There’s no “I” in team

Katie Pemberton

“No man is an island…and therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

In John Donne’s Meditation 17, he emphasizes the interconnectedness of mankind. It’s also a pretty accurate metaphor for our culture here at Obsidian PR. You see, although each client is officially represented by ONE Obsidian staffer, that client also has the ideas, expertise and experience of the entire agency in its corner. That’s because no account rep is “an island.”

As you may have read about in a previous “From the Rock” post, group brainstorming is a pretty major part of what we do here at Obsidian. There are many times that brainstorming among the entire Obsidian staff might be used for a client:

• When the relationship starts, to get everyone’s input on broad things, like overarching goals, or more specific things, like story pitching ideas or social media tactics
• When the client is starting a new initiative or event and the account rep wants to consider ALL ideas for promoting, helping plan and execution
• When the client has a problem or issue and needs our help overcoming the challenge
• When the client wants some ideas for a tagline or new company or product name

I can tell you as an account rep who has handled several of these types of projects, it is a major asset to the work I do to have our team providing input, guidance and feedback.
 
In addition to the formal brainstorming, there are many other ways that Obsidian functions as a unit, preventing any account rep from ever being the sole person servicing a client. 
Both the Dallas and Memphis locations have a manager of the team who keeps an eye on all client work from an aerial view, providing guidance and ideas to the account rep that she might not have seen from where she is “on the ground” executing tactical work.
 
Yet another example of how Obsidian fosters a great community and group dynamic is how we are all able to fill in for each other when needed. For example, if an account rep is going to be out of town during an important client event, he will transition all of the materials, from the publicity timeline to the contact list and the event planning notes, to another account rep, and that account rep will execute the last-minute promotional tactics, attend the event to field media, coordinate timing as needed, etc. Each account rep will ensure that client work is taken care of (by other staffers, if needed) while out of the office.
 
But sometimes things come up for a client, such as a media crisis, that can’t be predicted, which has actually happened with a client while the account rep was out of town. Fortunately, Obsidian’s culture is such that the team manager was totally up to speed on the client’s issue, and the other account executives had a solid foundation of information about the client from all the collaborative activities we had done. The team manager and the other account executive tag-teamed the crisis and handled it seamlessly while the original account rep was 1,500 miles away.
 
I also like Donne’s advice not to “send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” He was talking about death, but I look at it in a more abstract and therefore positive way. I equate a bell tolling to when we have had a great success for a client, such as a front-page news story. Even if it wasn’t one of MY personal clients, I am still excited for the success of one of OUR clients, and one of OUR account reps. So that bell…it still tolls for me.

Getting to know...

Our fearless leader and founder of Obsidian Public Relations: Courtney Liebenrood Ellett. Most people only know her as a powerhouse of PR knowledge, but this mother of two has other interests up her sleeve.

Jake and Savannah

Birthday: 5/10/75
Hometown: Collierville, Tenn.
College: The University of Memphis

All-time favorite restaurant:
Have lots of favorites. For Italian, I love Villa Castrioti.

Favorite thing to do in Memphis
Sunday drives and the zoo
 
What is your favorite cause?
Children’s grief camp

Favorite Facebook page and Twitter account: 
I enjoy following @SteveMartinToGo.

How old were you when you got your first cell-phone?
Maybe 16. Can’t remember exactly!
 
Favorite book:
This year’s favorite is “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”

Favorite pastime:
Love to fish; love to read (but not at the same time!) 

First car:
Mitsubishi Eclipse

If you could go back in time and live during a different era, which would you choose? Early 1900s

What was your first paying job?  
Video store clerk

If your life had a soundtrack what song would you pick for it?
The Shepherd Moons album by Enya

What TV show are you embarrassed about watching?
Tough one. Don’t watch TV very often. I used to watch Taxicab Confessions on HBO. Very embarrassed about that.

What was the first concert you went to see?
It was either New Kids on the Block or Debbie Gibson (both on Mud Island Amphitheater).

If you were an Olympic athlete, in what sport would you compete?
Swimming

What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?
Raw chicken salad. The restaurant forgot to cook the chicken. I’ll save them embarrassment by not naming the offending restaurant.

If you could have a drink with someone from history, who would it be?
Abraham Lincoln

If you could live in any other country for two years, where would you go?
New Zealand

Getting the most out of your internship – a manager’s perspective

Crissy Lintner

As the fall semester kicks off at area colleges and universities, our management team’s inboxes become filled with resumes from hopeful students in search of an internship! Many PR internships for fall have been filled by the point, as most students are finding out (we are still looking for a great intern for our Dallas office, though!). And for those starting their internships, I have a few pointers for you to remember.

 

Ask questions
How will you learn if you don’t ask questions? And how will you ensure you do work correctly? Asking questions is one of the biggest keys to success during an internship. As a manager, I expect questions from interns. So do our account reps. You are a student, after all, with minimal experience actually working in public relations. So, be sure you are asking intelligent questions to help you do the best job possible.

Listen and take notes
There’s this moment in a conversation with an intern that, as a manager, I dread − when a glassy look comes over the eyes as I’m explaining an assignment while no notes are being taken. We work in a fast-paced environment where not listening and writing down assignments can lead to failure fast – both for you and the project at hand. Pay attention, write everything down and ask questions.

Contribute ideas
Join the conversation! In an environment like ours, where it’s not uncommon for a person to yell out a question about AP Style from three spaces down, interns who thrive are those unafraid to speak up. Whether we’re brainstorming ideas for a client as a team or simply discussing where to have lunch that day, we full-timers love when you interns join the conversation! And, my best interns have always been those who proactively send me ideas for clients. Those are the interns who get hired if timing is right. 

Be a self-starter
Agency life is exciting – no day is the same. But even we have our slow days. If you ever find yourself “bored” as an intern, think of how you can contribute. Proactively send an email asking if anyone needs help. Look around the office – is there something that needs organizing (like the never-ending pile of newspapers we read on a weekly basis)? Is there a media list that needs updating? Have you heard about a project going on with a client that you want to assist with? Showing initiative is a great sign of leadership and of a good PR professional.

Be on time and be present
It is very simple: interns are expected to be on time. And, unless otherwise approved during the interview process, excessive absences not due to illness are frowned upon. If your internship is being completed for class credit, missing days could affect your final review and grade. So, when you commit to an internship (paid or unpaid), be on time and be present.

Treat your manager and co-workers as mentors
We get it – PR people can be intimidating. We’re loud, we’re opinionated and we’re passionate about what we do. But we also want to help you learn and grasp the discipline of PR. So, pick our brains, share your career goals and, here it is again, ask questions. The more we learn about you, the better we can help you hone your skills. And if you’ve let your personality, drive and abilities shine, we’re more likely to have positive recommendations for your career endeavors.

Interested in an internship? We’re hiring for a level 1intern in the Dallas office and accepting internship applications for both the Memphis and Dallas offices for 2013. Visit our careers page for details.

Make it rain...ideas, that is!

Lauren Hannaford

Let’s brainstorm! We love getting that email around here. Brainstorming sessions are not only fun, but you can also get a lot done in a short amount of time thanks to the brainpower of your co-workers.

When we come together to brainstorm for a client, the entire team discusses a certain need and addresses the objective. Then, we open the floodgates and let the ideas start flowing. It’s a simple strategy that goes a long way. Brainstorms can cover a wide variety of topics from renaming a company, developing a tagline and generating pitching ideas to social media strategy, community relations tactics and ideas for events. Sometimes, brainstorms last 30 minutes, and sometimes, they can seem more like a marathon if we’re on a roll. However long it may take, the end result is that you get an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of ideas to take back to the client.

There also are a few simple “rules” to be mindful of in order to ensure a productive brainstorm. 

1. Listen. Listen to the co-worker leading the brainstorm. Listen closely to what their need is. Yes, offering up other ideas might be helpful in the long run, but focusing on what they need will help them achieve their immediate goal. 
2. Try not to interrupt. While we are all guilty of interrupting someone at some point, I think we all know how it feels to be interrupted in mid-sentence. 
3. Get funny! Sometimes, taking five minutes to yell out the most ridiculous ideas can lead to the some of the best ideas. Oftentimes, you get that “aha” moment during a round of the funnies. 
4. Research. Bring your smart phone or laptop and research helpful information during the discussion. Stay on topic. This relates to the first point in a way, but is also important for different reasons. If the group meets to brainstorm ideas for a new program tagline and a question arises about social media, well, that’s not staying on topic. While social media will no doubt come into play sometime down the line, it’s not the objective of the brainstorm.

Here’s how Google employees brainstormed in 2007! I wonder if things have changed since then?