Movers & Shakers: Anne Schopen

Anne Schopen, PineappleRM

Title: Director of client services

Age: 43

Communications veteran Anne Schopen is helping clients make sure their brands and their reputations are in alignment in the new role of director of client services at Pine­appleRM, an Anoka-based firm focused on reputation management.

Schopen said she will help lead PineappleRM's branding, public relations and other services as the firm seeks new business.

"The focus is to help companies realize that there is a relationship between their reputation and their brand and to create opportunities for proactive analysis and to put things in place that can help grow their reputation before they would need to deal with a crisis," Schopen said.

Schopen's move reunites her with PineappleRM founder and CEO Rose McKinney. The two had worked together at Risdall McKinney Public Relations and the former Foley Sackett, now branding agency Level.

Schopen most recently worked as public relations and marketing manager at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts and in public relations at Children's Theatre Company, where she said she honed her communications skills while pursuing a passion for theater and the arts.

Schopen has degrees in mass communications and internationals relations from the University of Minnesota and studied in the feature film program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

PineappleRM, founded in 2011, offers clients branding, public relations and marketing services and communications training.

Q: What appealed to you about this opportunity?

A: I was born and bred in agency life. I enjoy the arts and will always be a supporter, especially of musical theater. But this was a great opportunity to get back into the agency setting. Rose and I have had some great experiences and this was an opportunity to rekindle that.

A: I'll be working with Rose in leading the day-to-day work, interacting with clients and being here as a resource for the staff. As we grow we envision that we'll need somebody to be here for additional staff members, to respond to questions and keep the work moving forward.

Q: Why should a company seek branding help at PineappleRM?

A: Rose is working very hard to build a culture here where we take a fresh approach to helping clients thrive from a branding perspective, public relations and marketing and even nowadays social media and definitely trying to provide results that matter and are meaningful to them.