After a 15-year career in public relations, marketing and broadcast media, Diana Haven founded Ellipses Public Relations in 2007, and 12 years later, she is still kicking butt and taking names. Creating pottery, taking voice-acting lessons, attending the Creative Arts Emmy Awards… is there anything Diana cannot do? Read on to see what we are talking about.

1. I first knew I wanted to be in PR when: I was in high school. I was a cast member of a student-run production of the musical, “Celebration,” and checked a book out from the library about public relations hoping to get some attention for our show. I wrote a press release, had my friend take moody, black & white cast photos, and mailed both to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, our local paper. I got such a tremendous thrill when they ran a story with a photo! The coverage definitely helped sell out our show. I thought the whole process was so easy and effective at driving business – basically for free. I was hooked! I continued as the publicist for both my high school and college theatre and music departments as I was convinced I wanted a career in entertainment PR. That all switched when I was introduced to the world of hospitality, restaurant and travel PR, of course!
2. While not working in PR, I am:  A professional voice actor. No, seriously! (See question 19 for details.)
3. My biggest career horror story: I was a guest producer and booker at a cable channel called TechTV from 1999-2002. Somehow I got our show “Internet Tonight” red carpet access to the 2000 Grammy Awards. It was pouring buckets of rain in LA the day of the ceremony, and the city was gridlocked around the Staples Center. It took a LOT longer for our crew to get to the red carpet than we had anticipated, and when we finally arrived our spot under the tent had been given away to another network. So, we made do and hunkered down under an open hole to the sky (again, rain). Right when we were ready to start filming, our cameraman realized we had brought the wrong tape stock! So, I ran back to the car (in heels, gown and full makeup) with the sound guy and drove all over LA looking for the right tape. We made it back to the red carpet two hours later and finally got some decent footage. Such a crazy day. However, there was a photo of our host Liam Mayclem (my dear friend to this day) trying to interview Ricky Martin, with me getting b-roll in the background, published on the cover of the LA Times the next day. That was pretty cool. 
4. My first job was:  Retail clerk at a store at the Capitola Mall called Travels while I was in college (little did I know I’d end up as a travel and hospitality publicist!)
5. My biggest accomplishment so far: Personally – surviving and thriving after being born with two major congenital heart defects and the resulting surgeries to repair them when I was 19. (Yeah, I know. Kind of intense. But true!) Professionally – winning the PR Leader of the Year award for the Western Region for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
6. Favorite social media platform: Instagram.
7. My biggest pet peeve is: Watching people eat or chew on anything made of paper or wood, whether it’s a popsicle stick, toothpick, piece of paper, etc. Just writing that sentence made me cringe.
8. Best movie I ever saw:  I have seen “Back to the Future” at least 48 times.
9. Why I love my job, in three words:  Mentoring, storytelling, promoting.
10. I’m secretly terrified of: Roller skating, ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, etc. Basically anything that requires coordination and gliding on very smooth surfaces. No thank you!
11. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I watch: So You Think You Can Dance (It’s amazing!! And I’m not embarrassed.)
12. Favorite place I’ve traveled to: Paris, followed by Amsterdam, Oslo and Stockholm. (It’s hard to have a favorite place!)
13. If I could only go to one place before I die, I would go to:  Italy, with Japan taking a close second.
14. If I could have dinner with anybody, alive or dead, it would be: Michael J. Fox
15. EBooks or physical books:  EBooks, although that’s mainly because they’re so portable and easy to buy. I do relish a Sunday afternoon on the couch with a great BOOK, though.
16. My favorite part about living in the Bay Area is: I’d have to say the food, but the weather and scenery are right up there.
17. Top 3 most played things during a typical day: Pod Save America or 99% Invisible podcasts (in the car), Tiesto Club Life podcast (at the gym); my “Depeche Mode” channel on Pandora (while writing)
18. What I do in my spare time:  Auditioning for and going to voice over gigs sent to me by my agents at Stars, The Agency in San Francisco. After years of training at Voicetrax in Sausalito, I’m now a professional voice actor, and I love it. My favorite projects are commercials and narration, but I audition for everything from animated features to video games. Also, I am a professional potter. If I have time, which doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, I escape to a studio in Albany and create. (My most recent accomplishment was making a set of plates for one of Ellipses’ former clients, PRESS restaurant in St. Helena.)
19. The most fun I’ve had this decade so far: Attending the Creative Arts Prime Time Emmy Awards with my husband, Eric Haven, who was nominated for an Emmy three years in a row for producing MythBusters. While the show unfortunately lost each year it was nominated (…why?!), we always had an amazing time. This red-carpet experience was a much, much better one than the aforementioned Grammys 15 years prior!
20. My favorite publication to read: I devour Entertainment Weekly every week. (What can I say? I’m a pop culture/TV/movie nerd)
21. My advice to future PR pros: Make sure your writing and communications skills are impeccable. That’s the first thing I notice when people apply to work at Ellipses. Also, pay very close attention to details.