Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Morrison.
Hi Carla, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I founded Chit Chat Communications in New Haven, Connecticut, a year after graduating from college. Although I briefly worked as an Assistant Editor for a magazine in New York, my ambition was to engage in public relations within the music industry. I frequently traveled to New York to collaborate on projects with Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Records and Russell Simmons’ Def Jam. It was during this time a friend recommended that I establish my own venture, leading to the birth of Chit Chat Communications. My inaugural client was the esteemed educator Dr. Beryl Irene Bailey, who hired me to promote her first book launch. As a token of gratitude, Beryl’s illustrator crafted my company’s logo. With that logo, I procured letterhead from a print shop, and thus, my business commenced.
My aspiration was to relocate to Atlanta to work with prominent figures like Bobby Brown, LaFace Records, or SoSo Def. After several years in New Haven, promoting entities such as the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, fashion designers, and fashion shows, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
For a year, I immersed myself in networking and marketing my services as the ‘publicist from New York,’ a strategy suggested by one of my mentors from New York. This effort culminated in acquiring my first significant client, NFL star Cornelius Bennett, following his move from the Buffalo Bills to the Atlanta Falcons.
Subsequently, the very companies I had longed to work with began to recognize my efforts. Although I never directly worked with them, I expanded my network to include politicians, community leaders, and entertainers. My client base grew to encompass professional athletes, DJs, and restaurants, and I persisted in my role as an entertainment journalist. After years on this trajectory, I paused to focus on developing community programs. Following several community initiatives, I established a nonprofit, Sisters of Today and Tomorrow, leveraging all my connections in entertainment and sports.
For over a decade, I spearheaded Sisters of Today and Tomorrow, significantly impacting the lives of young girls across metro Atlanta, GA, and New Haven, CT. I championed the organization as if it were a Chit Chat Communications client. Our events featured illustrious speakers, including mayors, city council members, aldermen, entertainers like Mo’Nique, Anthony Mason, and Kyle from Jagged Edge, along with entrepreneurs and others. NBA legend and business tycoon Magic Johnson even graced one of our symposiums during our four-city tour, which included Miami, FL; New Haven, CT; Atlanta, GA; and Birmingham, AL. Chloe & Halle Bailey, who were part of our organization, frequently performed at our events. Other notable speakers included Chrisette Michelle and ESPN Analyst Elle Duncan, among many distinguished individuals in both Atlanta and New Haven.
Running an organization, devising programs, marketing, recruiting, and fundraising was an immense undertaking that spanned 13 years, continuing even through the pandemic. As the pandemic waned, so did my capacity, prompting a shift in focus. This transition led me back to Chit Chat Communications. Divine guidance directed me to my clients, who were the very individuals I had served all along: my congregation at Big Bethel AME, Attorney/Activist/Author Mawuli Davis of Davis Bozeman Law, the Bowie State University National Alumni Association, the Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association, various local eateries, the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival, the Pan African Festival, Juneteenth Atlanta, and others. God’s grace was evident, signaling the right moment for me to embrace my other passion, which continues to support people by amplifying vital messages and boosting businesses through the networks I’ve nurtured and am still expanding.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey has been far from easy. The greatest challenge has been finding clients who can fulfill the financial criteria. Over 30 years, I’ve cultivated contacts and relationships nationwide at various levels. When I reach out on behalf of a client, we often surpass their expectations, yielding impressive press coverage. I believe in being compensated fairly for such outcomes, though this hasn’t always happened. There were times when I couldn’t attract the client I desired, despite knowing the potential impact we could make. Now, with maturity and time, I recognize that God was looking out for me, for which I am thankful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Chit Chat Communications is an innovative and forward-thinking public relations firm, that offers a strategic multimedia platform to enhance your message. Founded in 1993 by visionary Carla Morrison, the company is dedicated to elevating your profile. With extensive media relationships across television, radio, and print, Chit Chat Communications boasts a vast network of contacts in government, community, faith-based, and cultural institutions, as well as in the film, music, and sports industries, leading to significant community impact and transformative outcomes.
What distinguishes us is not just our expertise and robust understanding of integrating traditional and social media to enhance your message, but also the personal connections and dedicated service we offer to each client.
Our greatest pride comes from surpassing our clients’ expectations. Our array of services encompasses Content Creation, Social Media Management, Media Relations, Marketing, Event Planning and Management, PR Strategy, and Community Engagement.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you find yourself in need of our public relations services/ crisis management / social media, please contact us, www.ChitChatCommunications.biz or by telephone: 404-319-2130.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chitchatcommunications.biz
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/ChitChatComm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChitChatCommunications
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChitChatComm
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ChitChatComm30
Image Credits
(Head shot by:) Donna Permell, Prime Phocus
