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Accomplished Alumni: Allie Haake

From The Blue Banner to the Big Apple, Mass Communication Alumna Finds Success in New York City

By UNC Asheville

November 6^th, 2023

An intrepid young journalist sits on the greens of Central Park. Looking wistfully, but with ambition, at Hearst Tower, headquarters to one of the largest media companies in the nation, she envisions her career.

She just moved to New York City after graduating college — with no job, an apartment she saw for the first time when she moved in and concerned family members back home, wondering how she’ll make it.

After months of interviews, freelancing and shifts as a waitress she lands it — assistant to the editor-in-chief of a national magazine, a dream job.

And no, this isn't the start to a rom com featuring a plucky journalist à la "The Devil Wears Prada." This is the story of Allie Haake '07, UNC Asheville mass communication alumna, and it does sound like something out of a movie about following your dreams in the big city.

Hearst Tower in New York City, where Haake got her first full-time job in the city.

Allie Haake (left) and fellow students on the World of Work Trip to New York in 2007.

The student newspaper, The Blue Banner, ran a spread on the trip. Haake is second from left in photo.

Haake (middle row right of the sign) and other students on the World of Work trip.

On spring break, just over a decade ago, Haake went to New York City for the first time through the UNC Asheville Career Center’s World of Work program — now called the Career Trek.

“I grew up watching “Seinfeld” and “Friends” and loved their New York City lives, and I had never been, so I was like ‘I have to do this trip,’” Haake said. “I definitely credit World of Work for giving me the opportunity to experience the city in a really great way.”

As part of the trip she and fellow students watched “Hairspray” on Broadway, saw the TV set for “Damages,” visited an alumna at the Ann Taylor corporate office in Times Square, and toured the editorial offices of several magazines.

Now a New Yorker for 15 years and the owner of her own communications firm, Haake said she’s looking to pay it forward by assisting with the upcoming Career Trek to New York City in spring 2024.

“However I can support and give back to students, I feel so grateful for everything that I was able to learn and discover in that environment at UNC Asheville,” Haake said.

“I just want to be able to be that person for those young students who are looking for how they're going to find their passion and make an impact, especially if it's in communications because that is one of my favorite things and where my experience really lies.”

The trip helped her finalize her decision to move to the city post-graduation, one of the scariest decisions she ever made and one she is most proud of.

Haake (right) and friends see "Hairspray" on Broadway during World of Work trip.

Beginnings at the Banner

She said UNC Asheville and its student newspaper, The Blue Banner, helped prepare her to make that journey.

Her first full-time gig was assistant to the editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics magazine, assisting with everything from coordinating the magazine’s layout, supporting the editor’s daily scheduling, helping create presentations, and writing for the website and print magazine. After work, she carved out time to write additional style and fashion coverage for outlets including Harper’s BAZAAR, StyleCaster and Time Out NY.

“I used a lot of what I learned at UNC Asheville to then be applied to national, if not global, magazines and take it to that next level."

"The things I learned about the editing process at The Blue Banner, the same goes for every publication in some way. I definitely learned the ins and outs of journalism from my time there, which helped me in my career but also in gaining the confidence in my writing skills and working as part of a team,” Haake said. “I feel like I already was prepared to work in a professional environment, just because of all of the different experiences that I had at UNC Asheville.”

As a newswriter, news editor and eventual editor-in-chief of the Banner, Haake spent many late nights toiling over the content, the layout and publishing of the paper. She said she was grateful to the faculty advisor of the Banner, Michael Gouge, senior lecturer of mass communication.

“Gouge really supported my growth on The Blue Banner and was an incredible mentor,” Haake said. “That was the first time, looking back at my career, where I felt like I was working a full-fledged job in the field of my choice. He treated us as true adults in the professional working world, even though we were still students.”

Allie Haake (right) at UNC Asheville's commencement in 2007.

Haake at a Yankees game shortly after moving to New York City.

Haake at her desk at her first full-time job in New York City at Popular Mechanics.

Haake at a Harpers BAZAAR Icons Party during Fashion Week.

Haake on the set of "Good Morning America."

Haake meets Miley Cyrus at a Cosmopolitan PR event.

Journeying from Journalism to Public Relations

After a few years as assistant to the editor-in-chief, she moved to different roles within Hearst Magazines, the parent company of Popular Mechanics and other major magazines like Cosmopolitan, ELLE and Good Housekeeping. She became executive assistant to the president of Hearst Magazines, then made the shift from journalism to public relations, where she did PR work for the likes of Esquire, ELLE DECOR and House Beautiful.

“I got a bird's-eye view of the media business and the magazine company and how every single division — from circulation to editorial to advertising and marketing — worked together,” Haake said. “I got a close-up experience with how public relations really worked in the real world.”

Journalism will always be her first love, but she said she finds many of the principles of journalism in her work today: running her own PR firm, Allie Haake Communications, where she has partnered with brands such as 1-800-Flowers, Harry & David, AETHER Apparel, and Bloom Nutrition, and has supported non-profits locally and beyond.

“A lot of what you do in journalism is you're looking for the story that needs to be told. And the same goes for public relations,” Haake said.

“There's a brand and an audience that you're aiming to reach. You’re finding out the best way to position the story to reach target audiences where they are. So even though there are a lot of differences between the professions, the core concepts are very similar.”

Haake in Hearst Tower, where she worked for nearly a decade.

There’s Always More to Learn

Haake said she encourages students, especially in today’s media landscape, to be curious, connect with others and remain open to new opportunities.

“If you aren't 100 percent set on one thing, there's always more to be learned about: different fields, different opportunities in life,” Haake said. “Tap into your natural interests in other people because that's instantly going to be reciprocated back to you.”

These are some of the pillars that her own career rests on, and it can be traced all the way back to her time as an undergraduate journalist, learning what she loved and loving what she learned.

“Even just the experience of discovering journalism at UNC Asheville was a huge turning point in my life. I came into college not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. The learning environment at UNC Asheville was just the perfect mix of freedom and guidance that you can't get just anywhere,” Haake said.

“Looking back at that time in school, I was driven by curiosity for the world around us, and finding ways to share people’s stories with others so that they might find inspiration to enjoy the world in a new way. That still feels so true to me today.”

Haake on UNC Asheville's Quad during a visit to campus in 2020.

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