2024 College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Alumnus

James A. Pearson is a seasoned public relations and communications professional with over 20 years of experience in the global media and technology industry. He currently serves as director of public relations at Zeta Global, an AI-powered marketing cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence and trillions of consumer signals to help marketers acquire, grow and retain customers more efficiently.

Pearson oversees corporate media relations, communication campaigns and public relations strategies for Zeta Global and its enterprise customers. He also advises and supports several startups and emerging digital media and commerce companies, such as Membit and LookyLoo, as a board member and contributor.

He is passionate about creating meaningful and engaging experiences for consumers and stakeholders across every channel, using his expertise in web content, new media and interactive television. He is also a member and contributing writer to the Forbes Communications Council, an invitation-only organization for senior-level communications and public relations executives.

James A. Pearson ’90

Before joining Zeta Global, Pearson served as the head of global PR for EmitBio, a biotech company that uses light therapy to treat viral infections; Spire Global, a space-to-cloud data and analytics company; and Shazam, one of the world’s most popular apps for music discovery and recognition. He has also held executive positions at Grooveshark, BrightLine, Audible, Amazon and Razorfish, where he developed and executed successful PR and media strategies for some of the most innovative and influential brands in the digital landscape.

Pearson began his career in the film and TV industry, working for his first boss, Oprah Winfrey at Harpo Studios and John Hughes at Hughes Entertainment, where he gained valuable insights into storytelling, crisis management, the entertainment industry and creating unrivaled audience engagement with organic press coverage.