Buzzy PR Event at East Brother Beer’s SF Rec Room Draws Diverse Crowd
Buzzy PR Event at East Brother Beer’s SF Rec Room Draws Diverse Crowd
A September evening of conversation, connections, and a little buzz in the heart of San Francisco.
A sell-out crowd of 80+ communicators signed up for the end-of-summer Happy Hour and Mixer put on by the SF PR Round Table on September 10 in conjunction with two sister organizations — the SF Chapter of PRSA and PR Divas of San Francisco.
Multiple factors combined to make the event a hit: The chance to experience the Rec Room — a new-ish indoor/outdoor event space at San Francisco’s Metreon (arranged by SFPRRT Board Member Sarah Segal of Segal Communications, which is managing the venue’s PR) — and to sample brews by East Brother Beer Co., which operates the space; all-you-can-eat Detroit-style pizza by Joyride Pizza; and the opportunity for newcomers to the PR/communications field to mingle with mid-career and senior-level pros, and for everyone to make connections for their next projects and professional moves.
“We were excited to see attendees skew toward a younger, more diverse crowd than in the past. It says to me that in this time of flux, people are hungrier than ever for connections and in-person experiences,” said SFPRRT Chair Warner Johnston, co-founder of Watkins & Johnston PR, and founder and principal of 5 Borough Communications. Johnston and Segal gave a shout out to Amanda Coffee, head of PR at Higgsfield AI, for tapping her extensive connections to get the word out about the mixer.
A new tool built for buzz
The icing on the proverbial cake — or more like the nectar on the flowers — was a presentation by Honeyjar, a new online tool “built for buzz,” in their words, and billed as “The AI co-pilot for communications & PR.”
Homegrown in the Bay Area by cofounders Nadia Jamshidi (chief communications officer) and Michelle Masek (CEO), and recently fueled with $2 million in pre-seed money, Honeyjar “helps you shape stories and announcements, research media and build smart lists, prep for interviews, stay ahead of events and speaking opportunities, collaborate across teams and clients, and track coverage and impact,” according to a LinkedIn post by Masek. “It works with your brand context, goals, and campaigns, and it's powered by the news, social, and events data that we rely on — all inside one secure workspace.”
The story behind the name
Why the name Honeyjar? According to Jamshidi, “Bees are exceptional communicators, with one of the most sophisticated signaling systems in the animal kingdom. That felt like the perfect metaphor for Honeyjar, since our goal is to help comms pros move smarter and faster toward opportunity. And, of course, create a little buzz along the way.”
Get early access
The tool is scheduled to launch soon, and in the meantime, PR pros can sign up to be on the waitlist for free early access at: https://honeyjar.ai/earlyaccess
The company was a sponsor of the September 10 event.
The evening in photos
Familiar faces, new connections, and a room full of conversation.
Photos courtesy of Brenda Kahn. Select any photo to open the full gallery.
EVENT RECAP · SEPTEMBER 10, 2026
By Brenda Kahn, SFPRRT Interim Board Member & Past Chair
A sell-out crowd of 80+ communicators signed up for the end-of-summer Happy Hour and Mixer put on by the SF PR Round Table on September 10 in conjunction with two sister organizations — the SF Chapter of PRSA and PR Divas of San Francisco.
Multiple factors combined to make the event a hit: The chance to experience the Rec Room — a new-ish indoor/outdoor event space at San Francisco’s Metreon (arranged by SFPRRT Board Member Sarah Segal of Segal Communications, which is managing the venue’s PR) — and to sample brews by East Brother Beer Co., which operates the space; all-you-can-eat Detroit-style pizza by Joyride Pizza; and the opportunity for newcomers to the PR/communications field to mingle with mid-career and senior-level pros, and for everyone to make connections for their next projects and professional moves.
“We were excited to see attendees skew toward a younger, more diverse crowd than in the past,” said SFPRRT Chair Warner Johnston, co-founder of Watkins & Johnston PR, and founder and principal of 5 Borough Communications. “It says to me that in this time of flux, people are hungrier than ever for connections and in-person experiences.”
A new tool built for buzz
The icing on the proverbial cake — or more like the nectar on the flowers — was a presentation by Honeyjar, a new online tool “built for buzz,” in their words, and billed as “The AI co-pilot for communications & PR.”
Homegrown in the Bay Area by cofounders Nadia Jamshidi (chief communications officer) and Michelle Masek (CEO), and recently fueled with $2 million in pre-seed money, Honeyjar “helps you shape stories and announcements, research media and build smart lists, prep for interviews, stay ahead of events and speaking opportunities, collaborate across teams and clients, and track coverage and impact,” according to a LinkedIn post by Masek. “It works with your brand context, goals, and campaigns, and it's powered by the news, social, and events data that we rely on — all inside one secure workspace.”
The story behind the name
Why the name Honeyjar? According to Jamshidi, “Bees are exceptional communicators, with one of the most sophisticated signaling systems in the animal kingdom. That felt like the perfect metaphor for Honeyjar, since our goal is to help comms pros move smarter and faster toward opportunity. And, of course, create a little buzz along the way.”
Get early access
The tool is scheduled to launch soon, and in the meantime, PR pros can sign up to be on the waitlist for free early access at: https://honeyjar.ai/earlyaccess
The company was a sponsor of the September 10 event.
The evening in photos
Browse the gallery using the arrows or thumbnails. Photos courtesy of Brenda Kahn.
