As their first event of the 2020-2021 year, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter at The University of Akron is hosting “A Human-Centric Media Model” on Monday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

Students are asked to email Megan Parker, PRSSA President, to RSVP for the event in order to receive a link to the meeting. RSVP’s will be accepted no later than 5 p.m.

This event is part of PRSSA’s speaker series and will feature Jan Almasy, co-founder of Apex Communications Network. Almasy is a Canton native media entrepreneur, brand developer and social media marketing expert.

During the event, Almasy will tell his story as well as cover the future of marketing and the importance of personal branding. At the end, students will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Almasy.

According to Almasy, his approach to media focuses on human connection and is “less about the metrics and more about the relationship.”

“If you make it Human Centric you may not always win on the metrics, but I can guarantee that you will win on the relationship 10 out of 10 times,” Almasy said.

As one of three co-founders, Almasy started Apex in 2017 after a local high school was impacted by several tragedies. Starting out as a blog and podcast with only three listeners, Apex now has over 40,000 listeners and has developed a social media marketing network.

Almasy also is a clinical instructor for ICU rotations at Aultman Hospital, after graduating from Canton South and Walsh University with a nursing degree. He previously served as a member of the military from the 179th AirLift Wing in Mansfield.