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If you were to survey Bateman Agency’s growing staff of PR professionals, you would quickly realize that we don’t struggle to fill up our free time. Whether it’s through hobbies, raising a family, teaching or volunteering, our team has a knack for having 25 hours in a day and making the most out of every minute. Mina Manchester is no exception. In addition to her role as a Vice President at Bateman, she is an MFA candidate in fiction at the Sewanee School of Letters at the University of the South, a mother of two young children, and an energetic hobbyist with interests ranging from baking to reading to scuba diving. “I’m a Gemini, so I have many, many passions,” says Mina. “Truly, my husband complains and is always trying to get me not to take up more interests!
All joking aside, Mina sets a fantastic example for her colleagues by maintaining a work-life balance that keeps everyone happy: her clients, her loved ones, and, above all, herself. “I think this is particularly important for parents in the workplace; just because you have kids doesn’t mean you are no longer a fully actualized person with your own interests and needs,” Mina says. “It just means you have more demands on your time. The challenge becomes creating a schedule for yourself that includes paid work that fulfills your family’s needs, as well as your need for purposeful work. I say be absolutely ruthless and do not compromise on this.” Mina’s sense of balance and focus on quality has resulted in major wins for her clients, from successful IPOs and acquisitions to product launches and leadership changes, always facilitated with professionalism, creativity and a sense of optimism.
Devoted to Mentorship
Mina is an outstanding teammate and leader, balancing constructive feedback with genuine, enthusiastic praise for a job well done. She is most proud of the mentorship she has provided over the course of her career, both within the PR industry and in her second career as a creative writer. “Seeing how their career successes transform their lives brings me a sense of meaning and fulfillment,” Mina states. “I truly enjoy teaching, and even though it requires patience, it’s something I aim to get better at over time.”
Once Mina attains her MFA, she hopes to teach in a creative writing program. Beyond her own creativity and talent for storytelling, she plans to apply lessons learned from her time in PR to her work in fiction writing. “I think there is a lot of crossover between being a public relations professional and a fiction writer,” says Mina. “First, discipline; second, deadlines. All of the usual writing advice applies, but the best is to never use two words when one will do!”
A Writer at Heart
Mina’s passion for exceptional writing extends across her professional and personal lives. She credits her shared values with Fred Bateman and his own impressive writing skills as two of the reasons why she’s found it so fulfilling to work together for nearly a decade. As a founding member of the Bateman Agency team, she points to the firm’s content bureau as one reason for the agency’s fast success, saying, “our agency-wide strength and emphasis on quality writing is a huge value-add for clients… Even today in our attention-strapped culture, powerful writing is crucial.”
Like many passionate writers, Mina is an avid reader who finds herself moved by beautiful storytelling. She’s currently reading The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels. “It’s the story of a young gay man who returns home to his family that didn’t accept him in Ohio after his partner’s death. I have cried five times already and it’s the most incredible writing: vivid, alive, masterful.”
No Lack of Interests
Believe it or not, Mina finds time to pursue even more hobbies and interests outside of her two thriving careers and family life. From wine tasting with friends to relaxing at the beach to even organizing socially-distanced jazz concerts with her neighbors over the summer, Mina manages it all and does so with energy, passion and positivity.
Fun fact: The Manchester family adopted a miniature goldendoodle puppy during the pandemic. Argos has quickly become one of Mina’s closest companions and an integral member of the Bateman Agency team.
