interview

By Christina Miner

For my interview, I contacted Kindall Laskey. She is somebody that I look up to because she is very young, and was able to find a job in event planning, which is something that greatly interests me, quickly after graduating college. Kindall is currently the Special Events Coordinator for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Oklahoma City. She recently graduated from that other school in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University. Kindall's degree is a Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Journalism and Communications. Kindall has only been in the Public Relations industry for two years. Her job consists of planning the annual events of JDRF, such as the Walk to Cure Diabetes, the Ride to Cure Diabetes, and the Black and White Ball. Even though there are only three major events for JDRF each year there are numerous details that Kindall oversees. She is responsible for contacting volunteers, working with the Board of Directors, contacting donors, writing proposals and making presentations to families with children affected by diabetes. Kindall told me that she believes that to be successful in PR a person needs to have good communication skills, be able to think on their feet, and be able to build relationships easily. She said that, "relationships are key to a successful company and career." I interviewed Kindall because I interned for her in the fast so I was already familiar with her day to day work load and knew that her job is one that I would be interested in doing. Even though Kindall's job is a lot of work, that involves working with numerous different people, all the work she does goes to a good cause, finding a cure for diabetes.

There's Only One....David Bassity

By Leslie Koch

Every Saturday nearly one hundred thousand people pour into Norman to support the Sooner football team. The crowd at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium goes crazy for Sam Bradford’s high-flying passes and DeMarco Murray’s electrifying runs. Above all the chaos in the Oklahoma press box is where you will find David Bassity.

David Bassity is an Assistant Director of Media Relations in the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department. Bassity is in charge of sports information for OU’s football team as well as OU’s track and field team. Part of his duties include designing and writing the teams’ media guides, organizing press conferences, award campaigns and maintaining the teams’ pages on the OU Athletics website, SoonerSports.com.

Bassity earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Oklahoma and got his start in media relations as a student intern. Bassity said he originally wanted to be a sports agent, but changed his career path after taking a sports PR class in his junior year. The class was taught by Kenny Mossman, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications. Bassity worked as a student intern in Mossman’s office. Following graduation Bassity got a PR job with the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in Seattle, Washington. After two years with the PBA, Bassity returned to Oklahoma to work with Mossman as a full-time employee, where he has worked for the past two and a half years.

Bassity said that his jobs have put him in some very interesting situations. While working with the PBA, Bassity attended the ESPY awards and met numerous athletes and celebrities. With Oklahoma, Bassity has headed up the award campaigns for the OU football players, including Sam Bradford’s successful Heisman Trophy campaign.

Bassity has been recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSida) for his work with OU media relations. Bassity earned two “Best in the Nation” awards for OU’s 2008 Track and Field media guide and OU’s 2008 Fiesta Bowl media guide for football.

Although he doesn’t get much free time, Bassity volunteers with other sports organizations when he gets a chance. Bassity has worked with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Cowboys and also referees high school and college soccer games. Besides sports, Bassity enjoys feeding his dog, Kirby, and watching movies.

Internships, Talent, and a little luck.

Internships, Talent, and a little Luck

by Chelsea Moore

Sometimes, a job is so specified, that it is often hard to understand how to get your foot in the door. When your goal is specified, it becomes easier and more difficult at the same time. It often seems like who you know becomes more important than your raw talent, especially in the area of communications. Talent will show its face over time, but opportunities often lie in your contacts. The trick is to make these contacts that will benefit you. 

I chose to interview a professional that I respect in the industry of event planning. USRowing is a non-profit organization now located in Princeton, New Jersey that is near and dear to my heart. They focus on providing "opportunities to achieve excellence in rowing in the United States." I have been rowing since 2005 and am currently on OU's varsity rowing program, so I have always kept my eye on this organization since 2005. Elizabeth Webb is the Events Coordinator at USRowing answered some of my questions regarding her position and how she got there. 

She went to college for sports management at the University of Texas (but we won't judge...). She explained to me that she landed an internship at USRowing for event planning when they were still located in Indianapolis. So, Heather Spencer's advice she has given over and over about the importance of internships is definitely validated. 

"This internship helped me make up my mind that event planning was where I wanted to go." said Elizabeth. She was familiar with rowing before she landed this great internship. She "rowed with Austin Rowing Club," and has "rowed for about 12 years" now. 

When USRowing relocated to New Jersey, the current events manager decided not to make the move. Elizabeth said, "I was contacted by the Events Manager... and she encouraged me to pursue the position." 

So, because of her internship, she got the job that she wanted. This says a lot to me because I have tried to get the exact internship Elizabeth landed every summer since 2007. I will continue to try to get the internship even though New Jersey is far away. She encouraged me to apply for the internship, but gave me the reality of the organization. 

"The hard part is that we are a very small organization with less than 10 full time employees." She said that "even if your are a fabulous intern... there is no guarantee [of a job]."

I suppose this is the real world of internships and the job market, especially recently. But she is proof that opportunities only come to those who put themselves out there. You've got nothing to lose by exposing yourself to new job experience. 

Jana Smith and the OU Research Cabinet

By: Dara Pickering



The University of Oklahoma is primarily known for athletics and followed secondly by academics. However, many people are unaware of the university’s desire to become a prominent research institution. I recently had the opportunity to visit with Jana Smith, Director of Strategic Communications for Research and Development about this issue.

Smith has always had a passion for research. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oklahoma State University in public relations and mass communication, respectively. After school, Smith soon went to work for the Department of Energy and then for the OSU Vice President of Research. She has only been at OU a year, but has worked diligently to build an identity for the research programs.

OU is the first university to create a research cabinet. This unique proposition oversees all research opportunities at OU. According to the Web site, the University of Oklahoma Research Cabinet “coordinates and facilitates research-related activities with local, national, and governmental agencies and with many small and large businesses.”

Smith is responsible for updating the Web site for research communications, meeting with various deans throughout the main and satellite campuses to learn about research programs and promoting the OU research enterprise through various practices. Recently, Smith has worked in conjunction with a local advertising agency to conduct market research in order to develop a brand and identity for OU Research. I asked her to explain the hardest part of her job and she said, “It is challenging to develop a unified message across all three campuses, because there’s different research areas, focuses and initiatives.”

Smith, like many public relations professionals, is concerned with the rise of social media and the need to reach segmented audiences. Although she primarily reaches audiences through trade journals and publications, Smith is looking into new media practices. She also suggested hosting science cafes to bring information to students. However, the most important thing is to promote research through credible agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) in order to build credibility. No matter the avenue, Smith is determined to build a credible brand for OU Research.

Sarah Cavanah, "Freedom is worth it!"

By: Angenene Kendrick

I learned a lot in my Journalism Ethics class. More importantly, I had the opportunity to meet practicing PR professionals like Sarah Cavanah.

As part of Sarah's graduate work she had to present a real-life crisis situation she had worked with and explain to us according to our ethics studies she made the decisions she made. She told us about a sexual assault case and how she dealt not only with the media, but also the college officials, the community and the victim herself. I was fascinated with the process and how she carefully weighed her options.

As a contractor, she enjoys the variety and diversity of the multiple publics she targets on behalf of her organizations. Although Sarah's undergraduate work is in professional writing and anthropology, she currently serves clients in several states in public relations.

Sarah spent many years working in journalism-based jobs, but her first real public relations responsibilities were at Mother Earth News. Not only did she work in copy editing, but also in advertising and coordinating with local media about the people who appeared in her publications pages.

Sarah has worked in public relations at Dana College and College of Saint Mary in Nebraska. Now she works with several clients all over the country. As a freelancer, she contracts either per project or on retainer depending on the client's needs.

"I get a nice check at times, but when tax time comes around, I lose about one-third," Sarah admitted.

On the bright side, she can work from almost anywhere in the world that offers the technology she needs to do her work. She giggled about her upcoming trip to Arkansas. She will get to take her work with her.

Sarah warned that as a contractor, she is still a representative of the organization. Some contracts include appearance and behavior clauses. Some of her clients have called for a seemingly modest and neutral wardrobe. Other clients encourage more flashy arrays.

Sarah said that time management is very important. Because her clients are mostly networked referrals, not delivering for one will affect her relationships with many.

Sarah encourages communicators to try to understand the organization from where they come and the audiences where they are at. Understanding why they believe the way they do allows for better rapport between organization and its publics. Currently she is working with conservative, middle-aged white males -- and understanding them.

Some of Sarah's clients have been targets of activist groups including Westboro Baptist Church in Moore, Okla. She explained that in contacting the group on behalf of her client, she had to take a step back and try to understand their background in order to communicate effectively and prepare for crisis intervention.

Sarah completed her undergraduate degrees in 2001 and has worked in New York, the midwest and the South. In addition to her 70+ hours a week for clients, she works un the Lachenmeyer Fellowship at OU. There she is earning her graduate degrees in both professional writing and journalism.

"I've never been happier than I am now," Sarah said with a big smile. "No spin!"

Whittney Beech, Public Relations Manager

By: Leah Packard


Whittney Beech is the public relations manager at First Fidelity Bank. Although she has been working with the company for less than a year she already has many responsibilities but loves the fast-paced nature of public relations. “Every day is different, something that I love about PR,” Whittney said. “I usually handle all of my e-mail in the mornings, hold or attend meetings, move to event coordination in the late morning, copy editing and writing in the early afternoon, and any budget items in the afternoon.”

Whittney advises public relation students to really focus on what you like about public relations when choosing a job. “Every job is different, so know what it is you will be doing before you accept a position,” she said. “If you don't like media relations, don't take a job that requires you to go on camera. If you don't like event planning, don't take a job that has more of a marketing focus. Just know what you want and find a job that compliments your style.”

She also has some words of wisdom for upcoming public relations specialists based on her own experience. “One thing I wish I knew before starting out in PR is that although you may have a great idea about how to handle a public relations situation, someone you work with also has a great idea,” Whittney said. “Counseling in PR is not like counseling a friend going through a difficult time, you have to build trust and report with those you counsel before it can be effective.”

Whittney believes that public relations is already such a versatile and changing field, but the future will being even more technology and social media into the field. “Public relations is absolutely headed towards social media,” she said. “Over the next twenty years, PR will become extremely focused on reaching audiences through social and interactive media. Though this trend has already started, PR professionals must become well versed in social media strategy and language to achieve success with younger generations.”

Ladies and gentlemen... Karen Lepley!

Photo: Karen Lepley (second from the left)

with husband, Toby (far left), myself (second

from the right) and friend, Robin Hobson (right)

By Drew Kirtley

When Karen Lepley started her career in public relations, things weren't so easy right off the bat.

"I almost didn't make it through one of my entry level PR classes," said Lepley, who graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in Ag Communications.

"I did better, though. I finished with excellent grades. PR was something that came natural to me and I loved it."

Lepley first got her first taste of PR, however, long before her college years.

"I had that PR mindset in high school," she said. "I made flyers and had my own little campaign to encourage students to vote."

She would take that experience and love for the business to college, too. Lepley was a marketing/PR intern for the OSU Vending Department. It was then that she got to really experience a PR campaign for the first time.

"I had to draw customers in and create a positive feel for the company," Lepley said. "I just loved it."

But it wasn't until after a few "bad jobs" right out of college that one of Karen's traits proved helpful and landed her a high profile job. Karen was applying for a job with the 7 Eleven company and was one of hundreds of applicants. Her persistence, however stood out and eventually landed her the job as PR/Marketing Director.

"I wrote a bunch of 'thank you' notes," said Lepley, who had met the manager of one of the 7 Eleven stores when at her previous job. "I was very persistent and really learned how to name drop professionally. It was really key in my career."

According to Karen, that wasn't the only way she "shammed her way into" the PR business.

"I realized I didn't know a lot about the marketing side," she said. "I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Marketing for Dummies, PR books and other references. I worked so hard because I wanted to do everything good for the company."

After 19 years in the PR field, Karen is a Senior Financial Aid Counselor at Texas A&M University, and she still considers herself a PR professional.

"I think every job is a PR job in some way," said Lepley. "I want people to have a positive image of financial aid."

Lepley's advice for PR students is this: "Don't be scared. You should be completely adaptable because PR takes unexpected turns and if you don't have the right personality, PR is not for you."

Even though she's out of the field, professionally (for now), Lepley still finds the PR aspect of her job to be vital to her success.

"PR is so important in whatever you do," she said. "It sounds silly but it affects everyone."

Girl Scouts Across America

By Brittany Robinson

For my interview, I decided to talk to an old friend Catherine Wagner. Catherine works for the Girls Scouts Club in Norman, Oklahoma.

Catherine decided she wanted

 to work in public relations in college when she determined she wanted to work in a writing field. "English was too intense for me," Catherine said. She felt that the daily interactions with people in the public relations field was the turning point in her choosing it as her major.

Catherine felt pretty prepared for her job when she go

t hired on almost a year ago as a full-time employee. "You can never know everything," Catherine said. She was an intern for the Girl Scouts before getting hired on, but is still learning new things everyday. Catherine was surprised when she found that people were not always out to get her in public relations as she was taught through her studies at Gaylord. "Don't get me wrong, people are always trying to catch you with your pants down, but I was as prepared as I c

ould have expected," Catherine said.

Catherine says that everyday is a new challenge in public relations. She has to learn how to work a website with no prior experience. Catherine reflected her first couple of months at her new position and found that she was caught a little bit off guard by "angry people and the press who are digging for a story." Another thing that she did not expect was for the people who are lazy and do not do their job. "I just assumed that everyone works like me in that they work hard and play hard, I have met some people who do not work hard and still play hard," Catherine said. She described trying to get them to do their work like "pulling teeth."

Catherine's daily work life begins with reading about six different newspapers a day. Emails and phone calls take up most of the morning. Updating the website all day is one of her big and daily tasks as well. Catherine says she

 usually writes about four press releases a week and will set up meetings with the press once a week that she will attend alone or with her boss. "I am usually pretty busy although I cannot recall what else would be routine for me," Catherine said.

Catherine's advice for public relations students is to learn as much as you can about anything online. "We use Facebook, Twitter and Google feeds for a lot of publicity," Catherine said. Most importantly, however, she advices that you work on people skills in how to properly manage and deal with angry people because she did not consider herself well versed in the area.

John Losinger Account Executive at Public Strategies, Inc.

By Brian Russell

For my interview I chose John Losinger who works at Public Strategies, Inc. in Dallas, Texas. The title of Losinger’s position is account executive. He joked in telling me that the job title is a bit of a misnomer. “ I don’t really deal with finances , nor am I an “executive”.

Losinger has a different background than most would think to get to his position in public relations. John graduated from Southern Methodist University with a major in Political Science/ Public Policy. His next stop on his journey led him to Washington D.C. for a year to work in politics. After that he moved back to Texas, where he continued working in politics by helping with a Congressional primary campaign. After his time on the campaign trail Losinger went to grad school at (UT Austin) and graduated with a Master of Public Policy from their LBJ School. Three months later he started working at Public Strategies, Inc.

As I spoke to Losinger he was telling me the importance of being able to think on your feet and have adaptability in the workplace. “A lot of PR work involves dealing with fast-moving situations, many of which no one has encountered before,” said Losinger. He was also telling me about the importance of communication with your peers. This is something that I have found very important while working on campaigns, is that the entire group needs to have the same information and is on the same page so the information that is being distributed gets the message out in the same manner.

When I asked John what advice he has for future PR professionals? His answer was simple; get plenty of sleep now.

Meet April!

By: Ashley Mistretta

This past summer I had the opportunity to work at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas as an intern in the special events department. It has always been a fascination of mine to work in a nonprofit environment. It is only a bonus that it involves raising money for children because I absolutely love children. During my time at the hospital, I met a woman named April Rosier. We immediately hit it off, and I was able to get to know her and her role at the hospital.
A little bit of background information that I found out from April is that she graduated with a Business Marketing degree with an emphasis in Public Relations at Texas A&M. She interned with University Relations on her Campus, which included conducting PR research for the school. April also interned with the special events department at Pebble Creek Country Club during her senior year. After graduation, April worked as the nightly suites coordinator for the Texas Rangers. After that, she worked in customer service at Tiffany & Co. and then moved on to Eagle U, where she coordinated three summer camps around the country for children. She said she always wanted to work in special events for a non-profit organization, but it just took her a little longer to get there. April then began working at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital where she was an event officer for two years. She was in charge of planning events to raise money for the hospital like golf tournaments, luncheons, banquets and assisted other event officers with other tasks.
April moved to Houston several months ago, and is now the Special Events Coordinator for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She is working at the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter. April spends most of her days planning the various events she is in charge of, as well as making site visits, and having meetings with vendors. When I asked her about what her department does she said their chapter has four major events that they plan throughout the year: Houston Walk to Cure Diabetes, Fort Bend Walk to Cure Diabetes, Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and a Promise Ball, which is a gala.
April is responsible as the event lead on the Fort Bend Walk to Cure Diabetes, the Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and several events that go along with each one of these events. She works with a committee for each event and helps out with securing sponsorships. She said ultimately, she is responsible for event logistics and the overall outcome of the events, including revenue. She assists with the Houston Walk and Gala as well.
April did say the favorite part of her job is the people. She said when you work for a non-profit, it is a wonderful feeling to meet the people (especially the children) that are being helped because of her hard work.
When I asked April what knowledge and skills she thinks are needed for a person interested in working in special events like myself, she said the number one thing is to be organized. She also believes a can-do attitude is necessary because behind the scenes, she says events are not always as glamorous as they seem. April said that she always has to be prepared to roll with the punches when things do not go exactly as planned.

She said that the best advice she could give someone for the future in event planning is to try and meet people within the organization you are interested working in, or build a relationship with someone who has a connection that can get your resume in the door. When April knew she wanted to work at TSRHC, she began volunteering at the hospital, which led her to getting hired. She also said it is important to try and gain experience by applying for internships, organizing events, or volunteering at the organization.

PR Account Executive

Interview with Andrea Kurys, PR Account Executive

By: Amy Crosby

Though Andrea Kurys has only been in the public relations industry from about a year and a half, she has had a lot of experience elsewhere. Andrea graduated from OU in 2005 with a B.A. Journalism. She worked for KTEN News as a bureau reporter for two years, covering Oklahoma news in eight counties. After two years, Andrea said she had enough with the news industry and decided to tackle the PR industry. Currently, Andrea is an Account Executive with Crosby-Volmer International Public Relations in Oklahoma City.

The firm is based in Washington D.C., and has many locations around the U.S., one being in Oklahoma City. On a daily basis Andrea is responsible for new business development, following up with national media on the latest real-estate reports, searching and applying for RFPs, reading local news and searching for news opportunities for our clients, and managing office interns. Since the firm is based in D.C., they have many national clients, and of course some locally. The Oklahoma City office currently handles national media relations for the Oklahoma City Mayor, Mick Cornett and also the city of Oklahoma City. Andrea said their office has had a lot of success pitching the Oklahoma City diet and Oklahoma City as the nation’s most recession proof city.

The OKC office is also continuing a national consumer awareness campaign for the DTV transition, which was supposed to happen on February 17^th of this year. That has been extended until June, so they are pushing to generate more awareness to people who have been procrastinating with the converter boxes. One of their biggest clients is a company that gathers and analyzes national real estate data. In OKC, Andrea handles national media relations for them as well.  And if this is not enough to keep her busy, she personally, does pro-bono PR for Best Friends of Pets, an animal welfare organization in OKC.

Andrea said her favorite client so far has been Warren Theatre in Moore. They were hired last spring to handle their grand opening and PR surrounding the event. It was a lot of fun to come up with a creative way to attract media attention. She said they hand-delivered giant film reels filled with popcorn and a formal invitation to key members of the media at every OKC area newspaper, TV station and magazine. They also threw a giant VIP party the night before the grand opening, complete with hundreds of people, red carpet and limos. It was a very rewarding experience and resulted in dozens of articles and TV stories; overall, the client was pleased and Andrea said it didn't even seem like work!

Andrea said a PR professional needs social skills, such as an outgoing personality, ability to work well with all kinds of people, can be a self-motivator, excellent writing skills and experience with Microsoft Office Suite. Her advice for PR professional is to stay current with emerging trends, such as the current social media craze that is going on with Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. She said it is very important to learn how to use these platforms to maximize your companies worth to their clients.

 

"Just one word of advice: plastics" with Jamie Miller

By Rebecca Chambers

Sure, this infamous line is borrowed from the ultimate "what do I do after college?" movie The Graduate, but plastics are indeed an interesting industry to look into after college. StoneHouse Marketing Services of Norman, Okla. has been manufacturing Teslin laminated cards and key tags since 1995, and it is in this industry that Jamie Miller practices his own brand of public relations.

After “aimlessly migrating up and down the California coast” for a number of years, Miller finally settled down in Norman, Okla. in 2004 at the request of his oldest and best friend, Jeff Tucker, President of StoneHouse Marketing Services.

Before working at StoneHouse as an account manager, Miller worked at Lucas Color Card, another business in the printing industry.

“I have the most work experience in sales and marketing, and only in the last five years or so have I found myself working more and more in ‘public relations’,” he says. “We don’t call it the ‘public relations department’ in StoneHouse or anything, but I do the basic things a PR practitioner does.”

“We are always looking for new clients, but what I do is more about keeping the relationships we already have running smoothly,” says Miller. This is no easy task: StoneHouse makes 8 million membership and loyalty cards a month for clients like American Eagle Outfitters, CVS, RadioShack, and Big 5 Sports. As the account manager, he has to accommodate each of their specific product desires so that the clients can garner the trust, loyalty, and confidence of their consumers.

Mutually beneficial relationships like the ones between StoneHouse and their clients are the cornerstones of public relations, and it is the public relations practitioner’s job to make sure that communication is clear and concise. Nobody knows this better than Miller.

 “It’s all about keeping the client as happy as you can with the resources that you have,” he says. “If they’re not happy because you can’t communicate their needs to your employer, the relationship is in jeopardy.”

As far as giving advice for a graduating PR major, Miller had this to say: take your time and get some experience. 

“I don’t have a PR degree yet, and I haven’t been doing this work forever, but I have learned that what you really need to master is the ability to be malleable in any field you enter,” he says. “If you can grow and change and roll with the punches, you will always be an asset to your employer.”