Out With The Old, In With The New!
My Recap of 2011 and goals for 2012
2011 has proved to be one of the most exciting and yet challenging years of my life. This year I graduated college, completed an internship with a team of people who taught me so much and who will now be lifelong friends of mine. And I was one of the luckier graduates who found employment so soon after graduation, which meant moving out to Toronto on my own to start my career.
I have had the opportunity to volunteer at a lot of amazing events this past year, including LG Fashion Week and planning the 2012 IABC/Toronto OVATION Awards. I also got the chance to meet some of my biggest role models in the media industry (Kelly Cutrone, Lisa Tant and Jeanne Beker).
I planned the first annual Childhood Awareness Day at Southlake Regional Health Centre, where I got to watch the President & CEO deliver the first speech I’ve written outside of a classroom, which was one of my proudest moments. It’s not everyday that a former astronaut delivers a speech that you wrote.
Two press releases that I wrote hit the covers of two community newspapers, and I also had several other byline articles published last year as well (Hospital News, Reflections, IABC/Toronto Communicator). My portfolio is looking pretty good this year if I do say so myself.
With 2012 already underway I’m starting to realize what I do and don’t like doing in my day-to-day job, and what I miss doing that I use to do in previous roles. I hope in the year to come, to determine which area of public relations I want to specialize in and in what industry, and continue to grow in my career. I’m thinking somewhere along the lines of crisis communications, issues management or media relations.
TFI New Labels Show – Contest
As many of you know the Toronto Fashion Incubator hosted the annual New Labels show this past Thursday at the Design Exchange in Toronto.
After many months of searching, three finalists were picked: Calgary-based designer Caitlin Power, and Toronto designers Golnaz Ashtiani and Nikki Wirthensohn. The three competing designers showed their fall/winter 2011 collections to a panel of judges including: Flare Magazines Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Tant and Toronto Star fashion reporter, Derick Chetty. All three designers were amazing and talented. However, only one could win. Ashtiani walked away with the grand prize valued at over $40,000 including $10,000 in cash, a feature in Flare Magazine and the opportunity to design an outfit for Sears womenswear.
If you missed the show and would to see all three of the lines in person or even purchase a piece or two, they will be on sale at TNT in Toronto.
For your chance to win one of the Proctor & Gamble gift bags from this years New Labels Show including the latest copy of Flare Magazine, OLAY total effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Eye Cream, COVERGIRL lipperfection and lipstick, PANTENE Spray Gel and Anti-Humidity Hair Spray comment below on what you think it takes to make it as a Toronto fashion designer and who your favourite designer was from this years TFI New labels Show. Also tweet: ” @Shane_McKenna just entered to win a Procter & Gamble gift bag from PRotege’s TFI New Labels Contest: http://wp.me/p1056X-5K “
Deadline April 25, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. winner will be contacted on April 26, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.
Are Pamphlets Still a Good PR Tactic?
A big topic in my freelance writing class this year has been the use of pamphlets and whether or not they are a good PR tool.
Our generation is so Internet savvy and more inclined to go to a website where things are more interactive, rather than open up a pamphlet.
Another thing to consider is where they are distributed. Most people will not pick one up off a rack, but if they’re placed inside of a media kit the chances someone will read it are higher.
Would you spend your time creating a pamphlet for your clients, or would you use your time on something a little more interactive.
Tell me your thoughts below and let me know if you think pamphlets are a good PR took, and take a look at a pamphlet I created in-class for Toronto PR agency, rock-it promotions.
Toronto Fashion Designer – Amanda Lew Kee
Below is a feature story I wrote on Amanada Lew Kee that was written for my freelance writing course and was submitted for publication in Ryerson Universities Alumni Magazine.
Amanada Lew Kee sporting her signuature blue lipstick at the launch of her F/W collection at Jacflash.
You don’t have to be on the runway for your career in fashion to take off just ask Fashion 10’ graduate Amanda Lew Kee. Since graduation Kee’s designs have walked down international runways, graced Hollywood red carpets, appeared on hit television shows and landed on the glossy pages of fashion magazines worldwide.
After winning Flare Magazine’s Student Editorial Competition in her third year, Kee quickly caught the attention of key people in the Toronto fashion industry and she was soon invited to show her spring/summer 2011 collection at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week. In fact, Kee was the first graduate to show a there so soon after graduation.
“What struck me about Kee’s first collection was her ability to restrict the colour palette to craft-paper tones and keep her silhouettes equally paired-down,” said Mosha Lundström Halbert Associate News Editor, Flare Magazine. “Many young designers lack this precision and try to accomplish way too many things at once in their work. Kee appears to have the confidence to strip away and edit, which is a valuable skill.”
With her degree in hand, Kee felt that she was prepared to show her Muskoka-Woods inspired collection at fashion week. She also has experience in planning industry events and a good knowledge of public relations, which ultimately led to the successful crowd at her first fashion week showcase. Kee’s spring/summer 2010 collection showed in New York during New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for the first time ever in February and the collection her most recent fall/winter 2011 recently showed at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week this past March.
“My advice for fashion design graduates is to stay true to your design ethics. Ryerson is a technical school and they prepare you for the technical aspects of the industry and not so much the creative side,” says Kee. “Be sure to know what you want to do when you are going to school and don’t lose it.”
Kee’s designs have garnered a large amount of press since her career debut, including a two-page spread in Flare Magazine in August 2010 and another Flare piece in the February 2011 issue. Kee was named one of the top Canadian designers in Nylon Magazine as well as one of the most powerful people in Eye Weekly.
Not only has Kee been featured in magazines, she has also designed custom pieces for 90210 television star, Shenae Grimes, for the MuchMusic Video Awards and the original Star Trek actress, Marina Sirtis, for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Kee also just finished designing wardrobe for the cast of True Blood, HBO’s hit television show.
“Many Ryerson graduates have the confidence and tenacity to take their career to the next level. Whether it’s Erdem Moralioglu making bold strides in London or Jeremy Laing winning over the New York crowd, I am hardly surprised that many Ryerson alumni do so well in a very tricky industry,” says Halbert. “Kee is definitely on my radar and I look forward to seeing her next collection.”
LG Fashion Week – OR by Angela Chen F/W 2011
Vancouver based fashion designer Angela Chen has made a name for herself in the fashion industry after graduating from Parsons, The New School for Design in New York. She launched Orange (OR) in 2007, and she has since dressed some of the most recognizable faces in the world, including Katy Perry and Coco Rocha. Watch below for a recap of her Fall/Winter 2011 collection featured at LG Fashion Week this past week.
Internship Dilemmas
As the snow slowly begins to melt most students are planning their summer from booking vacations to hosting parties. However, us communications students are searching high and low for the perfect internship. I have been dreaming of this time to come since I applied to college and brainstorming of where I would apply once the time approached.
I revised my resume and cover letter, e-mailed like crazy, and interviewed a few times. I have been offered a position. I thought as soon as I got an offer it would be a simple decision: to say yes, and accept. But I wanted to be sure that this internship would open doors for me in the future, introduce me to people who can further my career, and get me into the industry that I ultimately thrive to work in.
I had to weigh out the pros and cons and really think hard on making the right decision because if you let an offer sit on the table to long, it will expire. I have decided to take the offer, even though it is not in the industry I planned to work it, I know I can learn a lot from the experience and continue to improve my skills.
I am excited and nervous to finish college, but I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my career and counting down the days until my new position as a Corporate Communications Intern at the Southlake Regional Health Centre begins.
How is everyone else coming along on their internship search? Comment below I’d love to hear.
Fashion weeks around the world from Milan, London, Paris, New York and Toronto are all similar in many ways. Each one showcases next season’s trends six months in advance, to give fashion editors, stylists and buyers a first-hand look at the collections.
This is essential because magazines are written months before we see them on newsstands, clothes are purchased for stores seasons before we see them on the racks, and celebrities are styled and dresses are reserved months before they walk down Hollywood’s red carpets.
Fashion week has emerged into more then just a week for editors, buyers and stylists to get the first look at up-and-coming fashion trends. Now, fashion-lovers, bloggers, and any old Joe can get into these shows.
With the ability for consumers to buy tickets at many fashion weeks, or live-online streaming, the exclusivity of fashion week is lost. And with that comes the ability for retailers to steal and produce lower budget collections in enough time to hit stores for the next season.
This is one challenge Tom Ford, womensware designer has embraced and has found ways to restore the exclusivity of fashion week. His last collection after a six-year break was only open to selective editors (watch below), but he found that word on his collection was still getting around.
This season Ford took a different approach. He had the select group of fashion editors at his collection sign a non-disclosure agreement, legally binding them from talking about his collection until summer, when the collection will hit stores.
One of the single most important opportunities students tend to pass up is the opportunity to get involved in professional associations. Not only do most professional associations give students a discounted rate they also offer an endless amount of networking opportunities which is often the reason many graduates find jobs.
There are many different types of professional associations. Some are very broad such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), which are both focused on the communications and public relations field.
However there are also smaller associations based on specific industries. Typically these associations are harder to find but can be equally or even more beneficial than large associations such as IABC and CPRS.
For example, if you are interested in working in the fashion industry there are many fashion related associations including: The Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI), Fashion Group International (FGI), and many more.
I just completed a year membership with IABC, which only costs around $60.00, and it was worth every penny. I was able to join the mentorship program where I was paired with the Senior Manager of Internal Communications at HSBC. The contacts I made through the two networking events I attended and the knowledge I garnered from my mentor were invaluable.
However, I felt that IABC was not the association needed to help me land a job in the fashion industry so I recently decided to join FGI, which offered a free student membership and many exciting events within the fashion scene.
Professionals associations are worth their weight in gold and ultimately can land you a job over the applicant beside you so make sure you take advantage of the student rates while you still can.
All Things New
On December 1, 2010 I was invited to XTM’s “All Things New” party where the industry’s young and emerging talent was being celebrated. Within the event venue you were surrounded five extremely talented artists: Jesse Albert, Lucas Espin, Oscar Figueroa, Kristin Vincec and Tam Kai Vo all painting their interpretation of Toronto on the walls of the venue and guests voted for their favorite painting. Reality TV star and fashion designer Kendra showcased her holiday 2010 collection which is still available online at www.iamfranke.com, you can also view the collection below.
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There was a photo booth where guests got to dress up and get photographed by photographer Dipesh Lakhani. Guests also got their pictures snapped by Robin Cimitruk, another photographer who got action shots all night all while listening to the beats of Jesse Pollocco an aspiring DJ. All-in-all the event was a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate the talent of young Torontonians. Watch the clip below to see a recap of the night, see if you can spot me.
Rock-it promotions tells me how it really is
Rock-it promotions has launched a new segment on their blog called “Teachers Pet” where PR students such as my self have the opportunity to write in and ask the rock-it team any thing they’re curious about in the field of PR. I wrote in not to long ago and my answer was featured today on: “On The Fourth Floor,” the rock-it promotions blog. (To read visit: http://bit.ly/dXiEpZ).
My question was what is the typical editing process for a junior PR person before one of his/her press releases or any other written materials are ready to be circulated to press – do senior staff typically look over the work of junior staff and provide them with constructive feedback and help them revise the work, or is it expected that their written material is already perfect?
The rock-it team responded with an insightful answer from both a junior member (Abby) and senior member (Lisa) to give to perspectives on my question.
Abby – Publicity Co-ordinator
At rock-it, we have a great process in place for editing work, and everyone pitches in with editing and writing help (whether junior or senior). I’ve found that my writing has gotten stronger, because my team is great at giving constructive feedback.
Typically, I write a release, submit it to someone for an edit, and they will track their changes when they send it back to me. This helps me see where improvements were made and understand why something was re-worded. Then, it goes for a final edit with either Lisa (Publicity Manager), or Debra (President), then to the client for approval, and finally, to the media. Lots of steps along the way help catch any mistakes.
When I started, I did receive guidance from the team. However, I think it’s important that you can get started without a lot of guidance. It can be a little overwhelming, but you have to jump in and just give it a shot – whether or not someone is showing you every step along the way. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; it’s how you learn. If you have a good team, they’ll help you learn from your mistakes, rather than criticizing you.
Lisa – Publicity Manager
First, some background! I studied Journalism – Print and Broadcast at Durham College, where I learned really valuable writing skills. Then, I was hired by the campus Communications and Marketing Department, where my main role was writing and editing – and knowledge of CP Style was a must.
Being a strong writer was definitely an asset when I made the move to rock-it – I was able to teach other team members some easy ways to improve their writing. Now, I hold the unofficial role of copy editor at rock-it, though the process from taking a first draft to a final copy distributed to media is a team effort.
Most agencies recognize that junior staff are still learning the ropes, with everything from pitching to building lists to writing promotional materials. While it’s not expected that junior writing will be perfect, there are a few steps you can take to a) show your employer you value strong writing, b) begin to recognize errors and look up how to correct them, and c) save the editor time. It’s okay to make mistakes here and there – it’s part of the learning process! But there are five tips to make sure you’re submitting your best work possible.
1. Consult the CP Style and CP Caps and Spelling books. If you truly can’t locate a rule within these resources, flag it for your editor – that way, they know you made the effort to find the answer, and they’ll see that you know when to check reference guides.
2. Make a list of information to include. Writing a press release? Make sure you include the 5 Ws! It’s surprising how often crucial information is left out or forgotten.
3. If your senior staffer doesn’t go over their changes with you, ask them to sit down with you and explain. Send a friendly email to book a mutually convenient time for the two of you to discuss the changes that were made.
4. Take notes to ensure you are not making the same error every time you submit something for editing. After two or three corrections, it’s expected that you will remember the rule going forward.
5. The most important piece of advice is to take constructive criticism seriously, but not personally. Let’s face it – working in the communications industry, there is a lot of writing. Rather than dread or avoid it, embrace it. You senior staffers will notice when you put extra effort into improving your skills, which will only work to your benefit.
Oh, and in the words of a former professor, “Spell check is free on your computer. Use it!”
This was a really great way to get connected with people in the industry and get them to know a little about me and also to learn things about the industry you might not always find out in school.
The team at rock-it is still looking for students to take part in the “Teachers Pet” segment so if you have a question you would like to ask send an e-mail to abigail@rockitpromo.com. Remember: spelling, punctuation and grammar count – you’re representing yourself as a future PR pro. You never know when an opportunity will arise.
