About
Julie Schoerke, founder of JKSCommunications, specializes in developing winning promotional strategies integrating traditional and new media for authors and publishers and in managing comprehensive publicity campaigns. A public relations expert with more than 20 years experience, Schoerke built her business with a wide variety of corporate clients and high-profile individual clients and events before narrowing her focus to literary publicity. Prior to that she was a not-for-profit executive.
Her clients — authors with Random House, Crown Publishing, Wiley & Sons, Sourcebooks, Boyds Mills/Front Street Press and Thomas Nelson — have enjoyed strong launches and premiere placement on television and radio shows, nationally and throughout the US, in print and online.
She is often interviewed on radio, literary blogs and asked to speak at literary conferences.
She holds a B.J.S. in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations from the William Allen White School of Journalism, University of Kansas.
Before specializing in book publicity, Schoerke spent more than 20 years in general Public Relations providing services to the following sectors, which has enabled JKSCommunications to utilize strategic partnerships to enhance book promotion:
- High Tech Industry – international brand awareness, sales support, investor relations
- Real Estate Development – media relations and market research
- Industrial Services – media relations and increased visibility in the market place
- Political Campaigns – management (fund-raising, media, grass roots and volunteer development)
- Image Management – speech writing, media placement, crisis management and style make-over for public figures
Marissa DeCuir, publicist, joined JKSCommunications in 2008. She specializes in booking media appearances and tours for authors, as well as generating an online buzz for their books. A former newspaper reporter, DeCuir uses her knowledge and experience on that side of the communications field to successfully place clients’ publicity in print publications, virtual book tours and on radio shows and television news stations around the country.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Print Journalism from the Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University.
DeCuir wrote stories and produced multimedia for local, regional and national newspapers before transferring her skills to public relations.
Jessica Smith, publicist, became a member of the JKSCommunications team in 2010. A graduate from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Smith has a unique, diverse expertise in social media marketing, search engine optimization and graphic design. Smith’s creativity, passion and imagination captures clients’ ideas and turns them into marketable concepts that have been proven to increase profitability.
Smith’s skills in public relations have helped gain local and national media attention for clients.
She is a senior media studies major at Northern Illinois University. She has written, produced, edited, directed and starred in several videos and commercials.
Allison was the recipient in high school of the prestigious John Philip Sousa award for music and is a section leader of clarinets in the NIU marching band. Her competitive spirit has been rewarded when she was chosen the all-star softball catcher and was the goalie for her state-championship hockey team in Glenview, IL.
Her commitment to helping others is evident in the work she has done over the past few years in a hospital setting and teaching at a pre-school in the Chicago area where she resides.
She is an avid reader and writer. Her goal is to one day write a book that is turned into a movie.
