Bonni is the Executive Vice President and Director of Entertainment & Lifestyle Brands at Motion PR. Bonni was a principal in Miller-Pear Public Relations for the past 20-plus years, and with the 2014 merger of Miller-Pear and Motion PR, she brought with her long-standing clients including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey as well as Disney on Ice.
Bonni has made Tinker Bell fly over Chicago’s Millennium Park, constructed an elephant-sized Chicago-style hot dog for performing pachyderms, staged the world’s largest juggling flash mob, and enticed Loop office workers to “leaf” their stress behind in a bouncy house filled with fall foliage imported from Michigan.
Of course, that’s just a sampling of some of the splashier ways in which the Chicago PR veteran has propelled clients into the media spotlight over the course of her 32-year public relations career. Whether creating attention-grabbing events, or developing comprehensive media relations programs designed to sustain top-of-mind awareness across various target audiences, Bonni draws upon decades-honed creativity, strategic insight, media savvy, and a database of contacts that would be the envy of most public relations pros.
Bonni holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s in advertising from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She lives in Naperville, Ill., with her husband, teenage daughter and a pug named Sparky. Bonni also serves on the Board of Artful Impact, a 501 (c)(3) well-spring of creative resources dedicated to making individuals stronger through the arts, and was recently appointed to the board of Honor Flight Chicago, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to honoring WWII and Korean War veterans with all-expense paid trips to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built in their honor.
Why did you go into PR?
It turned out to be more practical than becoming Barbara Walters.
Feld Entertainment, producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Marvel Universe Live!, and Monster Jam, etc. Feld remains a client after 35 years.