Our Team

Founder

Debbie Rizzo

Debbie, founder and principal of DRink PR, specializes in public relations, Mixology Relations™, event planning, brand development and bar/sales development for beverage clients. A native New Yorker, Debbie spent ten years in Boston working on Samuel Adams Boston Lager, where she managed the launch of Sam Adams Light and the national launch of two of the brewery’s “extreme beers” – Utopias and Millennium.

More recently, Debbie has managed the stateside launches of The Bitter Truth Bitters, Uber Bar Tools, Bols Genever, and the redesigned bottle launch of Plymouth Gin, the New England launch of Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and has worked with numerous other clients, including: Martin Millers Gin, Bluecoat Gin, and Damrak Gins, Trumer Pils beer, Vieux Carre Absinthe, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Square One Organic Vodka, Chartreuse, La Fee Absinthe, Dale DeGroff and BAR SMARTS (Pernod Ricard), and Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim. Events have included Tales of the Cocktail, San Francisco Cocktail Week, Whiskeyfest and The San Francisco Ski and Snowboard Festival. On the restaurant and lifestyle side, she has worked with The Bar Method, CardGirl custom designed invitations, The Yogurt Bar, Jasper White’s Summer Shack restaurants, and Goorin Brothers Hats.

Debbie has garnered significant print and broadcast media coverage in the nation’s premier food and beverage outlets, including Simply Ming, Iron Chef America, Martha Stewart Radio, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Imbibe, Wine Enthusiast, and more as well as trade journals like Sommelier Journal, Malt Advocate, and Tasting Panel, among others. She has placed clients in the nation’s largest regional publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post, New York Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe and more. Through strong relationships and creative pitching, Debbie has garnered significant placements in consumer general interest magazines such as Oprah Magazine, Robb Report, Playboy, MarieClaire, and Paper Magazine.

Debbie has spent the past 14 years cultivating strong relationships with key beverage media and the mixologists they look to for inspiration – this is the key ingredient to her success. She is an active member of the U.S. Bartender’s Guild and worked as a media and event organizer at industry taste making event, Tales of the Cocktail in 2008 and 2009. Whether behind the stick, the copy desk, or the Twitter feed, Debbie is plugged in to a wide and loyal network of beverage enthusiasts that are always open to new ideas and spirited discussion about the brands she represents.

Media Relations & Trade Specialist, NY, NY

Jen Neugeboren

Jen Neugeboren has spent almost two decades in the publishing and hospitality worlds, both in-house and on the agency-side, representing some of the world’s top spirits, bars, restaurants, chefs, bartenders, and more. In January 2020, Jen forged her own path and started Neugeboren PR to focus on what she loves: spirits, beer, and wine.

An experienced media expert and graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, one of Jen’s greatest joys comes from crafting a story and engaging the media. She delights in connecting people, whether it’s matching a client to a journalist for a potential piece or introducing a bartender or shop owner to a new spirit they haven’t yet discovered.

Jen lives in Park Slope, BK with her husband Eli, an art professor, and two boys, Zack and Leo. When she’s not running or cooking, she enjoys Martinis, Negronis, Last Words, and any other gin-based cocktail.

Hospitality Expert

Ashley Hamik

After over a decade in San Francisco, Ashley offers a well-rounded background in public relations, branding and marketing in the hospitality industry, with extensive experience both from an in-house perspective as well as in the agency world, creating meaningful stories and securing impactful media placements. A Bay Area native born and raised in Santa Rosa, Ashley’s love of good food, great wine and the media industry began early on when she held positions at both 944 Magazine and San Francisco Magazine, where she gained editorial, marketing and special events experience. After graduating college from SFSU, Ashley went on to work for two hospitality firms: the restaurant marketing team at AF&Co, overseeing campaigns for E&O, Kimpton restaurants nationally, and Chef David Burke, and Wagstaff Worldwide where clients included The Absinthe Group, Foreign Cinema and Silverado Resort & Spa. Ashley then received an opportunity to work for Chef Charlie Palmer as public relations manager overseeing all media relations, marketing, social media and strategic partnerships for West Coast hotels and restaurants. This offered an invaluable perspective to understand the business of marketing for the hospitality industry from all angles to drive revenue.

With a desire to return to an agency, Ashley became the Account Supervisor for Bread & Butter PR San Francisco. It was here that she led the charge on securing marquee new business clients, launching hotel and restaurant openings, and garnering national media placements such as AFAR Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Esquire, Sunset Magazine, Food & Wine, MarthaStuart.com, New York Magazine, New York Times, Wallpaper* amongst many others. Locally in the SF Bay Area, media coverage for clients includes San Francisco Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Nob Hill Gazette, Haute Living San Francisco, 7×7, KRON-4, KPIX Channel 5 (radio), KTVU-2, SF Weekly, Thrillist SF, and more.

Now as principal for her namesake firm, she works with a variety of hospitality clients, considers many members of the media her friends, and takes her client success seriously. She is also an active alumnae in women’s philanthropic groups, such as Spinsters of SF and Junior League, and volunteers for the annual Taste of the Nation event in San Francisco benefitting Share Our Strength.

Consultant

Rebecca Eisenberg

Rebecca began her career with a boutique agency in San Francisco for nearly four years working with clients spanning the following industries: food, beverage, consumer technology, CPG, beauty and fashion. After leaving San Francisco, Rebecca went on to manage several culinary accounts at a reputable hospitality agency in New York City. In addition to a successful press track record, Rebecca was responsible for managing several small teams, client relations, strategic partnerships, and executing events and marketing campaigns.

Her passion for storytelling combined with her love of building and nurturing relationships make her a valuable addition to any team, successfully garnering press placements in top-tier publications such as Forbes, New York Times, Men’s Health, Wall Street Journal, Shape, and more for clients across the board.