JayRay Adds Storyteller Emilie Firn to the Team

The best stories rarely start with the obvious.

They start with a good question. A little digging. A willingness to follow an unexpected lead and see where it goes.

That’s exactly the kind of curiosity Emilie Firn brings to JayRay as our newest communications advisor.

Before making the move to agency life, Emilie built her career in documentary television, working on projects for National Geographic and BET. Her job was part researcher, part producer, part storyteller — finding interesting people, uncovering unexpected details and figuring out how to shape it all into something audiences would want to watch.

Turns out, those skills translate pretty well to strategic communications.

At JayRay, Emilie is putting that producer mindset to work across PR, content, video and integrated campaigns — helping our clients uncover the stories that make people stop, pay attention and care.

“Emilie brings a storyteller’s brain to everything she does,” said Bridget Baeth, principal and co-owner of JayRay. “She’s curious, thoughtful and really good at finding the interesting angle. Her background in documentary production also gives her a strong understanding of visual storytelling, which is a huge asset as we help clients tell richer stories across channels.”

That perspective is especially valuable in our destination work. Marketing a place isn’t just about making a list of things to see and do. It’s about finding the people, quirks, experiences and unexpected details that make someone think, I want to go there.

And Emilie knows how to find those details.

Her documentary career included producing National Geographic’s The Atlas of Cursed Places, where stories took her into the worlds of history, culture, science and, yes, curses. These days, we’re happy to have that curiosity focused on our clients.

Emilie earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Pacific Lutheran University and a master’s degree from University of the Arts London, adding another Lute to the JayRay lineup.

When she’s not chasing down a story, she’s usually heading outside, whether that means hiking, skiing or finding somewhere with spotty cell service. Welcome to JayRay, Emilie. We’re glad your story brought you here.