Matthew Prince

Matt Prince is a nationally recognized public relations executive, educator, and author with nearly two decades of experience leading communications and social media strategies for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including KFC, Taco Bell, and The Walt Disney Company. He’s led earned media, brand communications, and social media strategies for these global brands, shaping their presence in culture and driving impactful consumer engagement through industry leading work.

 

Matt has served as a senior marketing leader at Yum! Brands, the world’s largest restaurant company, through various roles. Including Head of Earned Media, Brand Social, and Public Relations for iconic brands like KFC and Taco Bell. Prior to spending over a decade with Yum! Brands, Matt played a pivotal role at The Walt Disney Company, where he led social media engagement and monitoring helping to develop Disney’s first-ever Social Media Command Center. He also served as Senior Manager of Executive Communications at Disney, managing speechwriting and strategic communications for the President of Disneyland and other top executives.

 

Beyond his corporate work, Matt has served as a lecturer here at Chapman University since 2022. His courses include Influencer and Social Media Marketing, and Personal Branding. Passionate about mentorship, he is also the founder of For You Path, a resource and networking platform dedicated to students and young professionals in the PR and marketing industry. For You Path offers access to career resources, job opportunities and direct connection to over 200 industry mentors. He is also the co-author of Social Media Campaigns: Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing.

 

His expertise and leadership have earned him recognition on ADWEEK’s 31 Young Influentials, the OC Register’s 150 Most Influential People, and 40 Under 40 honors from PRWeek and OC Metro Magazine. He has been nationally honored by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for his leadership in education (David Ferguson Award - 2023), mentorship (Rick Miltenberger Award - 2022), and local leadership (Distinguished Service Award - 2019). A former PRSA Orange County Chapter President (2014), Matt has spent over a decade advising California State University, Fullerton’s PRSSA chapter and was inducted into the PRSSA National Hall of Fame. He has also been named National Advisor of the Year twice (2013 and 2015).