Student Agency Now Manages 18 Professional PR Accounts

Businesses can leverage university partnerships to handle media pitches and influencer outreach through student-led teams.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Internships

Isometric editorial illustration of stylized architectural academic platforms with an integrated megaphone icon, representing student-led public relations agency services. — Boston University's student-run PRLab leverages academic partnerships to manage 18 active PR client accounts through collaborative media and outreach strategies. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you believe student-run professional agencies offer sufficient real-world career preparation?

Boston University's student-run public relations agency, PRLab, currently manages 18 active client accounts. Operating as an academic course within the College of Communication, the agency provides students with professional experience by partnering with brands on media and outreach campaigns.

Why it matters

For small business owners and marketing managers, this agency structure highlights an accessible channel to augment PR and influencer outreach capacity through partnership with student teams. These collaborations offer firms a way to execute media strategies while providing students with credit-based academic training.

PRLab currently supports 18 active client accounts, including brands such as Barcelona Wine Bar, Hasbro, and Huttopia. The agency functions as an academic course where student teams receive credit for their work across various professional roles.

The players

PRLab

A student-run public relations agency housed within the Boston University College of Communication.

Boston University

A private research university in Boston that serves as the host institution for the agency.

The details

The agency operates through a structured hierarchy including a president, co-executive vice presidents, account directors, account supervisors, and account executives. During the summer, leadership identifies and secures partnerships with prospective clients before student teams are assembled during the first week of class. Once the teams are set, students collaborate directly with brand marketing representatives to execute media pitches, event concepts, and influencer outreach initiatives.

Summer: Leadership arranged meetings with prospective clients.
First week of class: Student teams assemble and meet leadership.

Market Landscape

This initiative follows the university's established pattern of integrating professional agency workflows directly into the academic curriculum. The model reflects a broader trend of bridging academic training with real-world brand marketing to facilitate professional readiness.

Business owners should view student-led agencies as a viable, low-cost method to scale marketing and PR execution. Evaluate whether your brand could benefit from the fresh perspective of student account teams when planning your upcoming media and event outreach.

The takeaway

The agency structure demonstrates how businesses can effectively leverage academic partnerships for consistent media and influencer engagement. Marketing managers should reach out to the university's department leadership during the summer months to discuss potential partnership opportunities for the following academic year.