December 6, 2022 (Philadelphia) — Wentwell CEO Sean Carney was presented the Frank X. Long Award for Excellence in Writing by the Philadelphia chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). During an event attended by top communications practitioners from across the region, Sean reflected on his nearly two-decade career as a writer and offered insights for the future of the industry.
Among his remarks were:
“The way I see it, there are three big challenges facing our industry right now – (1) ongoing polarization and disinformation; (2) the urgent need for what I call “soft-skilling” the next generation of talent; and (3) the very real threat of artificial intelligence and automation. Last week’s announcement of ChatGPT was a watershed moment – not just because it’s another potential job killer for our industry (which it is) or because it perpetuates bias (which it does), but because of the harmful implications the technology has on human connection, communication, and authenticity. Writers write, and we learn by writing. Originality should never be sacrificed at the altar of convenience, and nothing can (or should) replace individual expression. We write to make sense of things, and saving time isn’t necessarily time well spent.”
Below are some photos from the ceremony, held at The Lucy in Center City, Philadelphia.




