Profile
Established in 1985, Brustman Carrino Public Relations (BCPR) specializes in high profile culinary and hospitality campaigns; creating innovative publicity, marketing and special event programs for over 28 years. BCPR believes there is an art to creating strategic special events and publicity campaigns. One of the only Miami firms with a strong network of local and national media contacts, BCPR blends an expertise in story development, image building, and special events marketing with an eye to creating a buzz among media and driving business from South Florida's high profile local and visitor base. The firm also represents its clients in the marketing realm, often securing prestigious local and national product ambassadorships, a key element to branding chefs and restaurants in the culinary marketplace.
The firm proudly represented all six of South Florida's James Beard Award recipients during their historic careers, and currently, its esteemed clients range from Toro Toro, The Dutch at W South Beach, BLT Steak, Quattro, Meat Market, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar and Joey's Italian Cafe to the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and Whole Foods Market - Florida. The firm’s hospitality roster includes South Beach-based Goldman Properties' award-winning boutique property The Hotel, the historic Park Central Hotel as well as the philanthropically-oriented Ocean Drive hotel, The Betsy; and the food & beverage operations at the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
We bring to our clients more than two decades of experience, the respect of our community and a strong network of media contacts and valuable corporate relationships. This is the firm that represented The Strand, South Beach's first see-and-be-seen restaurant and many of the hotels, restaurants and events that helped define the emerging destination. The firm also brought the Delano and Raleigh into the global media spotlight, launched Mandarin Oriental Miami as well as introduced Ocean Drive magazine and Michael's Genuine Food & Drink to the world at large. One of the first PR firms in the U.S. to specialize in culinary public relations, BCPR has generated numerous national restaurant features and booked clients on notable local and national television shows including the Today Show, CBS Early Show, Food Network, Bravo's Top Chef and the Travel Channel.
The BCPR database encompasses more than 12,000 locally based VIPs, ensuring each client has the right mix of locals for their events. During its 25 year history, the firm helped create some of the most memorable South Florida events of the era, with celebrities including Julia Child, Jean Claude Troisgros, Maguy and Gilbert LeCoze, Anthony Bourdain, Todd Oldham, Hugh Hefner, Quentin Tarantino, Calvin Klein, Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Greg Allman, ZZ Top, Steven Tyler, and Ben Affleck.
With the firm for more than 17 years, partner/president Larry Carrino oversees publicity, special event and marketing campaigns for the firm's roster of top restaurant, hospitality, event, arts and entertainment accounts. He is well-known for his superlative work as publicist for nationally esteemed celebrity Chef Michelle Bernstein and currently spearheads regional PR efforts for the famed Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The current PR chair for Slow Food Miami, he sits on the board of the Miami Light Project and is the former chairman of the South Florida chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food. In 2009 he was selected as one of the top "40 Under 40" Professionals by Gold Coast magazine and was cited as "Best Flack" by Miami New Times in 2010. A talented writer, he has penned several features for publications including The Miami Herald, Broward New Times, Florida International, and Restaurant Hospitality.
The founder of the firm, Susan Brustman, a former New Yorker, brings more than 20 years of newsroom experience and media contacts to the firm. A seasoned journalist, she helped establish the Los Angeles Free Press and was affiliated with New York magazine. Prior to launching the firm, Brustman honed her promotional skills at the legendary Hank Meyer Associates. She is a member of the Art Basel Miami Beach Host Committee; the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau's PR Task Force and serves on the board of the South Florida chaper of the American Institute of Wine & Food and Share Our Strength.
Vice President of Accounts Karen Barofsky, the firm's arts, hospitality and events specialist for over a decade, has represented some of BCPR's top accounts, and overseen numerous national media FAM tours and publicity campaigns. She also represents Goldman Properties' Wynwood Walls and many of the firm's major restaurant and hospitality-oriented clients, including Dolce Italian and The Betsy/BLT Steak, creating features in key local and national media. Karen is a member of the Miami Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, an invitational service organization comprised of distinguished woman leaders in food, wine, hospitality and farming that takes its inspiration from Auguste Escoffier. A legendary chef and culinary innovator, Escoffier was also a philanthropist who marshaled his culinary resources and connections to do good things.
Vice President of Operations Lauren Busch Singer brings enthusiasm, experience and expertise to clients, creating fine-tuned local to national publicity campaigns, Grand Opening programs and innovative food and wine events for top-tier clients like Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, KNR Restaurant Group and The Dutch at W South Beach. A graduate of Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she produced an award-winning children's album to generate post-Katrina awareness and raise funds for New Orleans. She served on the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Miami and is a member of the Miami Art Museum's Contemporaries.
Account Executive Luciana Salame, a graduate of Florida International University's Journalism & Mass Communication's program, joined BCPR in 2011. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Luciana brings her past experience in event management and communications to the BCPR team and serves as the firm's social media coordinator. In addition to overseeing several of the firm's restaurant clients, she serves as the point person for such prestigious accounts as Whole Foods Market - Florida and the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
Kristine McGlinchey joins the BCPR team as an Account Executive with more than five years of experience in the travel & tourism industry. A graduate of Florida International University, with a degree in Public Relations and minor in Marketing, Kristine brings her expertise in hospitality to the agency as a former member of Norwegian Cruise Line's Public Relations team. There she assisted with the launch of the company's new ships and oversaw the production of national and local film shoots. In addition, she played a key role in building the foundation for the company's social media presence and served as a community manager for its online outlets.
Account Executive Ashley Abed is a graduate of Florida International University, with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Hospitality. Enthusiastic and passionate about all things culinary, she works with many of the firm's restaurant clients in event management, media strategies and social media. A native of San Diego, CA, Ashley is trilingual and brings her past experience in communications and food and beverage to the BCPR team.
The newest member of the staff is Teresa Shum, an Account Executive who has communications experience in a wide range of industries, including hospitality, real estate, retail and non-profit work. A graduate from the University of Florida's College of Journalism & Communications, she is skilled in media relations, event management and social media.