July 16th proved to be not your “Typical Friday” in a Day In The Life of the Interns. And no, we’re not talking about the Enrique Iglesias concert out on the Plaza—this, my friends, was even BIGGER! As the crew of eager interns hailed cabs (for about approximately 30 minutes, thank you, Summer Fridays), we embarked on our first out-of-the office adventure together—we left as six, and we arrived as one.
The Fest, held annually by the Council of Public Relations Firms, began with PR Maven Gail Heimann, Vice Chair of Weber Shandwick. She imparted unto the approximately 150 Interns valuable advice and insight. She stirred our creativity early, as she began her presentation with the “5 Questions Interns Never Ask Her,” challenging us to add to her list. Following this discussion, we were presented with two separate panels, one of which starred our very own MMC superstar, Kate DiChristopher. Kate held her own with poise, as she offered advice as to how to turn an internship into a full-time career. Finally, to top off the discussion, Jessica Lee, Senior Employment Manager of APCO Worldwide presented all of the things not do to when applying for a job (you may want to take a quick peek at your Facebook profile picture right about…now!)
We want to thank the Council of Public Relations Firms for giving us the invaluable opportunity to be exposed to such esteemed PR professionals. We look forward to applying all of our gained knowledge in the future!
(submitted by Jaimie Scambio, Allyson Culligan, Marianna Castro MMC 2010 Interns)
As a member of the recruitment team at MMC, I spend a lot of time each spring meeting with college students who are interested in joining our agency after graduation. Whether informational or for open opportunities, I always have the same advice when it comes to building industry contacts: do your research, network, accept informationals, tap into you alumni network, find me on LinkedIn, market your personal brand. It is all about building a relationship!
I realized a few weeks ago that I wasn’t following some of my own very important advice when it comes to alumni networking. It has been months, if not a year, since I last attended an alumni networking event. So when my own alma mater, Teachers College Columbia University, announced a networking and upcoming “Idea Cafe” event, I registered right away. What more could I ask for than 100 professionals with the same career interests as me all in one room? The Idea Cafe – 15 stations set up to allow participants to share insights and practices on various topics – further added to the event, sparking conversation and generating excitement around several hot topics.
I was very excited to be asked to facilitate one of the “Cafe’s” Idea boards – social media strategies for HR and talent acquisition. I knew going into the event that my team’s efforts in this area would shine. After all, you can follow MMC’s HR and recruitment team on Twitter (@katelizdee, @ausmaree, @mbmurphy15) or Link In with us. Junior candidates can also join the Marina Maher Communications Graduate and Internship Opportunities group on Facebook to learn more about entry-level opportunities. Through these social outlets, we regularly share not only information on available opportunities but also interesting articles, interview tips, relevant MMC news and a variety of other resources.
How do you use social media to network and market the brand of YOU?
When it came my turn to post again, I decided to take the lead from several of my MMC colleagues who have recently reflected on a variety of topics – Danae Danta on her New Year’s Resolution; Sarah Pfeiffer on what makes her a New Yorker; Anne Court on turning 30.
Two years ago my brother TJ moved to Vietnam. His motives were multifacited but most notably he embraced the opportunity to live and gain journalistic experience abroad. As Managing Editor of AsiaLIFE magazine, there is a lot to learn from him and his amazing journey.
- Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump – TJ applied for a visa, packed three bags and bought a plane ticket…to a place where he knew only one person, didn’t speak the language, didn’t have a job and didn’t have an apartment. While this is an extreme for the majority of us, taking a plunge (even a small one!) can be absolutely exhilerating.
- Commitment and passion will always get you to where you want to be- His passions may have evolved over the years but TJ’s dedication has never faltered. Know what you are passionate about and stay committed to getting where you want to be. Accept that there are bound to be detours along the way – who knows though, they might turn out to be a little refreshing.
- During life’s happiest moments it is somewhat unbelivable how much champagne you can consume – The unscheduled but impecable timing of TJ’s first trip home and my engagement proved this point beyond a reasonable doubt. I think we can all agree that whether you are toasting a success, a milestone or just a good day, life is definitely better with champagne!
- There are times in life when you have to try really, really hard not to cry – It may be a cliché; however I’ve never been great with good-byes and they get a lot harder when your brother lives almost 9000 miles away. Sometimes you have to suck it up in a tough situation – they are usually difficult for a reason. More often than not they will prove a critical piece to your long-term success…and in hindsight you’ll probably wonder why you thought they were so difficult to begin with anyway!
- It doesn’t matter how old you get, your parents will always worry about you – And for some reason, when they can’t get a hold of you, they’ll assume your sister Kate has a secret bat phone she can contact you with. So call your parents. Regularly.
- Miles will never truly separate you – But when they try, thank god for social media!
The competitive spirit is alive and well at MMC!
For our annual summer outing this year, the HR team designed an Eastside Scavenger Hunt for the MMC staff. The “hunt” was to be followed by a delicious picnic-themed dinner; but before the chicken, salads, sangria and make-your-own sundae bar could be enjoyed, MMC’ers had an action packed 90 minutes ahead of them.
Our entire staff participated, from interns to Practice Group leaders, racing around the city snapping pictures and gathering “hunt” items to bring back. We knew that MMC’ers would put their PR skills to use but the resourcefulness, strategy, execution and creativity that we saw was inspiring!
Here are some of the winning strategies:
1. Plan, plan, plan: when the “hunt” guide went out at 3 pm, there was a mad dash by staffers to get their hands on it! With only 90 minutes to execute, teams had to make efficient use of their time and coordinate their efforts in a way that allowed them to gather the most points.
2. A picture is worth
..a lot of points if you do it right: while teams could only submit 10 photos, those that strategized to put multiple scenes in one picture were able to capitalize (think, entire team in yoga poses plus a bike messenger in one shot!)
3. Masters of negotiation: with only a $10 budget and dozens of items to potentially bring back, most of our teams proudly gave the judges change! Apparently if you ask nicely enough, you don’t actually have to go for a cab ride to get a taxi receipt.
4. “Buttering up” goes a long way: make sure you know your audience! Teams could “bribe” the judges with “treats” that translated into Australian chocolates for Maree, chicken wings from the Buffalo bar for Kate and beer (even if it wasn’t Irish) for MaryBeth!
5. Extra credit adds up: many teams went above and beyond to gain extra points and had a ball doing it. Team 1 stopped the Big Apple tour bus to get the picture. Team 2 flirted shamelessly with a firefighter one member even wearing his hat and jacket!
We are delighted to applaud the winning team who racked up points by bringing back multiples of every single item on the “hunt” list! Congratulations Patrick DeLisser, Joanna Garland, Sara Horowitz, Jackie Widrow, Robert Ricci, Annette Evans and Erica Nadboy (pictured above)!
Check out the rest of our teams in action, as well as highlights from the picnic!
The traditional wedding “season” begins in May when the weather warms up and flowers begin to bloom and usually ends by early autumn. This year, my wedding season started January 1st, on a bitterly cold evening in Jersey City and will end December 19th on what will most likely be a bitterly cold day in Boston.
My boyfriend Dave and I are invited to 10 weddings in 2009, including 5 ceremonies in a 7 week stretch this summer (there was a half packed suitcase on my bedroom floor for over a month not easy for a neat freak like me.) Our friends have pretty much stopped asking what we have planned for the weekend or in the very least preempt any summer weekend invitation with a “do you guys have a wedding?” When I go home to Buffalo to visit my parents, my mother sends me back with two things: wedding cards and magnets (“to hang up all your invitations”). Fair enough- we have returned RSVPs nearing or exceeding double digits each year for the past 3 years. I get it!
As I reflect on these weddings and those yet to come, I realize that I’ve learned much more than how to strategically coordinate my dress selections and Dave’s suit/tie combinations. Our friends truly are unique and you can see their personalities in the details of their special day. Each wedding stands out in at least one way and we’ve seen an astonishing assortment:
18-person jazz orchestra
fireworks that would rival most towns on the 4th of July
meeting Dave’s parents for the first time
my first hora (and second and third
.)
a view overlooking Manhattan on New Year’s Eve
wine tasting room with a sommelier that knew your favorite wine just by looking at you
one of my best friends wearing a fabulous Priscilla of Boston gown (go MMC!)
a reception at the country club where I had my high school prom
all my college friends back in our college town
choreographed dance numbers that put us on the set of a Bollywood film
a castle overlooking the lake at sunset
dessert bar that would put New York’s best bakery to shame
after hours party that went until the sun came up (okay, that one has happened more than once
)
and who could forget having to turn the car around because the groom forgot his tuxedo pants?!
These moments are priceless!
To everyone who has shared their day with us (and for all the save the dates already hanging on our fridge)
.Thank You, Congratulations and Mazal Tov!
Let’s face it, New York City is the center of the universe for those of us who live here and rightfully so. With 5+ years of residence under my belt, why then, am I absolutely obsessed with another city?
I don’t use the term “obsessed” lightly. I talk about this city all the time. I read about it. I research it. For fun. My “101 Greatest Moments” book of this city’s history is my most prized possession. Seriously. If I’m honest with myself, it’s a city with a relatively lousy image, situated in the heart of the Rust Belt, and thought to have long since died with the closing of the Bethlehem Steel plant. If you haven’t been to my house for dinner in the last several weeks to hear me go on and on about my hometown, let me fill you in
.I’m talking about Buffalo, New York.
Trust me; I know what you’re thinking. It’s what everyone thinks. You see, other than coming up with the recipe for the chicken wing back in 1964 at The Anchor Bar, there are only a few things that people know about Buffalo. Each “fact” caters to a negative image for the Queen City we lost four consecutive Super Bowls; 100-plus inches of snow fall on us each year (Buffalo’s infamous Blizzard of 1977 was the first snow-caused federal disaster in US history); OJ Simpson was one of our most famous football players, a fact consistently referred to during his murder trial; we only make the news if someone throws themselves over Niagara Falls. And all this bad luck is of course to be blamed on the ghost of President William McKinley, who was assassinated in Buffalo. I think I covered it, right?
Wrong.
Named one of the top 44 places to visit by The New York Times in 2009, Buffalo has also been awarded USA Today’s “City with a Heart” title and been named an “All-America City” twice by the National Civic Committee.
Everyone knows that the chicken wing was invented in Buffalo but did you know about the following items the grain elevator; fire hydrant; air conditioner; whipped cream; take out coffee cup; adhesives that seal your creamer cups, jelly packets, etc; the kazoo; bell jars; Trico windshield wiper blades; the synthesizer; the jet pack; non-dairy creamer; Weber’s mustard; Perry ice cream; Keri lotion? The first pacemaker was developed and implanted in Buffalo. In 1881 Buffalo was the first city in the country to have electric street lights. The first telegraph was sent in 1845 from Buffalo; the first ice cream sundae was served in the 1880s; Fisher Price was founded in 1930; General Mills made its first batch of Cheerios in their Buffalo-based factory in 1941. The lighted floor made popular by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever was developed by Litelab in Buffalo.
The short list of names you may recognize from Buffalo include Tim Russert, Wolf Blitzer, Terry Anderson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lucille Ball, Ani DeFranco, and the Goo Goo Dolls. Time spent in Buffalo was the longest period that author Mark Twain lived in one place and where he became co-owner of a newspaper. Buffalo born Millard Fillmore, became the 13th president of the United States on July 9, 1850. In 1885, Grover Cleveland, Buffalo’s “adopted son” former county sheriff and elected mayor became the 22nd president of the US and later married a “Buffalo gal”.
I really could on and on (come over for dinner and I will) Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1901 at the Ansley Wilcox Mansion in Buffalo; “The Natural” starring Robert Redford was filmed in Buffalo during the summer of 1983; DNA samples used in The Human Genome Project were collected from donors in Buffalo. Roswell Park secured funding for a cancer research center in 1898. Today The Roswell Park Memorial Institute located in downtown Buffalo is one of the world’s leading cancer research institutions.
Despite our critics, Buffalo has a rich history and the heart to leverage our spirit into a hopeful future. We tend to listen to our critics without telling the whole story. The city of Buffalo embraced Scott Norwood and the notorious “wide right” after Super Bowl XXV by showing up 20,000 strong with class and compassion in Niagara Square to show their appreciation, chanting “We want Scott”. Despite the 199.4 inches of snow that fell during the winter of ’7 7, neighbors came together to shelter and feed the near frozen and stranded; these acts of kindness allowed the city to survive and would later be hailed as the sheer definition of human decency.
So the next time you meet someone from Buffalo, try not to look at them like they just told you they grew up in Siberia. Don’t make fun of their football team either; they are some of the most passionate fans you will ever meet. And if you’re lucky enough to have drinks with this person, make sure you don’t order Buffalo wings they’re called chicken wings.
Give Buffalo a chance; it’s a feeling we like to call Buf-a-luv.
