Getting to know our main man -- Thomas!

The only man among the women of Obsidian, Thomas Whitehead is an integral part of our team, offering valuable insight for our clients and the firm as a whole. He leverages his interests for the good, and you should take time to get to know him!

Thomas Whitehead

Birthday: June 29, 1976  
 

Hometown: Brandon, Miss.
 

College: Mississippi State University

All-time favorite restaurant: Bari Ristorante

Favorite thing to do in Memphis:
Going to Grizzlies games and Barbecue Fest

What is your favorite cause?
Mentoring

Favorite Twitter account:
I like following @seriouseats.

How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
Probably older than the rest of the office - 22.

Favorite book:
"The Tender Bar" by J. P. Moeringer

Favorite pastime:
Cooking, running

First car:
Plymouth Reliant

If you could go back in time and live during a different era, which would you choose?
I would be very curious to go back to the 1960s to see how society adjusted to itself, as well as how it was handled in the media back then.

What was your first paying job?
Sandwich Artist at Subway

If you life had a soundtrack, what song would you pick for it?
"Via Chicago" by Wilco

What TV show are you embarrassed about watching?
Greek

What was the first concert you went to see?
The Monkees

If you were an Olympic athlete, in what sport would you compete?
Half-marathon – setting the world record for slowest time.

What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?
Sea urchin. I had a bad experience with it once even though I love sushi.

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

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

Get to know our Texas gals!

Part of Obsidian's new Dallas operation, Crissy Lintner and Kerri Guyton headed to the great state of Texas to launch the new office earlier this year. Get to know them now!

 

Kerri Guyton

Kerri with her three children, Hannah, Myles and Parks

Birthday: Oct. 20

Hometown: I don’t really have a hometown. I was born in San Antonio, Texas, and have lived in multiple places throughout Mississippi most of my life. I’m back in Texas now, living in Tyler.

College: Mississippi State University

All-time favorite restaurant: Ruth’s Chris

Favorite thing to do in Tyler/Dallas:
Take my kids to experience the “cool” things where we live – be it museums, parks, attractions, festivals, etc. 

What is your favorite cause?
I don’t really have a cause that I am all about, but I certainly have a heart for children.

How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
15

Favorite book:
Sad to say that I don’t have a specific favorite that sticks out.
 
Favorite pastime:
Spending time together as a family (with my husband and kids).

First car:
Nissan Sentra

If you could go back in time and live during a different era, which would you choose?
The Roaring '20s (although, I wouldn’t want to stay through the '30s)


What was your first paying job? 

Bus girl at a seafood restaurant

What TV show are you embarrassed about watching?
Anytime I find myself watching an MTV show.

What was the first concert you went to see?
New Kids on the Block

If you were an Olympic athlete, in what sport would you compete?
I’m too tired to think about competing in a sport of any kind!
 
What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?
Chocolate-covered crickets at the Children’s Museum of Memphis

If you could live in any other country for two years, where would you go?
Somewhere beautiful like the Netherlands

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Crissy Lintner

Sarah, Max and Jackson

Birthday: 11/11/79

Hometown: Laurel, Miss.

College: Mississippi State University

All-time favorite restaurant:

It's a toss-up between two in my hometown: Phillip's Drive-In (PDI) and Watermill Fish Camp.

Favorite thing to do in Dallas:

We love riding our bikes on the White Rock Creek Trail to White Rock Lake! And we actually spend a lot of time plotting tours and learning about Dallas for Dallas Running Tours.

What is your favorite cause?

I like to support causes that help children, the homeless and the hungry.

Favorite Facebook page and Twitter account: and

Facebook: White Rock Running Co-Op and Dallas Running Project

Twitter: @runtourdallas and @nprnews

Crissy and husband, John

How old were you when you got your first cell phone?

Well, our family had one of those bag phones that could only be used in the car. We got that when I was in high school. I got my first real cell phone around 18 or 19.

Favorite book:

“Where the Wild Things Are” – who doesn't love a wild rumpus every now and then?

Favorite pastime:
Reading, running and spending time with my husband and kids

First car:

Oldsmobile Delta 88! A big ol' tank of a car.

If you could go back in time and live during a different era, which would you choose?
The '60s – love the music, the styles, and I probably would've gone to Woodstock.

What was your first paying job?

I worked in a pediatric clinic one summer helping organize patient files and get them updated. This is pre-EMR, people! We had hundreds of manila folders to sort through.

What TV show are you embarrassed about watching?

I don't really have one that I'm embarrassed to watch since we don't have cable. But I love to watch the sci-fi type shows – like “Grimm”! But...I did give in to the “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” hype and watched one episode online. I was instantly reminded why we don’t have cable.

What was the first concert you went to see?

New Kids on the Block, baby! I even made a sign professing my love for Joey McIntyre.

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

Track & field. Or soccer.

What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?

Raw oysters

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

Johnny and June Carter Cash

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

Somewhere in the Caribbean

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

Just who is Obsidian anyway?

That's a great question! Who are the fabulous people who make up the Obsidian team? This week we aim to answer that by giving you a better idea of who we are and a little insight into our lives.

Getting to know...

Lauren Hannaford

Lauren and Jackson

Birthday: 4/25/85
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
College: Mississippi College (No, it’s not an all-women’s college!)

All-time favorite restaurant: Pete & Sam’s Italian Restaurant

Favorite thing to do in Memphis:  

Go get donuts at Gibson’s at midnight!

What is your favorite cause?   

The Tim Tebow Foundation and Weimaraner Rescue of the South

Favorite Facebook/Twitter accounts:
Facebook: The Washington Post 

Twitter: @GatorZoneNews

How old were you when you got your first cell phone? 16

Favorite book: "The Help"

Favorite pastime: Catching up on the numerous TV series my husband and I start watching and must complete.

First car: 2002 Jeep Liberty and I’m still driving it!

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

Both the '60s and the '70s for the music

What was your first paying job? 
Harding Academy Early Childhood after school care. I worked in the 2-year-old classroom and changed lots of diapers.

If your life had a soundtrack, what song would you pick for it?  
“Red Red Wine” (Kidding!)

What TV show are you embarrassed about watching?  
"Pretty Little Liars" (I had to watch it because Lucy Hale (Aria) is from Memphis!)

What was the first concert you went to see?  
Elton John at the Pyramid when I was in the fourth grade. It was awesome.

If you were an Olympic athlete, in what sport would you compete?  
Badminton. I grew up playing with my dad and my granddad, who was a decorated badminton champion.

What is the most disgusting thing you have ever eaten?  
Tomatoes! Barf! And Sushi. Double barf!

If you could have a drink with someone from history, who would it be?  
This person is still alive but, Sir Richard Branson. Only because it would probably be the coolest drink ever, on the coolest airplane ever, traveling to the coolest place ever.

If you could live in any other country for two years, where would you go?  
The United Kingdom

PRoofread!

Kelli Eason

I am a lover of words. Someday, I should write a book. At least that’s what my fortune cookie read recently. 

It’s no secret to my family or friends that grammar is important to me. It is (admittedly) how I judge the validity or reliability of most written communications. This often results in conversations like the following:

For the record, both of the above conversations were with my sister, who will forever be my resource when it comes to math problems a calculator can’t solve. For years, she argued with me that grammar and writing skills were not important and that she would never need them in her science- and math-based profession. As it turns out, I won that argument and now edit the vast majority of the reports she turns in to her managers.

So why should you care about proofreading written communications? Consider the following:

• People will rarely notice when your materials are in perfect grammatical order, but if your gaffe is public, odds are you’ll have a lot of people noticing what you did wrong. In the age of the Internet, that means your little mistake could turn into a big joke…on you. Check out the following mistakes you may be familiar with:

• Sometimes these gaffes can cost you money! 

• Good grammar and writing skills often indicate education, attention to detail and overall credibility. While a variety of styles exist, from Associated Press to MLA, the concept is the same: follow the rules. We may never solve the argument over the validity of the Oxford comma, but we can all agree that commas have a place, and it’s not between every other word. Don’t believe me? Check out this article from the Harvard Business Review about why job applicants should understand grammar.

To wrap up, I’ll leave you with a few common mistakes and tips. If I’ve left off any of your pet peeves, leave them in the comments!

1.    Homonym misuse (or homophone, if you prefer that term)

• Its vs. it’s – A common mistake, this word doesn’t follow the traditional rules of an apostrophe. Apply the most literal rule – that the apostrophe makes it “it is” and you shouldn’t have a problem identifying which is possessive.
• Affect vs. effect – As you can see in the above text message I sent my sister, affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Need help with the difference in a verb and a noun? I recommend Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips.
• Accept vs. Except – I once read a fervently written letter posted on my neighbor’s apartment door. It was meant for the deliveryman that came through our building every day, and they told him “packages left outside the door would not be excepted.” The deliveryman must have gotten the message despite the error, because the note was removed a few days later. To keep this embarrassing story from happening to you, remember that accept is a verb and except is a conjunction or preposition meaning “not including.”

2.    Passive voice – In a nutshell, passive voice occurs when a sentence is not structured correctly and the subject is acted on, rather than doing the acting. Check out these seven examples of passive voice and how to avoid them. 

3.    Apostrophes in plural words – Don’t do it.

4.    Two spaces after a period – Odds are, your high school English teacher told you to put two spaces after a period. I’m here to tell you your high school English teacher probably learned that when he or she used a typewriter. The rule exists because of the way typewriters were made, and two spaces made the words easier to read. Thanks to our good buddy Steve Jobs, word processing software ensures a precise amount of space between each letter, rendering two spaces after a period an outdated rule. Check out this article for more information.

You Are Going The Wrong Way! How Would He Know Where We Are Going?

Thomas Whitehead

This quote and scene from John Hughes’ 1980s classic Planes, Trains & Automobiles is one of my favorite examples of how miscommunication can create more problems than resolutions when everyone is not on the same page.

I was recently reminded of this scene when I had lunch with a friend and he was sharing some of his frustrations with his current job. Relatively new to the position, he was stressed out that his bosses were asking him to do more and more tasks that were outside the original scope of what his job responsibilities were. More stressful for my friend was the issue that these new requests were delaying the chance to achieve the original goals.

As I listened more and more, I asked him one simple question – “Did you create a communication and marketing plan for the organization?” To this, he said he didn’t.

To me, this was the root of his frustration and stress. Without sitting down and taking the time to develop a comprehensive communication plan for at least the first quarter, if not whole year, the organization could be easily driven off course and distracted from the original goals that were set forth with his hire.

A communication plan includes, but isn’t limited to, a situation analysis, audiences, key messages, goals, objectives, strategies, tactics and a timeline. This document is always dynamic and can be adjusted at any time according to the needs arise. 

The beauty of it for my friend would be that as his bosses create new duties, he can cite the communication plan that everyone would have agreed upon and use that as leverage to have a clear course in accomplishing what needs to be done.

The communication plan is the foundation of any true successful publicity campaign. You have to start at the beginning by knowing what has worked and failed in the past. That perspective will quickly allow you to identify what direction your path should take.

Otherwise, if you don’t have a direction, there is a good chance you might have to pass through two trucks coming right at you.

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.