Sports PR Today

by Callie Cady

Jason Rademan has been the Director of Media Relations for the Dallas Stars since the 2002-2003 season. He graduated from Penn State University in 2000 with a Bachelor's in Kinesiology.

Rademan's background includes an internship with PR department of the Orlando Magic, followed by a graduate assistantship with the athletic department at the University of Oklahoma. He then worked as an intern with the Dallas Stars PR staff for a year before being hired full-time. As a full-time employee he started out as Manager of Media Relations and Team Services until last summer when he was named Directorof Media Relations.

The Typical Workday

Gamedays start at 7:30 am, getting the game notes, clips, stats and roster sheets prepared for that night's game. Rademan covers the morning skate, handles all the media requests for the morning, then heads back to the office. He gets to the arena again by 4:30 and handles another round of interviews in the afternoon before the game begins. Rademan also runs the press box during games, moderates the intermission (or bench) interviews, and then does the same after games. After the last of the media is gone from the locker room, he types up a set of postgame notes that are sent via email to all the local media. On non-gamedays, Rademan covers practice, works on the game notes for the next game, handles interview requests and plans for the rest of the homestand/road trip.

Advice for a Graduating PR Student Who Wants a Sports Career

"I think it's very important to get any kind of experience you possibly can in the sports field, to network with those you work with and to always try to get the job of the person immediately above you on the totem pole. Any and all experience is valuable, any and all contacts you can make in the industry are more valuable, and you should always want to be doing more within the framework of your particular team/department/company."

-Jason Rademan

Insider's View of Today's P.R. Industry

by Rashida Douglas

Susan Grossman is the assistant director of marketing and communications for University of Oklahoma Outreach. As the Assistant Director, Susan is responsible for daily operations and supervision of the marketing and communication staff, reporting to her director on issues related to the organization’s goals and mission, writing for publication, as well as editing three Outreach periodicals, including, Forum, Outreach and Vantage Point. Each of these publications is directed at various OU publics including alumni, faculty/staff and students of the College of Continuing Education and College of Liberal Studies. I asked Susan a few questions related to her role with marketing and communications and the current state of our industry.

What do you see as the primary responsibilities of a P.R. professional in relation to their employers needs?
Articulating the mission of the organization and using all avenues possible to reach key stakeholders in order to accomplish organizational goals. Building, and keeping, relationships with constituents and audiences important to your company is essential. This is your job. Understanding and tuning in to the world around you and how it affects your employees and your organization.

What do you see as the outlook of the P.R. industry in the face of globalization? Technological advances?
Opportunities for PR will continue to grow in the face of globalization and technological advances. There will be more need for understanding and relationship-building and technology helps to do that. Understanding how, and whether to use these advances is a job for the public relations community.

What sources do you consult for news related to the industry?
Blogs, PR News, PR Week and PRSA.

What readings do you recommend for new professionals?
Bulldog Reporter (media relations), Institute for Public Relations (best practices and white papers), PR Week and PR News, your local newspaper and at least one national news periodical every day.

What are the positives/negatives of working in this industry?The variety of projects PR professionals work on during a given workday are varied and exciting. The morning may be spent writing a story for Web site or print publication, you have lunch with a reporter ... and you attend a strategy meeting with your VP in the afternoon. On the negative side, many people think PR is a matter of blasting out a press release and that anyone can do it. This makes for a lot of "help" from people who empower themselves to do your job.

What skills are paramount to the success of a P.R. professional?
Writing, writing, writing. Being a skilled writer is absolutely essential. You are responsible for all written communication, whether it is speaking for your senior vice president, posting on the company Web site, or creating content for the annual report, the written word is essential to this profession. And recognizing opportunities to communicate your message.

What skills do you have now that you wish had been emphasized when you were a student?
Business and administrative skills. As you move up the ranks, your responsibilities will include budgeting and employee supervision. Often, training in these areas can be on-the-job. If you are trying to manage a department of creative people and have to learn how to read a financial statement, develop a budget and perform employee evaluations, you are in for a rocky road.

How important, if at all, is an understanding of marketing and advertising functions?
While marketing and advertising are separate from the art of public relations, it is helpful to know how your company is being positioned and branded in the marketplace in order for the pr department to effectively articulate and formulate messages. As a skilled writer, you can offer to help craft advertising copy and marketing messages.

Should P.R. professionals have to participate in ethical certification?
Absolutely. PR can often be reduced to stunts and spin.

How important is an emphasis on diversity and diverse representations in your position?
Very. We are an academic unit for working adults and nontraditional students around the world.

Event Planning: Kristen Edwards

Event Planning: Kristen Edwards
By Kylie Fisher

Growing up ten years ago, kids would always tell their parents that they want to be a doctor, lawyer, or a teacher rarely would you have heard a child tell you that they want to go into the public relations field. However, now with shows and movies like the City, the Hills, and the Wedding Planner more and more girls want to pursue a career in public relations.
Kristen Edwards, a 2006 OSU graduate also wanted to step out of her comfort level as she pursued a job in event planning. In 2005, she got an internship at Platinum Occasions in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While this internship was only 500 hours it soon developed into something, she truly loved. While working at Platinum Occasions she has helped plan weddings, bar and bat mitzvah, and big upscale birthday parties.
“People think this job is glamorous but it’s actually a lot of hard work you have to set up consolations, get quotes from vendors, hope that those quotes fit into the budget and if they don’t try to make it happen. Even when the party is going you don’t get to really sit back and enjoy it because you are always making sure things are running smoothly and even when the party ends you are not finished because you have to make sure the vendors get all of their items back”.
“However, I have been to some memorable parties. The one party I still remember to this day was one we threw for a 4 year old. It was like something you see on that show Sweet 16 on MTV. The party was like a fair, it had cotton candy, face painting, a merry go round, a Ferris-Wheel, and even some clowns” said Edwards.
The thing I love most about my job is all the different interactions with all types of people. In addition, no job is ever the same so it’s never a boring day at work.

Introducing Patsy Wootton

Introducing Patsy Wootton

By Erin Chancellor

Patsy Wootton has been working in the Public Relations field for the past five years. She has had many opportunities to try new experiences related to PR and has given me insight into what it is like being a Public Relations Practitioner.

Patsy attended Clemson University in South Carolina where she graduated in 2004. While she did not earn a degree in Public Relations (her degree was in Political Science) she has been working in the Public Relations field for the past five years. She first worked for a PR firm in London for a year right after she graduated from Clemson. She then worked in the Public Relations department at Oklahoma Sports Science and Orthopaedics in Oklahoma City.

Patsy currently works for a non-profit organization called Church Multiplication Association (CMA) as an external relations coordinator. CMA is an organization that plants churches in different locations and finds pastors for these churches.

She has been working for CMA since 2006. She said that her current job allows her more flexibility than she has had with previous jobs. She mentions that many of her tasks allow her to work for her home. Under her current job description she researches new information that can be used on their company website as well as planning or being involved in the company’s events.

The advice that she would give to people entering the Public Relations field is to be as knowledgeable as possible in new technology and internet use and also in how to apply that knowledge. She says that the internet is such an important tool because it is where most public relations practitioners disseminate information to the public about their organizations. She says “The internet really is the best way to get your organization’s name out there”. Also she mentioned that it was important to know basic website design skills. She stressed the importance of being familiar with design programs such as InDesign because these programs are used often in the PR world.

I enjoyed getting to know this information about Patsy because I felt that she gave me valuable insight into what it is like working for a non-profit organization. I have learned that it is extremely important to be as technologically advanced as possible before I enter the working world because it is more important than it has ever been.

This is... Miguel Gonzalez

by Matthew Burris

Summer.

Most people spend it on vacation or in front of the TV. Not me. I spent the whole summer in Washington, D.C. performing intern duties (filing, collating, sifting through data, etc.) for the National Education Association. For all the pain of walking 30 minutes to work in Mid-Atlantic summer heat, I got to work with some great people. Miguel Gonzalez definitely fits into that category.

On top of having earned his Master's in Public Policy from American University, Miguel has also been working in the PR field for 15 years. He has worked in areas ranging from non-profit to government, and now he excels as a spokesperson and Senior Press Officer, Public Relations for the National Education Association. He leads the Association’s national communications efforts on major advocacy and public engagement campaigns such as the re-authorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, the 2008 presidential campaign, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Miguel says he enjoys his job because it combines his three passions, "policy, politics, and public relations."

This kind of experience means that Miguel has a lot of knowledge to pass on to the next generation of PR professionals.

Some people want to deny the slow death that the print media is suffering through, but those people are probably going to be left behind. Miguel is not one of them. He realizes that it is time for PR professionals to embrace the new technology or perish.

"As the media landscape changes (more and more newspapers are shutting down, others are curtailing coverage beats, etc.,) public relations professionals in the 21st century have to be flexible and adaptable and look for creative ways to contribute to the mission of the organization and to the bottom line," he says.

"A public relations professional in the 21^st century needs to have a solid mastery of basic skills like writing, proofing, editing; coupled with the strategic vision to look around the corner and assess emerging issues; and understand how to utilize social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and others to do your job well."

As for career advice, Miguel reminds us all that we should never settle.

"Diversify—work in politics, campaigns, Capitol Hill, private sector, understand how other disciplines work. This will enhance your experience and bring value-added to the organization."

True words of wisdom.

Event Coordinator Specialist, Tiffany Shurts

By Jayse Nelson



Prior to coming to OU, my mom set up a lunch meeting with a friend of hers, Kaye Burkhardt, President and Founder of Dallas Fan Fares, Inc. (DFF). After meeting with Kaye, I became determined to find a career in the Event Coordinating Industry. Three years later, I received the opportunity to work as an intern at DFF. This is where I met my supervisor, Tiffany Shults.

Tiffany attended the University of North Texas and graduated with a degree in Hospitality management. After college, Tiffany became a consultant for the Alpha Phi chapter at Cornell University. Her job there was to help Alpha Phi rebuild their chapter. She later moved back to Texas with hopes of breaking into the Event Coordinating industry. After spending a lot time researching the industry on the Internet, Tiffany sent her resume to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Her persistence paid off when she received a job with the Dallas Cowboys as their Catering Manager. Her colleagues there introduced her to an organization entitled, Meeting Professionals International, where she is still a member.

Tiffany is currently employed by DFF as the Manager of Operations and Development. DFF is a global event company specializing in meeting management, incentive travel, sports hospitality, and destination management. A big part of Tiffany’s position at Dallas Fan Fares is "quality control"—ensuring that all procedures and services are an efficient portrayal of DFF’s standard of quality. As a result of being in the Event Coordinating Industry for nearly 10 years, Tiffany enjoys being a beneficial resource to her company and the employees. Her main challenge at DFF is when clients desire an event or meeting bigger and better than their previous one, however the client provides a smaller budget.

Tiffany’s advice for individuals seeking to break into her industry is for them to, “Keep in mind that this industry takes a certain type of person to succeed in it.” An individual must be detail-oriented, organized and have superior customer service skills. Furthermore, because this is becoming a very popular industry, Tiffany suggests that individuals do their homework on companies and be persistent in their efforts in acquiring a job.

Meet Stacey Murray

Meet Stacey Murray

by: Kristin Bussell

I chose to interview Stacey Murray, the Coordinator of Special Events and Projects for the University of Oklahoma’s Public Affairs Office. Stacey graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts from Gaylord College of Journalism. She was a Public Relations major and having completed classes recently, she and I actually discovered that we’ve had some of the same teachers. This was a fun talking point!

Stacey more or less began her Public Relations career as a volunteer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association while in school. As Stacey explained, this volunteering led to an internship opportunity which then led to a job. Working for the non-profit Muscular Dystrophy Association, or MDA, was her first job out of school. She worked for the MDA from May of 2006 until October of 2007, when she came to OU’s Public Affairs Office.

I asked her about the differences between her current position and her former job with the MDA and she essentially reiterated what other non-profit, public relations professionals have reported: You find yourself involved much more in every aspect of PR as opposed to just event planning, writing or designing. In a non-profit you do everything. For example, Stacey recounted her first summer working for the MDA and told me how she was made assistant summer camp director… just out of school, no less! (MDA Summer Camp photo at right)

Working for the OU Public Affairs Office, Stacey’s job is to help plan University events through coordination with other University offices’ event staffs. Frequently, however, their office plans events on its own. Some examples of events she participates in planning include donor dinners for the President’s Associates, all events that President Boren is involved in, groundbreakings, news conferences and the graduation commencement ceremonies. (She actually knew the speaker for this year’s May commencement ceremony already, as they’ve been planning for several weeks, but wouldn’t tell me! It’s meant to be a surprise.) Currently Stacey is working on the opening of OU’s Transportation Operations Center.

With her background of PR experience, which I think is very broad for less than three years, I asked Stacey what her advice would be for an aspiring PR professional. Stacey said organization was critical! She also explained the importance of people-skills.

“It’s essential to learn how to handle and listen to people,” Stacey said.

This seemed to be especially true when there is any type of crisis. Stacey said it’s really important to be honest. In other words, the people or clients affected by the crisis always appreciate an up-front explanation when things go wrong.

Also on the topic of dealing with crisis situations, Stacey told me what her boss, Catherine Bishop, always tells her, “I’d rather you make a decision and it be wrong than not make a decision at all.”

This says to me that in order to be a successful Public Relations professional, it’s necessary to be quick-thinking in addition to being organized. After this time spent interviewing Stacey I feel like I know more of what to expect in my first Public Relations position… handling something different every day!