“It was like running on a hamster wheel,” recalls John Shore about his first years in public relations. “It was a field filled with long days, no respect and no guarantees.”

But, it was Shore’s hard work, willingness to learn and dedication that got him where he is today. 

Shore is principal of Shore Public Relations, a company that specializes in special events and promotions, advertising, media planning and website development.

Shore’s extensive background in media, advertising, radio and television has helped him add to his long list of cliental. Shore is a sole proprietor and has represented numerous high-end clients in Dallas, including the Rosewood Resort sister hotels – Mansion on Turtle Creek and Crescent Hotel – for over 20 years. 

Shore’s expertise helps his clients gain publicity and some have made appearances on CNN, “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Clients praise Shore’s work.

“My experience with John and his talents began when I was his first boss,” Carl D. Youngberg of Concepts 3, Inc. said.

“I was Vice President and General Manager of a Dallas-based venture capital operation, and John was manager of operations. What a terrific job he did then and still does today… In his current work, I appreciate his ability to take an idea or concept and turn it into reality that works. Each time. For my money, John can’t be beat in the PR and Event arena today,” Youngberg said.

Shore has organized and executed more than 1,000 events, from small parties for friends to large galas and charity events. One of his biggest projects was the international conference for the Mobil Five-Star Awards. The guest lists for his events include a diverse range of influential people in the community.

When covering an event, Shore makes sure that the client and he clarifies and manages their expectations. Shore likes each of his events to have a good cross section of Dallas people. 

“Too much of one thing is a bad thing,” Shore said, “It throws things off balance.” 

Although Shore does a fantastic job, he is no miracle worker. Just because he covers an event does not guarantee that the consumer reaction to and after the event will be positive.

One of the most difficult tasks he has encountered is having a client ask him to move the bar, stacked with hundreds of stacked champagne flutes, from the crowded inside of an event (at Hermes in Highland Park Village) to a tent outside in the parking lot. Shore got help from the caterers who actually lifted the bar off the ground, bottles and all.

Remarkably, they managed only to break two glasses en route to the new location.

Things got even crazier that night when one of the guests walked into the tent and consequently wrapped herself in it as she was falling down. The client did not care, but Shore believes the event was “snake bit from the beginning.”

But Shore isn’t all work and no play. He is involved in the community and gives his time to local charities such as the Dallas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and is a board member of Black Tie Dinner.

Shore, a graduate of Southern Methodist University’s Class of 1988, got his start in Dallas. He received a music scholarship from SMU, but by sophomore year he was “burned out” and sick of rehearsing. 

Shore recalls this period in his life as when he really broke out of his shell. He changed to a film and history double major (there was no Corporate Communications and Public Relations department yet) and was on the President’s Council. 

Shore saw SMU go through a lot of changes during his four years, including when the football team received the death penalty for recruiting and paying players. 

“That was really when [the Board of Governors] realized and started to make the transition from being a party school to having higher-level expectations,” Shore said.

During college, Shore interned at 20th Century Fox (where his father worked in the television syndication division) running screenings.  “That was when I learned where my priorities in life were,” Shore said. 

When his boss made him list the top 10 things that were important to him in life, Shore put health as last on his list. Shore remembers his boss reading the list and handing it back to him and saying: “You need to move health to number one. Without that, you can’t do all of these other things.”

After college, his most memorable moment was when his first boss threw a pencil at the back of his head to get his attention. He left a note on the door and walked out. 

“She wasn’t kidding either; she was ruthless,” Shore said. “I knew I had to get out of there because I wouldn’t know what normal was in life.”

From there, Shore headed up to Flower Company USA (now 1-800-flowers). Facing a receding economy, Shore saw the company go through its economic ups and down, and ultimately the company folded in less than nine months. 

“I saw it all,” he said. “While the investors [Federal Express corporate executives] were driving Mercedes, the employees were being laid off as the company took a turn for the worst. It was a real lesson in capitalism. People were using me to get to other people and I saw how ‘dog eat dog’ this field really was.”

Shore explains that this aspect of the field only made him set his standards higher and work harder.

Shore brought the Mansion on Turtle Creek to the height of its career. It was ranked as the No. 1 Hotel in Condé Nast Traveler in addition to receiving the AAA Five-Diamond Award. World-renowned Dean Fearing was the chef at the time.

Shore’s outgoing and flexible personality combined with his love for new challenges makes his company a success.  His want to “make a difference” makes serving others a pleasure.

Why does he like having his own company?

“I didn’t want to be in the ‘corporate trash compactor’ of public relations anymore,” Shore said, “I was starting to sell my soul to the devil and doing things I wouldn’t normally do.” 

Since starting Shore PR, John has really spread his wings and is control of his own destiny. He is still keeping his options open and wouldn’t turn down any opportunities if they came up.

His advice to people looking to get into the field?

“Don’t let them see any weakness, or they’ll steamroll you,” Shore said with a chuckle.