LINDA COSTA COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Team CCG Hosts UCF’s Quotes PR Club
02.28.14

By Wendy Gustama

CCG had the pleasure of hosting UCF’s Quotes PR Club last Friday as part of the group’s Winter Park Agency tour. Our team shared several mini-presentations including:

• “Transitioning to Your First Job Out of College” presented by Account Coordinators Kelsea Mullane and Samantha Delgado
• “An Agency Day in the Life” presented by Senior Account Executive Vanessa Tostes
• “The PR / Marketing Relationship” presented by VP of Marketing Kelly Gaines and Project Manager Danielle Jimenez
• “Your PR Job Search” presented by VP of PR Doreen Overstreet

The CCG team had a great time getting to know the students – and looks forward to participating in similar events in the future. Check out a brief recap of our tour below!

Loving the Stories that are Worth Sharing: PechaKucha
02.13.14

By Doreen Overstreet

It has been said that the invention of PowerPoint has been the death of public speaking. So when I heard about the presentation style called PechaKucha (pronounced Paw-Chalk-Ahh-Chaa) coming to Orlando, I was intrigued. PechaKucha, which is a Japanese word meaning chit chat, was developed by two renowned architects from Tokyo as an engaging way to share ideas. The concept is to bring people back to captivating stories that we once shared around campfires – only with a modern twist. In a nutshell, speakers use 20 photo-centric slides that auto-advance every 20 seconds – resulting in a 6-minute-and-40-second time limit.

Ever since it started more than decade ago, PechaKucha has steadily become an international phenomenon – with talks in 735 cities all over the world. Last Friday was the 12th time the event came to Orlando and nine creative people from various backgrounds and fields spoke to the theme of “Showing Orlando Some Love.” Topics ranged from the neuroscience of love … to the technology of love … to the love of quilt making (see detailed speaker list below).

I’m a former Toastmaster, so I already think this format is cool. But as a public relations professional, it’s equally intriguing. To tell a convincing story clearly and succinctly – and to make it visually appealing – is what we do each day for our clients. Cutting away the jargon and fluff to get to the essence of your message can be daunting (and time consuming), but worth it.

As a storyteller for a living, I think it’s wonderful to see all kinds of stories alive and thriving in Orlando. Check out the next event in June with more information here.

PechaKucha Night

Orlando V12

“Showing Orlando Some Love”

Speakers included:

• David Alecock: “Being Present for Love”

• Emily Empel: “The Futurist’s Paradise”

• Susan Rienzo: “Color Sings to Me”

• Max Jackson: “Love and the Human Brain”

• Joe Tankersley: “Data Love”

• Mike Van den Abbeel: “Would You Please Sign this Petition?”

• Carolyn Moor: “A Modern Love Story”

• Thomas Thorspecken: “How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Orlando”

• Kristen Walmsley-Manieri: “A Yearning Curve”

Doreen Overstreet prefers listening to stories rather than telling them (unless they are for her clients).

Agency Life: Putting on your Game Face
02.03.14

By Samantha Delgado

Imagine you’re standing in a gym, preparing to play an intense game of dodge ball. You look across the room and say to yourself, “No big deal, I’ve got this,” and you ready yourself for the barrage. At that point, everything appears manageable – until the game begins. Dodge balls come hurling at you from every direction, and at times it’s pure chaos. How will you make it through the game and succeed?

That’s what it feels like when you first join an agency.  Every day we work on multiple projects, media opportunities, pitching and much more. It’s overwhelming at times, especially for a newcomer. Even with the experience of internships, nothing really prepared me for the fast-paced and ever-changing environment of an agency. However, just as in any game, if you have the right strategy, you can succeed.

Here are my top 5 tips for adjusting to agency life:

1)      Use Your Calendar: Outlook calendar is my new best friend. I send myself the smallest of reminders so there aren’t any loose ends at the end of the day. At an agency there are so many things going on at once, that it’s easy for small tasks to slip through the cracks.

2)      Write To-Do Lists: This sounds simple, but writing things down daily clears your head and makes projects more manageable.

3)      Be a Problem Solver: When approaching a supervisor with a question or a problem, always suggest your own solution. It shows you took the initiative to solve the issue. Also, it ensures that you won’t waste someone else’s time.

4)      Take Lunch Breaks: Even though you’re in a time-crunch, it’s important to give your brain a rest and re-energize. A tired brain is not a useful brain!

5)      Lean on Your Team: I am fortunate to be surrounded by a support system that has helped me learn the ropes of agency work. I can’t stress enough the importance of looking to your supervisors and coworkers for advice and knowledge. They all started somewhere, and their experiences can help you grow into a successful PR professional.

Just like in dodge ball (or any other game), times can be stressful at an agency. However, by keeping these tips in mind, I know I’m up for the challenge.

What are your tips for adjusting to agency life?

Samantha Delgado has served as an account coordinator with Costa Communications Group for the past five months. She puts on a good game face for everything.