Jen Kaplan — Stylish Storyteller

MEET JEN KAPLAN—HOST OF NOW WITH JEN, A DIGITAL TALK SHOW FEATURING LEADERS THAT MAKE THINGS HAPPEN AND PRESIDENT AND CEO OF EVOLVE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING, WHICH HAS HELPED INCREASE VISIBILITY AND REACH FOR HUNDREDS OF CLIENTS IN ARIZONA AND NATIONWIDE.

An entrepreneur, community leader and public relations and marketing expert, Jen Kaplan has a knack for connecting with people and being able to convey their stories with heart.

The Phoenix native and Arizona State University graduate is a recognized leader as the President and CEO of Evolve Public Relations and Marketing, which Kaplan founded in 2010. The firm focuses on clients ranging from restaurants, entertainment, retail, medical, real estate, international companies and nonprofit organizations. And now Kaplan is focused on a new venture: Now with Jen, a digital talk show where she interviews community leaders in Arizona who are making things happen.

“With Evolve, we’re helping different types of businesses and organizations get their name and brand out in the community,” Kaplan says. “I felt like there was an opportunity to give them another platform where we can have some fun, we’re not really set to parameters as far as time and the content, so we can touch on a lot of different things and give the viewer an opportunity to learn something about these individuals that they might not normally on another platform.”

Emmy Award-winning journalist Yetta Gibson and host Jen Kaplan

Some previous guests’ inspiring stories include: Brooke Graves, CEO of Kaleidoscope Juice; Emmy Award-winning journalist Yetta Gibson; Steve Schnall, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation; Mike Bianco, CEO of AvAir in the aerospace industry; Lyndsey Fry, Olympic Silver Medalist, Arizona Coyotes Director of External Engagement as well as President of the Arizona Kachinas girl’s hockey association.

“When identifying people to be on the show, we’re looking at people that are making things happen, so it could be in all different industries or niches: nonprofits, restaurants, corporate, entrepreneurs,” Kaplan says.

“The guests on the show are people that are doing things in our community that are making a difference, and you may or may not realize or know that, so we want to give them that opportunity to share and talk about what they’re doing to help inspire or motivate others or move them to support their particular business.”

Kaplan launched Now with Jen late last year and created a set that’s welcoming and inviting so guests feel a sense of comfort, as if they were in her home sharing intimate and easygoing banter. While it is a cozy set, it also embodies her personality through the pops of bright colors, candy filled baskets, as well as décor pieces with her signature phrases like “do your thing.”

“The guests on the show are people that are doing things in our community that are making a difference, and you may or may not know that, so we want to give them that opportunity to share and talk about what they’re doing to help inspire or motivate others or move viewers to support their business.”

While the debut episode of Now with Jen aired in December 2020, Kaplan had been thinking about starting it much earlier, and is a self-described talker, which she feels helped her adjust quickly to the role as host in front of the camera. “I like to talk, so I tout that I got ‘Senior Most Talkative’ in high school, and although that was many moons ago, I have been able to pretty much hold that accolade,” Kaplan says.

“I also like to engage with people and I like to learn, so I do research on the guest that’s going to be on and try to think of questions that might not be so much in the box; obviously we want to convey what they’re doing and share that with the viewer, but we also want to broach areas that might reveal something,” Kaplan says.

Some upcoming guests on Now with Jen include an anchor on ABC15, who shared her journey and experience with postpartum to inspire others, and the President of the Arizona Restaurant Association, who shared how restaurants have been impacted by COVID-19 and how people can help, Kaplan says.

“We want to show different sides, often times they’ll talk about their family, and one of the things I really like and I think is fun to hear is the journey that they took to get to where they are, someone like Steve Schnall is a third-generation Arizonan, so it’s really interesting to learn more about these individuals that are making that impact in the community.”

Kaplan says she’s learned from coaching she has had with Dave Pratt (producer of Now with Jen and owner and founder of Star WorldWide Networks), the importance of gauging an interviewee’s responses — as they can lead to incredible moments of connection.

“He said, ‘no matter where you’re at on time in the interview, if the person you’re talking to is sharing something compelling, interesting and maybe even emotional, or is making an impact on the interview — keep going,’ because that’s going to keep people wanting to watch and engage more,” Kaplan says.

“So the time for each episode varies, because we might be at a point in the conversation where we don’t want to stop. We want to keep going because they are revealing or sharing something that might be so special, vulnerable or unique that people are going to want to hear it.”

Brooke Graves, CEO of Kaleidoscope Juice and host Jen Kaplan.

Now with Jen episodes are available to view on NowwithJen.com, and are also released on social media, which Kaplan wants to continue doing in the future.

“I think the application of getting people to watch it or view it and consume it any time and in any place is something that gets me really excited so we’re not set to a certain day or time; if you tune in when it goes live, great, if you can’t, you can watch it anytime” Kaplan says.

“The time for each episode varies, because we might be at a point in the conversation where we don’t want to stop. We want to keep going because the guest is sharing something that could be special or vulnerable—and people are going to want to hear it.”

“I definitely want to keep it on the social media platforms and right now we’ve launched with one a week and maybe in the future twice a week if we’ve got the following. We’ve seen a great response with the following so far… and I want to make sure that we keep the guests as interesting and intriguing as we can to keep people wanting to know who we’re going to have on,” Kaplan says.

“There’s a lot of unsung heroes in the community that I feel people don’t really know about and if they do, they don’t really know their story or journey, so I want to keep the guests as interesting as possible.”

As Now with Jen grows, Kaplan is continuing to make an impact in her role with Evolve Public Relations and Marketing, expanding their reach and have worked with hundreds of clients in Arizona and nationally over the past 11 years.

“The staff is definitely the essence of Evolve in my opinion, surrounding myself with a team that is super passionate about what they do and so as Evolve has grown, so has our team. We’ve become more aware of our clients needs, of the media landscape, and as a company we’ve gotten much more into national PR, we’ve also expanded our social media department a lot, so obviously understanding that social media is important and being able to offer that to our clients,” Kaplan says. The firm has also adapted with COVID-19, transitioning to Zoom calls and coordinating phone interviews with sources for media coverage to continue to provide an unparalleled experience.

“Whether it’s a mom-and-pop restaurant that’s trying to get their name out there or a large nonprofit, they want to get their message out, they have something compelling to share and hopefully by us doing that, it’s going to lead to whatever it is for them: attendance, sales, donations, phone calls.”

“We want to stay relevant and innovative as a company, and we know media is not going anywhere, I believe that it’s not going anywhere, we just have to ebb and flow with how people are consuming it and be able to respond to that, so we’re doing that for our clients and for the media in the way that we deliver the stories to them too.”

Through her ventures, Kaplan says the most rewarding part of Now with Jen and Evolve is sharing stories. “Whether it’s a mom-and-pop restaurant that’s trying to get their name out there or a large nonprofit or organization, they all still want to get their message out, they still have something compelling to share and hopefully by us doing that, it’s going to lead to whatever it is for them: attendance, sales, donations, phone calls.

“When media gives us an opportunity to share a client’s story and make an impact, we hear from the business or individual and they tell us, ‘because of that piece that ran we had X amount of visits to our website or sales.’ So for me, it’s just to share that story and hope that people are moved to support them in whatever way that business would need it.

“And the cool part is you’re inspiring someone else too, maybe it’s a mom who’s ready to get into the business world and is inspired by hearing someone’s story or someone who thinks they can’t do something; here’s how someone overcame some adversity and can achieve that or at least try.”

New episodes of New with Jen are released every Friday; click here to view her latest episode with guest Priscilla Ornelas, a radio host on MIX 96.9 FM.