I had the wonderful opportunity earlier this week to sit down and share coffee with Lee Odden, president of TopRank Marketing–one of the premier digital marketing and search optimization firms in the Twin Cities. As Lee and I chatted, I learned more about how he started his business, his passion for all things search and how he broke into the national speaker circuit. We also talked at length about how the lines between PR, marketing, social and search continue to blur–and what that means for organizations, agencies and consultants.

Like a few PR Rock Stars you’ve seen in this series before, Lee doesn’t have your typical PR background. But, because these lines continue to blur, I think he’s a perfect example of what the PR Rock Star of tomorrow will look like. Someone with a strong PR and marketing background. But someone who also understands the digital space and basic search concepts. Someone who can even write code, when necessary. And someone who knows how all the pieces fit together and how to bring that integrated mix to bear for the organizations he or she serves. 

Here’s a brief snippet of my conversation with PR Rock Star, Lee Odden: