Career Advice

#ThrowbackThursday with Paula Shugart

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Editor’s note: This is part of our monthly #ThrowbackThursday series, which features a prominent, successful PR pro taking a look back and sharing tips from his/her days as a new pro.

Miss Universe President Paula Shugart has made her way from San Diego, to Athens, Ohio, to Los Angeles and eventually found her way to New York City. How does one build a successful career and a solid group of connections while hopping coast to coast?Paula Shugart Headshot

We dug into some of the best advice from Paula for new professionals looking to make a splash and build their network:

Question 1: What was the best piece of advice you received from a mentor as a young professional?

The one thing that has always always stuck in my head was from a woman producer that hired me in 1986 for her show. She was great to work with, so I wanted her advice. She told me, “you can’t do anything for me, but always pay it forward. There’s going to be an opportunity in your life when you’re going to be able to help others. When that opportunity comes up, you’ve got to pay it forward.” That piece of advice has really stuck with me and it’s why I started the internship program with Miss Universe.

Question 2: When moving across country or to a new city, how did you build relationships in an unknown environment?

I moved around so much as a kid since my father was in the Navy that I think it was in my DNA of having to get used to a new place and meet new people. When I went back to LA after attending school at Ohio University, I really just had to suck it up and be fearless. I was panicked moving back since I was so focused on getting a job, but I reached out to my few connections I had from Ohio University. When it came down to it though, I was going door-to-door at the studio lots and just trying to get in and meet people – even though I was scared to death!

I made it a point to put myself out there to meet people and that’s how I got my first job. I took a receptionist position working with Kevin Bright just to get my foot in the door – little did I know he would go on to produce “Friends”! This was a starting point, and from there I started making more connections through friends of friends and building my network within the entertainment industry.

Question 3: What are some of the best methods of keeping in touch with connections?

There’s a lot of people I lost contact with over the years, but I’ve tried to keep in touch via social media, especially friends who are my age on Facebook! I can think of one friend who I started out in the industry with 30 years ago and hadn’t seen since then, but we re-connected on Facebook and it was just like the 30 years had never gone by!

Since I work closely with the intern program at Miss Universe, I love hearing from our past interns. It could be as simple as an email saying hello and sharing what’s going on in their life. I can think of one of our first interns who reached out to me about moving to LA and looking for work.  She was about living the same experience I did in the early eighties, and I was able to make some connections for her in the city. It all goes back to the woman 30 years ago telling me to pay it forward.

Question 4: What advice would you give to today’s young professionals?

Really be fearless. Take the risk or take the challenge – what’s the worst that’s going to happen? Step outside your comfort zone and really push yourself; I could not have been more uncomfortable stepping into this position with Miss Universe. You’re never going to regret the things you attempted or the things you did, but you will regret an opportunity you didn’t take.

More about Paula:

With more  than 30 years of experience in the television industry, Paula M. Shugart has been a driving force in entertainment television production for domestic and international audiences. As president of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO), and producer of the MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA®, and MISS TEEN USA® pageants, Paula oversees all business transactions and is responsible for the production of the live, worldwide telecasts each year. She is also a mentor and role model to the company’s three title holders as they travel the globe as spokeswomen for several charitable alliances on behalf of MUO.

March 2015 #NPPRSA Twitter Chat Highlights: Preparing for a Crisis

Ashleigh Mavros 1 Comment

Twitter Chat 3-18 SquareWe’d like to thank everyone who participated in the March #NPPRSA Twitter chat as we discussed crisis communications–how to prepare and how to react.  We would especially like to thank Jonathan Bernstein, President of Bernstein Crisis Management.

Join us again on April 15 for our next #NPPRSA chat and stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Review highlights of the chat below. What did you learn from the March chat? How can you prepare for your brand’s vulnerabilities before a crisis? What can you do to minimize damage once a crisis hits?

 

You can receive FREE New Professionals Section membership for PRSA throughout March!

Lauren Headshot 1.3MBLauren Rosenbaum is the PRSA New Professionals Social Media Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Soversity, a public relations and digital marketing company. You can connect with her on Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.

#ThrowbackThursday with Heather Whaling

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Heather w PhoneEditor’s note: This is the second post in our monthly #ThrowbackThursday series, which features a prominent, successful PR pro taking a look back and sharing tips from his/her days as a new pro. 

Are you following Heather Whaling on social media? You should be. Consistently making her way onto “Best PR Pros You Should be Following” lists on PR News , Cision and The Muse – just to name a few – Heather is making her mark on the social media industry.

She’s the president and founder of Geben Communication in Columbus, Ohio, co-moderator of the weekly social media #pr20chat Twitter chat and runs one of the most popular social media blogs in the industry – prTini. 

As an admired professional in the social media industry, we take a look at Heather’s thoughts on her early beginnings (MySpace!) and how she’s not only kept up, but thrived, within the ever-changing industry.

Question 1: What were the first social media platforms you ever used, whether for personal or professional use? How did you predict these channels would develop?

If we’re not counting things like AOL Chatrooms, then my first social platform – in terms of how we think about social now – was MySpace. I hadn’t totally bought into social, so my friends actually created my MySpace profile for me.

Who knew I’d be dragged into MySpace and then go on to make a career out of helping brands excel in a social world!

Question 2: How did you stay knowledgeable and updated on the fast-paced world of social media as a young professional?

When I first started incorporating social media as an extension of PR, I was the director of PR for an agency in Orlando. They gave me a lot of freedom to research and experiment. After we did some internal testing and iterating, we offered our services pro bono to a few nonprofits.

We learned a lot and those nonprofits were seen as early adopters and maximized the benefits of being “first” in their market. Learning by doing is incredibly helpful (Click to Tweet!).

Then and now, I try to read as much as possible. I also carefully curate Twitter lists to help me find really great content that I may otherwise miss.

Question 3: As a young professional, how did you work with clients or brands that were resistant to new social media and digital trends?

When you pitch an amazing idea to a client, it’s tough to stay energized and engaged if the client shoots down the idea.

But, instead of getting frustrated, take a step back and try to understand WHY the client is resistant. Once you understand the apprehension, then you can develop a way to get them on board.

You may need to start small – perhaps a pilot program – before they’re ready to go all-in on a social/digital strategy. Stay focused on the big picture goals. Help them understand how this social thing you’re proposing will help them achieve the goals they’ve already prioritized.

It can also be helpful to present skeptical clients with research or case studies that show how similar companies approach social and the value it provides their organization.

Question 4: What has been your most memorable campaign or program that has embodied effective social media strategy?

At Geben, we’ve had the opportunity to develop and implement a number of social media campaigns. That said, I still think the best efforts integrate traditional and digital PR to maximize the value and outcomes, but I digress …

Here are a few of my favorite campaigns (with case studies if you want to learn more details!)

Question 5: If you could go back five years and tell yourself anything about the way social media would transform the communications industry, what would it be?

I started my company just over five years ago, making a big bet on the fact that social media would radically transform PR and open new doors for a fresh approach to traditional PR best practices. Thankfully, I made the right bet!

Looking back, I’d tell myself to get ready to meet some of the nicest, most helpful people. I’m always amazed at how the people I’ve met through Twitter and other social channels are so willing to make introductions, send you new business leads and generally root for you.

The social community’s generosity is incredible. I’d also tell myself to hang on for a wild ride and to embrace the crazy ( — one of our House Rules!)

More about Heather:

As president of Geben Communication, Heather Whaling (aka @prTini) leads new business development and client strategy. An avid Twitter user, Heather can trace 75% of Geben’s business back to relationships that began online. This ability to turn social networking into business outcomes has helped Geben evolve into a highly respected, sought-after, award-winning PR firm. In addition to helping clients secure coverage in a range of high-profile media outlets – from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal … to Huffington Post and TechCrunch – Heather has been quoted in Inc.com, Entrepreneur  and BusinessWeek about technology’s impact on communication and business.

Heather was selected as one of Columbus Business First’s “Forty Under 40” and named one of Columbus’s top 10 entrepreneurs by The Metropreneur. She also serves on the Board of Directors for The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio.

Heather was one of five women bloggers to join Fairwinds Trading and Macy’s in Haiti in March 2010 to learn about the “Heart of Haiti” economic development initiative. She was also one of three social media correspondents selected by Outback Steakhouse to document the 2012 Outback Bowl via social media.

Why De-Busying Yourself Should Be Your New Years Resolution

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

6780743295_889e07e1a7_bThere are approximately 500,000 words in the English language. How we weave those words together in sentences with one another is what many call “the art of communication.” Or should I say, the lost art of communication?

How many times have you replied, “I’m good” when really, last week a rock shattered your windshield so you’ve been eating pb&j’s to afford rent? And how many times have you gone to dinner with a friend (or worse, a date) only to have their cellphone receive its own placemat; as if silently saying, “I’m here for you. But I’m also here for my 600+ network of friends, should anyone message me.” A phone call or handwritten note is becoming so rare that most people don’t even know what to do when they get one. Sadly, the art of communication is a dying trade, and though we don’t like to admit it, we and our busy schedules are to blame.

You wake up: Emails. Brush teeth: Facebook. Riding around: Snapchat. Drink coffee: Google Alerts. *Cue Beyoncé* Do you wake up like this? Many of us have fallen prey to the idea that always being accessible simplifies our lives in saving us time, and provides us with better access to, and thus improves, our level of communication.

However, in reality, constant connectivity deteriorates and distracts much more than it builds. In a study conducted by University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer, 1,000 individuals were put through a series of cognitive and motor skill tests to determine who could be truly capable of multitasking. In the end, only two people passed. TWO. That means on average, 98% of people cannot devote their care and attention to more than one person or situation at a time without deteriorating their original quality of focus.

Despite this somewhat depressing fact, the average person tends to overrate their ability to multitask and/or believes, from practice makes perfect, a light bulb will suddenly illuminate the way to mastering the Rubik’s cube of multitasking. When in reality, Strayer’s same study showed that those who regularly engaged in multiple activities at once were worse at it than occasional offenders. [If you’d like to take the experiment’s electronic test and shatter your illusion of ever being a said “supertasker,” click here.]

It’s no secret our society is over-stimulated. Between the constant bombardment of pop-up ads, Facebook check-ins and Candy Crush invitations, we rarely leave ourselves idle time. Yet, perhaps even worse lies in how we’ve created a sort of silent competition of who can do the most, see the most, BE the most. It’s as though the longer your laundry list of events and to-do’s, the higher you rank on the social status o-meter. Busy has become synonymous with important, and who doesn’t want that? But, our attention has stretched so thin from always looking forward to what’s next that we forget how to see what’s standing right in front of us.

If we are too busy for something as simple as laundry, how can we expect to make time for friends and fostering relationships? Humor me for a second and think; when was the last time you called (not texted) someone on their birthday? Or took the time to give your best friend a pep talk before their big interview? These meaningful moments and opportunities to build deep connections are what we trade in when we overrun our schedules with busyness for the sake of busyness. As much as our devices and determination might argue otherwise, it’s time to admit that we can’t do everything; and inevitably things (and often people) will fall through the cracks, in both our personal and professional lives.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received was from someone who said plainly, “don’t confuse action with traction.” We pour so much time, energy and emotion into doing a-z, but how many of these things actually propel us in a direction we’d like to be going? Toward reaching a goal, toward happiness, toward connecting with others on a sincere level or simply toward becoming a better person? As the New Year begins, step away from the laptops, the ringtones and the calendar reminders and ask yourself, how do you want to be in this world? Not who do you want to be, or what; just how. And whatever your answer, don’t be afraid to go out and do just that!

rsz_megan_nicole_oneal_headshotMegan O’Neal graduated from UCLA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, emphasizing in mass communications. She is currently the PR Coordinator at Marketing Design Group and volunteers with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, freelancing for the public relations department. Connect with her on Twitter @megannenicole.

August Twitter Chat Highlights: Preparing for Your Next Career Move

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the August #NPPRSA Twitter chat focused on how PR professionals can prepare for the next shift in their career. We discussed how to lay the ground work for career growth, considering both internal promotions and jobs at new companies.

PRSA Twitter ChatSpecifically, we’d like to thank our special guest for the evening, Ron Culp, Instructor and Professional Director of the Graduate Public Relations & Advertising Program at DePaul University. Ron also manages the industry leading blog Culpwrit for new professionals establishing a career in PR.

Join us again on September 4 for our next #NPPRSA chat.

Stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Review highlights of the chat below. What did you learn from the August chat? How can you prepare for your next career move? What can you do to broaden your experiences in your current position to be considered for a promotion? What should a PR pro do if they don’t see a future for career growth within their company? 

 


 

Amy BishopAmy Bishop works in digital PR and marketing for DigitalRelevance, a content promotion agency. She is also Social Media Co-Chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Read her insights on customer experience and social business on her Marketing Strategy blog. Connect with Amy through Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.