Jessica Purcell
About Jessica Purcell
Jessica Purcell is the Associate Director of Publicity at Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, based in New York, NY.
Current Title and Role
Jessica Purcell currently holds the position of Associate Director, Publicity at Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House. She began this role in May 2018 and operates out of New York, NY. In this position, she is responsible for promoting high-profile titles and authors, managing publicity campaigns, and coordinating media relations.
Career at Penguin Random House
Prior to her current role, Jessica Purcell served as Assistant Director, Publicity for Alfred A. Knopf at Penguin Random House from 2014 to 2018. During her tenure, she was instrumental in promoting award-winning titles and managing publicity campaigns for numerous authors. Her experience at Penguin Random House has been marked by a progression of increasing responsibility in the publicity department.
Previous Experience in Publishing
Before her career at Penguin Random House, Jessica Purcell worked at W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. from 2010 to 2014. She began as a Senior Publicist and later became a Publicity Manager. Additionally, she has held positions at Simon and Schuster as a Publicist from 2009 to 2010 and HarperCollins Publishers as an Assistant Publicist from 2007 to 2009. Her extensive background in various publicity roles has contributed to her expertise in the field.
Education Background
Jessica Purcell's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English from the University of Pennsylvania, achieved between 2003 and 2007. She also completed the Columbia Publishing Course at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in 2007. Additionally, she participated in a study abroad program at King's College London in 2006. Her educational experiences have provided her with a strong foundation in literature and publishing.
Prominent Publicity Work
Jessica Purcell has successfully promoted widely acclaimed titles and authors. She played a key role in promoting 'Blood in the Water,' a National Book Award finalist and winner of the 2017 Bancroft Prize and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in History. She has also promoted New York Times bestselling authors such as Preet Bharara, Anand Giridharadas, Nicholas Kristof, Casey Cep, Diane Rehm, Anita Shreve, Dave Eggers, Andrea Wulf, Seymour Hersh, Lidia Bastianich, and Ken Burns. Her work in publicity has significantly contributed to the success and recognition of these titles.