Meet the Global Media & Public Relations Team

The Global Media & Public Relations team focuses on taking a proactive approach to building relationships with members of the media locally, regionally, domestically and internationally. The goal of the team is to raise awareness of South Dakota and to garner high-quality earned media coverage, specifically in regards to traveling to South Dakota. This team is responsible for media relations and public relations including large scale media events, individual press releases, media pitches, group and individual hostings, and internal communication plans.

Global Public Relations & Content Services Team

The Global Public Relations & Content Services team works closely with the Global Marketing & Brand Strategy team, outside marketing and public relations agencies, and tourism industry partners to promote South Dakota as a premier vacation destination to media and consumers around the globe.

The team actively pitches South Dakota tourism-related stories to state, regional, national and international media in order to secure coverage in major print & online publications and broadcast outlets. Throughout the year, this team hosts numerous travel writers and journalists as well as social media influencers to put a spotlight on the state and its tourism offerings. The team also conducts media interviews, provides photo & video assets to media outlets, and issues press releases from Travel South Dakota.

This team is also the communications arm to South Dakota’s tourism industry, servicing both external and internal stakeholders while serving as the backbone of Travel South Dakota’s content creation efforts, including industry and consumer emails, web content development and maintenance for SDVisit.com and TravelSouthDakota.com, long and short-form video, and vacation and visitor guide services.

Katlyn Svendsen
Katlyn Svendsen
Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director
  • Directs the overall public relations strategy
  • Hostings (domestic and international)
  • Lead spokesperson and media correspondent
  • National Travel & Tourism Week
  • South Dakota Newsroom (MediaSD.com)

MEET KATLYN >>

Katlyn Svendsen
Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director
Byron Banasiak
Byron Banasiak
Visual Assets Manager
  • Manages Department’s visual assets and loans
  • Chief Photographer and Videographer
  • Maintains Department’s asset database

MEET BYRON >>

Byron Banasiak
Visual Assets Manager
Ann DeVany
Ann DeVany
Website Manager
  • Manages Department’s websites
  • Manages digital communications to industry
  • Deploys digital communications to industry
Ann DeVany
Website Manager