Elaine Garza

Portrait of woman with curly hair in the sun with palm leaves behind her

The Giant Noise founder gives her top tips for building a PR agency from the ground up

Elaine Garza is the founder and CEO of Giant Noise, a public relations and social media agency based in Austin, Texas, with offices in San Antonio and Dallas. The agency works with an eclectic mix of clients spanning multiple industries, including some of the most creative businesses in Texas and beyond.

Before moving to Austin in 2005 and launching Giant Noise, Garza lived in New York, where she worked in the magazine industry for more than a decade running communications for Vibe, Spin and Outside.


Garza graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism and got her start at HarperCollins. She currently lives with her husband, Rich, and their two daughters, Luci and Sabina. Garza sits on the board of I Live Here I Give Here and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier.


Below, she shares her top five tips for building a PR agency.


Hire people smarter than you
‘I truly think this is the most important piece of advice I could give. I’m constantly learning from my team, and I think that’s one of the biggest reasons we have been able to grow.’


Listen to your gut
‘If it doesn’t feel right, listen.’


Know what you can’t do
‘When I started Giant Noise, I was doing everything. I quickly realised that bookkeeping, taxes and budgeting were not the best use of my time. Once I hired experts to help me, it freed me up to do what I do best: PR. As we’ve grown our social media and photography business, that is even truer.’


Take risks
‘This is so important. If you don’t evolve and take risks, you become stagnant. The industry is constantly changing, and we’re always learning and growing to meet the changes. Sometimes we hit and sometimes we miss, but I’ve never regretted a risk.’


Be kind and have fun
‘PR is a tough business, a true pressure cooker each and every day. I try to constantly remind myself and my team to not take anything personally (which isn’t always easy). But if I lead with kindness and remind myself to stop, take a breath and have some fun at the end of the day, everything is OK. No question, the last year stretched the limits of this, but I
saw the absolute best in my team, clients, and the media. It has been inspiring.’