DENVER — As the American media and marketing landscape continues to evolve, Grasslands—a leading full-service communications agency—has bolstered its public relations division, bringing on 20-year agency veteran Shawna Seldon McGregor. She will lead the public relations department as Managing Partner and is based out of Grasslands’ brand-new Denver office at 146 W. 12th Ave. in the Golden Triangle.
Founded in 2017, Grasslands has quickly positioned itself as the preeminent journalism-minded communications agency focused on public relations, thought leadership and content curation. The agency was established by Founder and CEO Ricardo Baca, a 25-year newspaper veteran and the founder / original Editor-in-Chief of groundbreaking news site The Cannabist.
“From day one, we’ve built Grasslands from our journalistic foundations by using the tools we learned in various newsrooms over the decades,” said Baca, who now leads a team of six full-time staffers. “But I’ve always known that we needed the right public relations professionals on staff—communications pros who value journalism as much as we do—and we found that person in Shawna, a colleague we’ve worked with and respected for years.”
“With Shawna’s arrival at Grasslands, we’ve finally completed the transition into a legitimate full-service agency—and I am thrilled for our clients, who will be the ones to benefit from this unique agency concept that brings together both sides of the media paradigm,” Baca continued.
McGregor joins Grasslands from The Rosen Group, where she served as Senior Vice President. After joining the firm in 1999, she established TRG’s Denver office in 2012 and became one of the first public relations professionals working in the legal cannabis industry. She has represented the country’s leading marijuana brands, bringing their stories to the national stage as well as emerging markets, while educating target audiences and conveying critical narratives.
McGregor has extensive experience representing a multitude of sectors including biotech, sustainable technologies, renewable energy, associations, the regulated cannabis industry and media companies. McGregor has a certificate in Reputation Management from the Public Relations Society of America. She was named a top PR pro by Civilized (January 2018), Cannabis Industry Journal (December 2017) and mg magazine (June 2017). In 2016, she accepted the Cannabist Award for best agency for work in the cannabis industry. In 2003, Shawna was named to PR News’ list of “15 To Watch.” She began her career at Porter Novelli’s pharmaceutical practice in New York City, working on accounts including SmithKline Beecham and Pfizer.
“I am driven to help my clients share their unique narratives, and I am passionate about the role of journalism in our society. Joining Grasslands was a natural next step for me,” McGregor said. “The Grasslands team consists of a deep bench of seasoned journalism professionals who can develop multi-layered strategies leveraging multiple consumer touch points. We are all looking forward to watching Grasslands grow over the coming years.”
Headquartered in Denver with an office in Chicago, Grasslands proudly represents clients in the cannabis, tech, entertainment and hospitality industries.
