Please Welcome Clairemont TLC Interns

Posted on 07/27/10 by Dana Hughens | No Comments »

Clairemont’s intern program is built around three areas: Team, Learning and Career. More on each of those soon, but first, let’s meet the newest Clairemont TLC interns! One of their first assignments was to interview each other and write bios…

 

Bridget Wells graduated with a Bachelors degree in Communication at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. With an interest in communications, and a minor in psychology, Wells is passionate about her work, aspiring to a career in public relations. In addition, Wells was a part of Tulane’s NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball team. Her commitment and drive towards her passion instilled commitment, leadership, teamwork and ambition, creating the perfect platform to begin a successful career. Wells was previously employed as the coach for Newman Volleyball, as well as a counselor for the Newman After-Three Program. In addition, volunteer work has continually remained an extremely important part of her life. In New Orleans, she spent time with “Girls First,” helping underprivileged girls in New Orleans through camps and various recreational activities. Wells also helped restore New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina by aiding organizations such as Outreach New Orleans and Habitat for Humanity.

 

After spending five years in New Orleans, Wells is returning to her roots in Raleigh, having spent her childhood in North Carolina. She is looking forward to a successful career, and is excited to be a part of such a vibrant and passionate team at Clairemont Communications. Her intelligence and experience in teamwork, combined with leadership, will be a vital asset for client service and media relations.

 

Rachel Cagan, a new intern at Clairemont Communications, is excited to put her promotional experience to work. Working with Relay for Life for her latter three years of college, Rachel served on the public relations committee throughout her senior year, where she promoted the organization as well as planned promotional events. This was not Rachel’s only involvement with public relations, as she acted as an intern for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in the summer of 2009. Rachel put her promotional skills to work, in addition to advancing her skills in public and media relations to get the word out about MADD.

 

A proud graduate of the University of Georgia, Rachel studied speech communication with a minor in sociology. On the executive board of Sigma Delta Tau, this active intern was named the New Member Educator of her sorority in the spring 2008, scheduling activities and events for the pledges and making herself available to her new “sisters” at all times. Rachel’s promotional and interactive experience gives her a comfortable advantage when it comes to event planning and promoting client initiatives for Clairemont Communications.

 

When she’s not working hard for Clairemont, you can probably find Rachel trying out a new food dish or spending playful moments with her adorably chubby pug, Mugsley.

 

Michelle Clark, a summer intern with Clairemont Communications, brings her enthusiasm for fashion to the agency. Having worked as an intern for a New York City-based stylist, Michelle has learned the importance of marketing and branding. Inspired by photography and art as well, Michelle’s creative mind contributes to her fresh and exciting vision of the public relations industry.

 

As the oldest of four sisters, Michelle knows how to stand out and make an impact. A student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Michelle is majoring in fashion merchandising management. While at FIT, she has worked with the Merchandising Society as a student designer buyer, and has also been involved in a variety of fundraising events.

A (Non)Typical Day in PR

Posted on 07/26/10 by Dana Hughens | No Comments »


People often ask, “What’s a typical day in PR?”

 

If you haven’t worked in the industry, it might appear that it is more glamorous than it really is. And the funny thing, the days I call glamorous (like the one in the video) might be what other people call boring. I can tell you that the things that seem glamorous usually aren’t. Like the time I hosted a client event on a yacht in the South of France during the Cannes Film Festival. I can assure you there was nothing glamorous about instructing guests to remove their shoes before coming onto the yacht or tending to a seasick spokesperson.

 

If you love PR agency life (I do!), you love it for the variety. From building the strategy to the mundane tasks. That’s what makes it fun! For me, getting to go on-location with highly-creative people to a beautiful home in North Carolina for a client catalog shoot to capture fodder for the client’s social media outreach is great fun and a wonderful day!

From BusinessWeek: Twitter, Twitter Little Stars

Posted on 07/19/10 by Dana Hughens | No Comments »

I just read a great article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek called Twitter, Twitter Little Stars. Props for the title and for using the word boomlet in the story. My absolute favorite part comes from another PR person. Check this out:

 

A long professional track record is not necessarily a prerequisite. Curtis Hougland, the founder of Attention, a New York-based specialist in social media PR and marketing, says the supply of seasoned candidates has failed to keep pace with demand. As a result, a swarm of self-proclaimed social media rainmakers has appeared at job interviews, aiming to parlay a high number of Facebook friends or Twitter followers into salaried positions with benefits—all of which is vaguely reminiscent of the frenzied hiring during the first Internet boom in the late 1990s. “There’s a tremendous amount of B.S.,” says Hougland. “The company hiring may not have the sophistication in social to verify the person’s experience. They may be personally really active on Twitter and have a great blog, but it doesn’t mean that they understand how to apply it to a business context.

 

Amen, Curtis. Sometimes the only thing more preposterous for some of those making the self proclamation is the titles they give themselves. Guru is obviously pompous, yet I will say confident. On the other hand, when did taking a word with a negative connotation and using it as a self-descriptor turn said word into something cool? (But presumably less pompous.)

 

While I seek candidates with combined traditional communications and social media/emerging communications experience, I’d like to add the following disclaimer: Geeks, nerds and ninjas need not apply.