About Us
History of UPR
U Public Relations was formed to serve education systems, non-profits, outreach programs and small businesses by acting as an extension of each client's communications team.
Our firm is based in Northwest Georgia, and our goal is to strategically tell the story of each organization we serve, all to build a connection between a clients’ mission and the community they hope to reach.
U Public Relations was born from a project managed by the founders, McKenzie Todd and Oliver Robbins, Jr., (pictured above) while working as agents of the Rome City Schools’ Communication Department in Rome, Ga. Through their efforts, they were able to create engaging ways to highlight the work of educators, non-profits and start-ups.
Using graphic design, photography, print media, audio/video production and social media networking, organizations who work with UPR can expect to grow their ability to be heard.
At U Public Relations, we take a unique people-centered approach to all accounts.
Our goal is to immerse our team in a client’s culture and become the voice of their leadership. By focusing on the mission of the client, U Public Relations creates new ways to highlight the work done in reaching the overall goals and develops ways to add to the experiences offered by the client.
You Come First.
Our team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Communications department heads have one point of contact to carry out a job. Once the request is made, our mission is to carry out the work order with little to no client legwork past input and approval. All materials are property of the client and can be accessed easily via provided links.
Meet the Team
McKenzie Todd, Co-Owner/CEO
Oliver Robbins, Jr., Co-Owner/COO
Oliver Robbins, Jr., Co-Owner/COO
McKenzie is a lifelong Northwest Georgia resident who has roots in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
She is a 2017 graduate of Kennesaw State University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in professional writing. Her skills were used to help a local marketing firm to secure a long-term contract with Rome City School
McKenzie is a lifelong Northwest Georgia resident who has roots in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
She is a 2017 graduate of Kennesaw State University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in professional writing. Her skills were used to help a local marketing firm to secure a long-term contract with Rome City Schools in Rome, Ga. where she now lives with her husband, Austyn and their son, Jett.
Through her work as an agent of her prior employer, she used her skills as the assistant editorial manager and assistant director of public relations to start her own firm and focus solely on public relations efforts. By building relationships with local business owners, educational systems and non-profits, McKenzie has helped her team to develop a system that highlights the ways in which an organization serves their target audience.
Her leadership and willingness to go the extra mile for UPR clients is a valuable resource to her team, and her results-based approach breeds accountability and cooperation among her staff. With this mantra, her goal is to create a new path forward for organizations focused on growth.
Oliver Robbins, Jr., Co-Owner/COO
Oliver Robbins, Jr., Co-Owner/COO
Oliver Robbins, Jr., Co-Owner/COO
Oliver is a Rome, Ga. native who got his professional start in law enforcement. While working with the Department of Juvenile Justice, he was heavily involved in policy writing for a juvenile detention center and training other officers on record keeping. He also worked in juvenile probation where he was responsible for monitoring the pro
Oliver is a Rome, Ga. native who got his professional start in law enforcement. While working with the Department of Juvenile Justice, he was heavily involved in policy writing for a juvenile detention center and training other officers on record keeping. He also worked in juvenile probation where he was responsible for monitoring the progress of at-risk youth and teaching social skills classes to probationers.
While enrolled in Georgia Highlands College, he worked on a project that highlighted the accomplishments of non-profits local to Northwest Georgia. His work caught the eye of a local monthly publication where he would eventually work as the Editor in Chief and Director of Public Relations.
His work with the Rome City Schools communications department eventually led to U Public Relation’s birth, after he partnered with McKenzie Todd to start the firm. Their goal was to focus strictly on public relations and marketing projects, and devote much of their time to linking organizations with their stakeholders.
Using the relationships he has built during his professional career, Oliver has the unique ability to reach across cultural lines and help others find common ground in a mission. By striving to create a plan that leaves a UPR client with far more than his firm takes, his goal is to help tell the stories of the communities they serve.
Erin DeMesquita - Staff Writer
Oliver Robbins, Jr., Co-Owner/COO
David Johnson - Staff Photographer
Erin is a Florida native, raised within the gentle slope of Georgia's Lookout Mountain. She is a 2010 graduate of Berry College with a bachelor degree in communication and a focus in journalism. She has had the privilege of using that education and experience to work within the non-profit sector, write for both print and online publicatio
Erin is a Florida native, raised within the gentle slope of Georgia's Lookout Mountain. She is a 2010 graduate of Berry College with a bachelor degree in communication and a focus in journalism. She has had the privilege of using that education and experience to work within the non-profit sector, write for both print and online publications, and has embarked on a few freelance ventures that even made it across the pond.
Erin has recently travelled across the country in her converted Bluebird school bus (Sheila) and is happy to relax in Rome once again, start her own sweet family (baby boy is due in March 2021), and work with the amazing crew that is UPR!
As a graduate of Leadership Rome XXXV (best class ever!), Erin has roots in the Rome-Floyd community that she only intends to strengthen and broaden. Community means a great deal to her, and what better way to honor amazing people and the work they do than by sharing their mission and telling their stories!
David Johnson - Staff Photographer
Dan Tompkins - Social Media Content Publisher
David Johnson - Staff Photographer
David is a local of Northwest Georgia who started working on his craft roughly five years ago with a focus on taking pictures of his niece and his dog. Others noticed his talent after he shared the pictures on social media outlets.
David then started booking sessions for events like concerts, portraits, sporting events and weddings. His ey
David is a local of Northwest Georgia who started working on his craft roughly five years ago with a focus on taking pictures of his niece and his dog. Others noticed his talent after he shared the pictures on social media outlets.
David then started booking sessions for events like concerts, portraits, sporting events and weddings. His eye for capturing moments has led to a successful career in photography, but he is always open to learning about new ways to be creative.
He is a military brat born in the Philippines and found his way to Northwest Georgia via his father who was a retired United States Airman. Henry Michael Johnson was a hero in more ways than one, as David vividly remembers the lessons from his father that helped to shape the man he is today.
He enjoys time spent with his large family and snapping photos of the special times they spend together. When he is not behind the lens, he can be found strumming away on his Fender and Paul Reed Smith, a rig made famous by Carlos Santana.
Offering his services to others and seeing them smile is what makes him tick. Because of his deep love for his family, he appreciates the sense of community that Public Relations can foster if done correctly.
