes something worth writing about. When he does bring an idea forward, it is tailored — not just to the client’s message, but to the reporter’s lane. He has also connected me with some of the biggest names in the cybersecurity industry over the years.
What sets Pete apart is his strategic mindset. He does not treat PR like distribution, but as positioning. He thinks about storyline, treatment, timing, and how it will land with the people on the other end of the email.
Where to follow:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petevoss/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/petevoss
Company: www.petevosspr.com
