Our Chapter has been a longtime supporter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at Arizona State University, ever since the student chapter was formed in 1982 and sponsored by our organization. We have provided professional development training, guest speakers and guidance for the past three decades and launched an annual scholarship program in 1987 to assist future PR professionals in obtaining their degrees. Additionally, for the past three years we have provided funding for students to attend the annual international PRSSA conference each fall, giving them the added benefit of learning and networking with leaders and prospective employers.

I am extremely pleased to announce that the PRSA Phoenix Chapter’s 15-member board of directors unanimously approved the commitment to underwrite $15,000 to go towards developing the PR Lab at ASU. We strongly believe that our chapter will benefit immensely from supporting this program that allows students to obtain real-world experience by working on public relations campaigns for actual clients in the Valley.

The PR Lab is an integral part of the comprehensive public relations curriculum within the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications and is helping produce a workforce that is more valuable to future employers and better prepared to meet the constantly changing needs and dynamics of the industry landscape. We hope our gift will be the catalyst for other PR agencies, organizations and companies in the Greater Phoenix area to follow this partnership model in financially assisting ASU’s public relations program, its students and faculty.

This gift is payable over the course of three years, with $5,000 per year starting in 2012. I am delighted that our chapter is in a strong enough financial position to be able to help fund this great program. Our ability to do so is in large part to your Board’s wise cost management, the continued support of our valued sponsors and the robust programming we are able to offer Arizona’s PR professionals. Your continued involvement and participation in PRSA Phoenix professional development events over the years has played a great part in ensuring the funds were available for this initiative.

In addition to solidifying our organization’s relationship with ASU PRSSA and the PR Lab, among the benefits will be the use of the ASU downtown facility for events, partnering with the PR Lab and its students for future professional development opportunities, generating awareness for the Chapter and the national organization and helping advance tomorrow’s PR professionals. The PR Director’s Office will also be renamed after PRSA Phoenix and our organization will have signage within the PR Lab to generate increased awareness and drive membership. Click here to learn more about the PR Lab. Contact Associate Professor and PR Lab Director Dr. Fran Matera at matera@asu.edu or 602.496.5051 to schedule a tour today!

Sincerely,

Christie Silverstein
PRSA Phoenix President, 2012

Throughout the month of May, any member joining PRSA National under the Associate Member category will receive a FREE New Professionals Section membership for one year.

Connect with peers who share your industry commitment, confidence and desire to succeed, and gain access to materials that will help you accelerate your career advancement. A perfect deal for recent graduates! Join today with promotion code AM12.

Still not convinced May is the month to join PRSA? Contact Bridget Daly to learn more about how PRSA can help you grow your career: bridget@ideascollide.com.

Position: Public Relations Intern 

Company: Ubiquity PR

PRSA Position: Associate Member

Where did you go to college?

I attended the University of California Santa Barbara for a year, and then concluded my college education at Arizona State University. 

What was your major? Why did you choose it?

I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication.  I chose it because I have always been fascinated by facets of communication and loved delving into from both practical and theoretical perspectives.  My favorite classes of all were my performance studies classes, where I was able to cultivate my public speaking skills.

Hong long have you been a member of PRSA?

I’m brand new!  My first PRSA event was just this March.

What do you wish you’d known when you started in PR?

I’ve just recently been able to fully jump into PR, and I feel like I’m fortunate to be getting a great 360 degree view of it right now.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Arizona?

I am a huge fan of Sedona.  My family and I have been going there for a week every summer since I was a baby, so it’s definitely my home away from home.  It holds so many memories for me and never fails to be a therapeutic getaway.  The natural beauty still takes my breath away, and I love to reconnect with nature, my family and the simple joys of life while there.

If you could have dinner with any living person, who would it be and what would be the first thing you would say them?  

I would absolutely love to meet Charlize Theron for dinner.  I respect her a lot as an actress but, more importantly, she is incredibly intelligent and passionate.  She does a lot of work for the youth in Africa, which is a cause I personally hold close to my heart, and she overall seems to be a grounded, caring person.  If I met her, I would thank her for channeling her wealth and fame into admirable pursuits.

What’s the best part of your job?

Being able to write often, and meet so many interesting people are the two best things about this job.  

What’s the toughest lesson you’ve learned on the job?

I think learning to admit personal shortcomings is a tough thing to learn, but incredibly useful for this job when starting out.  I know I won’t grow without intentional work on my weaker areas, so it’s important to be honest about those and seek advice from the real experts!

Google officially launched Hangouts On Air May 7th, a live video streaming product associated with its Google+ social network. The feature had been introduced last September for select users, such as celebrities and journalists, to broadcast Google+ video hangouts. The broader public release of Hangouts On Air means any Google+ user can now broadcast a video hangout live for the world to see, which brings some interesting opportunities and time/cost savings to communicators.

Google+ users can now:

• Facilitate a video hangout with 9 other active participants. (This functionality has existed for all Google+ users and is the core engine for the new Hangouts On Air.)
• Broadcast live video of their hangout publicly on a Google+ page, YouTube channel or their own website that embeds the hangout video. (Ten people can participate in broadcasting a hangout as before and, with the On Air rollout, an unlimited number of people can view anyone’s broadcast live.)
• Record and archive a hangout video. (After a live hangout concludes a recording is added to the original Google+ post and a user’s YouTube channel; some edit capabilities are then made available.)

PR practitioners can explore using Hangouts On Air for a client’s video blog, interviewing a subject matter expert for online newsroom content, livestreaming a conference keynote, or hosting a virtual press conference with up to 9 other presenters regardless of their locations. The unlimited public viewer capacity expands your audience reach and message awareness potential exponentially.

Tune into more Hangouts On Air details and how-to’s on Google’s official blog post, and get a sense of how hangouts work by visiting the Google+ Hangouts page.

If you remain among the curious, are considering Pinterest’s PR tool potential, need to ramp up with an account, or simply can’t get enough of that Pinteresting stuff, Phoenix PRSA Board Member Ryan Zuk, APR, provides some links to helpful details.

“All about Pinterest” from Entrepreneur magazine, notes that Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined.

“7 Examples of Brands That Pop on Pinterest” from Hubspot’s blog. General Electric, Drake University, and Oreck vacuum cleaners, of all things, make the hit list.

“Pinning 101” from Pinterest.com. Nothing wrong with going right to the source. Pinterest provides pinning essentials on its help page along with the prerequisite tips on site terminology and etiquette.

So many times, the PR department is caught off-guard by embarrassing or negative news, yet it is those very people who then must help dig the organization out from the onslaught of negative media attention. And today, with the instantaneous nature of social media, a crisis can snowball in mere minutes – unless you know how to handle it adeptly to preserve your company’s reputation and your career. What do you do when bad news hits, three TV stations call simultaneously and dozens of negative posts appear on your company’s social media sites? How can you get ahead of the bad news?

In his almost three years leading media relations for the Arizona Department of Corrections, guest speaker Barrett Marson was faced with putting out media fires on a near daily basis. Prior to that, he spent four years as Communications Director at the Arizona House of Representatives, where he worked for the majority. He began his career in newspapers, working for more than a dozen years as a reporter. Today, Barrett advises clients of Marson Media on media relations strategies, including how to develop and execute crisis plans.

Attendees will learn:

• How to deal with a crisis as it unfolds
• Steps to take immediately using social media
• Tools you need to be successful in the midst of a media firestorm
• How to best advise your client or boss to prepare them for negative media attention
• How to prepare before a crisis hits

Date: Thursday, April 19


Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Location: University Club of Phoenix, 39 E. Monte Vista, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Register here

This is an IABC Phoenix hosted event, but PRSA Phoenix members will receive the discounted rate to attend due to our strategic partnership with their organization.

Maizie’s Café & Bistro

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

Join us for the next PRSA Phoenix Media Breakfast which will feature editors from local magazines throughout the Valley. The panel will include Tishin Donkersley, editor of Green Living Magazine, Michelle Glicksman, editor of So Scottsdale!, Scottsdale Health and Go Gilbert, RaeAnne Marsh, editor of In Business Magazine, and Ed Martinez, editor-in-chief of MyLIFE Magazine.

Learn about their preferred pitching style, stories they’re currently working on, what they are looking for, and upcoming deadlines for the remaining issues of 2012.

PANELISTS:

Tishin Donkersley, Green Living Magazine
Michelle Glicksman, So Scottsdale!, Scottsdale Health, Go Gilbert
RaeAnne Marsh, In Business Magazine
Ed Martinez, MyLIFE Magazine

WHEN: Thursday, May 17
7:30 to 9 a.m.

WHERE: Maizie’s Café & Bistro
4750 North Central Avenue (by Landmark Towers)
Phoenix, AZ 85012

COST: $15 for members who register in advance by the deadline noted below or $20 for members at the door
$20 for non-members who register in advance by the deadline noted below or $25 for non-members at the door
*Please note that online registration will close at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 in order to place the breakfast order*

Questions: contact Beth Cochran beth@wiredprgroup.com or Kendra Schultz kschultz@hmapr.com

Register

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

A buzz is in the air this April.

Why, you ask?

Because PRSA Phoenix is proudly partnering with our friends at Buzzcation and the Arizona Biltmore for one of the biggest and brightest networking events of the year – the PRSA Buzzcation!

This event will bring together PRSA Phoenix members and non-members alike through the power of social media for a casual evening of drinking and dishing to benefit the PRSSA Arizona Scholarship Program.

And there is a twist.

The night will include the only Phoenix screening of the nationally acclaimed documentary Twittamentary in the Arizona Biltmore Ballroom where we will enjoy gourmet movie snacks, beverages and a live Twitter stream via a split screen. The party will continue – and raffle winners will be announced – at Frank & Albert’s, also on the Biltmore grounds, who are giving us their “High Five Happy Hour” specials all night long.

As always, the event will ask for a small donation from guests for the charitable partner – our PRSSA Scholarship Fund. But please bring cash for the amazing raffle, where we can really raise some funds for the kids! We are also accepting raffle donations from any PRSA members or non-members. Please email Ashley Oakes or Alison Bailin Batz for more information.

Date: Friday, April 27^th

Location: Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa Ballroom

Address: 2400 East Missouri Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85016

Registration/Raffle Sales/Buzzcation Libations: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Gourmet movie snacks are included with your registration fee as are two initial raffle tickets. There will also be a cash bar with well cocktails, wine and beer starting at $4, courtesy of the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. Additional raffle tickets are $2 each. 

Private Movie Screening: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Libations will be available during the private screening as will additional raffle tickets for sale.

Private Buzzcation After-Party at Frank & Albert’s: 8pm to Close

To view their “High Five Happy Hour,” please click here.

Cost: $10 to support the PRSSA Scholarship Fund.

Parking: Valet Parking is FREE as is garage parking near the conference center and event ballroom

Registration: To register, please visit www.buzzcation.com

Please note this event is limited to the first 200 registered guests due to space limitations – so sign up today! You must be on the RSVP list to enter the movie and after-party.

Also note the general tips to enjoying your #Buzzcation by clicking here.

Feel free to use the following hashtags/handles to share in the excitement as we lead up to the event:

#Buzzcation
#PRSAPhoenix
#twittamentary
@arizonabiltmore

About Twittamentary

Twittamentary looks at how lives connect and intersect within the Twitter community as the real-time web accelerates serendipity. Bonds are forged as a result of unexpected encounters between strangers as they share moments of their lives in real time. The film is created in the open spirit of the Web. Twitter users have been invited to contribute story ideas, rich media and videos to the film via the movie’s initial submissions website. The launch of this website in August 2009 soon led to a whirlwind road trip across USA, where the filmmaker interviewed a wide range of Twitter’ers, from a travel journalist turned “twilebrity” to a homeless women who uses twitter from a public library to a prostitute who uses twitter as her personal GPS.

To view a teaser of the film, please click here.

About Buzzcation

It all started when Lars and Yvette were chatting about stress at work and wanting to take a vacation. Not having the time for one Lars suggested to Yvette that she indulge in a “buzzcation” instead – a two-hour stay at a bar with a drink in hand to quickly forget about work-related stress.

Yvette liked the term and asked Lars if she could use it instead of the usual “happy hour.” Lars obliged and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yvette gets “entangled” one day with rabid Tweeter Mike, a.k.a @lafinguy, who has made a name for himself on the local social media scene. Mike, on occasion, would organize tweetups with friends and associates he interacts with on a daily basis on Twitter. Yvette crashed one of his tweetups, bringing with her about 20 PR pros, and insisted that these tweetups be called “buzzcations.”

The term stuck and Buzzcation was born on November 18, 2009.

Since then, they have added a charitable component to each event…with PRSA Phoenix’s scholarship program being their proud partner in April 2012. For more information, please click here.

Register