THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE
"No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper."
Public relations expert Gwendolyn Quinn was born on November 12, 1960 in Augusta, Georgia to Queen Esther Bradshaw and Lonnie Edward Quinn. Quinn graduated from Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland in 1978, and received her cosmetology license from Robert Fiance Beauty School in New York.
After graduating from high school, Quinn served as the personal assistant to recording artist and performer, Gloria Gaynor. Quinn entered the music industry by joining the television and radio staff at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. She was then recruited as a personal assistant to Beverly Johnson, after which she joined ABC-Capital Cities and worked for several years in positions related to television development and production. In 1991, Quinn joined Mercury/PolyGram as its publicity coordinator. The company worked with artists such as Vanessa Williams, Oleta Adams, and Third World. She then joined Flavor Unit Entertainment as the national director of publicity, creating campaigns for artists such as Naughty By Nature, Zhané, and Queen Latifah. Quinn was named national director of publicity and media relations at Capitol Records in 1995. Two years later, she worked as senior director of publicity for Island Records, and worked with the Isley Brothers, and Dru Hill, among others. The following year, Quinn joined Arista Records as senior director of publicity, and organized campaigns for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Deborah Cox, and Monica. When Arista Records and Bad Boy Entertainment launched joint ventures, Quinn was responsible for the artists’ media campaigns. These artists included P. Diddy, Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, and Mase. Quinn handled media and press activities for the company. Quinn then returned to Capitol Records as vice president of publicity. In 2002, Quinn founded her own firm, GQ Media & Public Relations (now Gwendolyn Quinn Public Relations).
Quinn was the founder and creator of the African American Public Relations Collective (AAPRC) and the Global Communicator. She also was a contributor to Souls Revealed and featured in Handle Your Entertainment Business. She was the curator of The Living Legends Foundation: The State of Black Music and Beyond, an essay series published by the Huffington Post.
Gwendolyn Quinn was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 29, 2017.