Luana Ribeira is the founder of Dauntless PR, a public relations firm that specializes in getting leaders featured on TV, radio, podcasts, magazines, and other forms of press, including newspapers. With her extensive experience in the industry and her strong network of contacts, Luana has built a reputation for delivering results for her clients. Under her leadership, Dauntless PR has become one of the most sought-after PR firms in the industry, known for its ability to secure high-profile media placements for its clients. Luana is passionate about helping leaders and organizations share their stories and messages with the world and is dedicated to making sure that her clients’ voices are heard.
Hello Luana, thank you for joining us today. To start off, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to start Dauntless PR?
Of course, thank you for having me. I started out as an actress in the horror genre and had several acting academies across the UK. I successfully carried out my own PR campaigns that flew. The local press became national became international and I was also getting my actors booked for TV interviews all over the place.
In the middle of a press flurry that I didn’t have the skills to handle at the time, I fled the UK and went to live in Portugal. I wanted to set up a new business that gave me freedom and my mentor, Vanessa Moss, suggested I start selling media. The idea blew me away but I knew immediately that this was the direction I needed to go in.
I decided I wanted to create a PR agency that focused on working with personal brands that were selling ethical products or services. This was never going to be purely about ‘getting people in the media’ but helping the rebels, dreamers, and people who had been misunderstood in the past and who have hearts of gold to get their voices heard. To set off a ripple effect of change in the world by giving these incredible voices a platform.
And I wanted to do it all under the banner of Dauntless PR, named after one of my favorite book series, Divergent.
That’s quite an inspiring story. What was it about the book, Divergent, that gave you the idea to name your business Dauntless PR?
For anyone who hasn’t read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth or watched the movies, it’s set in the future in the city of Chicago and humankind has been split into factions.
The idea behind the formation of factions was to eradicate the possibility of future conflicts and bloodshed. It was thought that if individuals chose their faction and strictly adhered to its principles, equality would be achieved and clashes would be avoided.
One of these factions is Dauntless.
The main character Tris, born into a different faction decides to leave everything she’s ever known to where her soul is calling her- Dauntless. The biggest challenge for Tris comes after this when she has to do her initiation. So many times, she’s knocked down and we think it’s all over but she just keeps getting back up.
When I read it for the first time, I was in a dark place. I’d signed a contract under false presences and lost a business I’d spent 2 years building. The story resonated with me so much.
All of us that have gone against the grain to set up our own businesses following our true soul’s purpose have chosen Dauntless and once we made that choice, we then had to get through the initiation.
It clicked that to get through that tough time, I needed to be Dauntless. As in, use my acting skills to get into character as Dauntless every day and get on with my initiation and so that’s what I did. Doing this removed the intensity of the challenges I was facing; it was all just part of the initiation. It started to feel more like a game and I thrived on the rush of ‘being Dauntless’.
So when I needed a name for a bold PR agency that works with the non-conformists of the entrepreneurial world it was the perfect fit.
What sets Dauntless PR apart from other PR agencies?
More than anything, it’s the supportive community we have brought together. Our members are incredible people doing huge things in the world and they all have a common goal- to help make the world a better place. We are very selective about the clients we work with, and we only take on projects that align with our mission of promoting ethical products and services. We believe that business can be a force for good in the world, and we want to use our platform to help make that happen.
Also, we don’t just get our client’s bookings and leave them to it. We help them before their interviews to prepare, during if they need us, and afterward with how to use their media to help achieve a specific result.
That sounds like a great approach. Can you tell us a little bit more about the types of clients you work with at Dauntless PR?
Sure. We work with personal brands – they can be coaches, consultants, speakers, artists, authors, musicians, or actors but what they all have in common is that they are passionate about what they do, and they are looking to make a positive impact in the world.
Interestingly, the people who come to us are the rebels of the entrepreneurial world and I love it! These are the people who say what needs to be said, who do things in their own (sometimes unorthodox) ways who stand out among the noise, and who are filled with passion. They light me up!
That’s really impressive. Can you share any success stories or highlights from your time at Dauntless PR?
Where do I begin? We recently ran a press campaign for top international speaker, Andy Harrington that got an estimated reach of a billion.
Certified Grief Recovery Specialist Iman Gatti joined us and rapidly exploded into titles such as Pop Sugar, Mashable, Bustle, Newsweek, Closer, Metro UK, and Yahoo News.
Sex Coach Lyndsey Murray joined our VIP program and got 2 bookings within the first hour of registering… we don’t hang about.
I could go on! Feel free to take a nosey at our client success page: https://dauntlesspr.com/success-stories/
That’s great advice. Is there anything else you’d like to add about Dauntless PR or your work in the world of PR?
I just want to say that I am incredibly passionate about what I do, and I am always looking for new and innovative ways to help our clients succeed. We are constantly evolving and adapting and I know that we will continue to make a positive impact on the world through our work.
Thank you so much for speaking with us today, Luana. It’s been a pleasure to learn more about Dauntless PR and your work in the world of PR. Where can the readers find you?
They can find me at www.dauntlesspr.com or on socials at:
Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Thank you for having me. It’s been a blast!