WICT Southeast "Speed Mentoring" Breakfast

This morning I had the pleasure of attending the WICT (Women in Cable Telecommunications) "Speed Mentoring" Breakfast held at Scripps in Knoxville. Throughout the morning mentees moved to three tables meeting with different mentors for 20 minute sessions. We were able to ask questions about the industry and speak to these women about how they became in their positions of power.
The mentors I was able to meet were...

Deborah Dawkins-Vice President of Programming at Jupiter Entertainment. Ms. Dawkins shared with us that it was very important to plan ahead and make a path that you wish to follow. Do not obsess over something going wrong, make a back up plan and choose an alternate route. Things are not always going to go smoothly but in a position of power it is important to stay calm and figure out a solution. Also she added that it is important to prioritize your goals each day and do what is most important first. If everything does not get completed at least the most important stuff was finished.

Sarah Cronan-SVP, Brand Magement, HGTV was a wonderful woman to talk to who truly believes in work/life balance. It was so interesting to hear how she worked her way up in the corporate world and all that she gets to do at HGTV. Ms. Cronan gave me a list of 15 statements she lives by. Her favorite two are 1. Filter everything through your personal priorities and 2. Uphod your integrity at all cost. Be the same person at home, at work, at church-and in your community.

Cynthia Gibson-EVP, Legal Affairs for Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Ms. Gibson began at a lawfirm where she was the only woman so it was very interesting to hear how she worked among all men to claim her position in the firm. Ms. Gibson explained that it is important to manage up, down and across. Do not forget about the people on your level and above you, you never know who may be your boss one day. She also made sure that everyone knew it was important to stay true to yourself. She said at her first lawfirm, she wanted to make sure she still acted and dressed like a lady and didn't try to 'fit in with the men'. It is important to find other women mentors who you can rely on to help lead  you in a good direction with good guidance.

After the breakfast I was able to go on a tour of the productions side of Scripps which was really interesting. I met the people who produce the show promos for HGTV and DIY. The graphic designers and the composers. It amazes me how someone could actually produce such work, I am jealous!

Today was a great day at Scripps, I am about to publish my first GAC newsletter so let me know if you would like me to send you a copy!
  

First Day on the Job

Today was my first day interning at Scripps Networks and lets just say...it was wonderful! I learned so much in this first day and my eyes were really opened to the corporate world. It is so interesting how a company can manage six brands and do it successfully. Everyone in the communications department was SO nice! They all greeted me with smiles and graciously answered my questions. I was able to sit in on two conference calls and begin working on the GAC newsletter that is sent out weekly. There is never a dull moment at Scripps and I am excited to continue learning. Keep checking back for updates!

New Chapter of Life

May 7, 2011, I graduated from Georgia College. I can not believe my four years of college went by so quickly! I had great experiences, made fabulous friends and have wonderful memories to last me a lifetime. I couldn't have asked for a better college experience and although I am sad it is over, I am anxious about the future that lies ahead of me.

Twenty short days from today, I will begin as a Communications Intern at Scripps Networks in Knoxville, TN. Scripps owns six television channels; HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, GAC, DIY and Cooking Channel. I am so excited about this opportunity and can't wait to see the many doors it opens. I will be working directly with internal and external communications as well as the event planning sector.

There are so many talented people who work for Scripps and I am so excited to learn from them and hopefully be of assistance to a company that provides me with much of my media entertainment. Look out Knoxville, here I come!

"Gotta Have Gant"

As part of my position in Phi Mu as Public Relations Chairman this semester, I was in charge of the Ms. Georgia College Campaign. I began working on this back in December brainstorming ideas and different themes. 

Phi Mu choose Erin Gant as our candidate in early January and I immediately began working. The first step was to come up with a slogan. Erin is a free spirit and I wanted to come up with a theme that represented both her and the ladies of Phi Mu. I went through a few themes and decided to stick with "Gotta Have Gant" because it was short, sweet and easy to remember. Erin liked the color teal so we choose that. I was so excited because our "secret weapon" was the yard signs this year. They are much easier than chalking and looked very clean around campus. We designed the yard signs, stickers, posters, a Facebook picture and a t shirt as promotional items.

I wanted to make the campaign fun and interactive that the students of Georgia College would enjoy so we decided to give away colorful candy, popcorn and cotton candy. The cotton candy was a huge hit! We gave away around 500 servings that day. 

Erin was crowned Ms. Georgia College and I was so honored to be a part of her campaign. I was very proud of how everything looked and how smoothly the process ran. I learned a lot from this experience and I know better how to work with a team, delegate responsibilities and run a successful campaign. Thanks to everyone who supported Phi Mu and voted for Erin Gant!

It has been a while...

I apologize for my lack of blogging these past few months. It seems like I just blinked and I am now in my last semester of college. I am not really sure if I am prepared for this, it is a very bittersweet situation! I am very tired of school work and tests, but I am not ready to leave my friends and college behind. Maybe I will be fully ready for it all to end in May...we shall see! I am excited for my classes this semester, I am in the last advertising class and MSCM Senior Seminar so I know both of those will be difficult but I am looking forward to it. It is going to be a very busy semester and 2011 but I am ready to embrace it! In the meantime, if anyone knows of any entry level PR/Advertising jobs available in June, please let me know! I have not really begun my job search but I am getting there!

Shadow Day with the Dalton Agency

On Friday, October 29th, I shadowed Anna Burns at the Dalton Agency in Savannah, Georgia. The Dalton Agency, a national advertising and public relations firm, represents a wide range of global, national and regional clients. The agency provides award-winning creative designs and brand development, public and government relations, media placement, Web design, programming and television and radio production services.The Dalton Agency's headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida but they have many branches, one which is in Savannah. Anna is their only employee but does an amazing job! I arrived at her apartment around 10a.m. and found out her only client is McDonalds. She is responsible for all of the PR and Advertising for McDonalds franchises that stretch from Charleston, SC to Brunswick, GA. Anna was so helpful, she entertained all of the questions I had and believe me, I had a lot! We started off by visiting a manager at his location and discussed their promotinal ideas for their grand re-opening after a renovation to the store. Their big event is on Black Friday and they are located next to the Savannah Mall so it should be a sucessful event. Anna has her hand in everything McDonalds does from the menu board designs to the advertisments placed in the newspapers. She is a very busy girl but is extremly organized. Anna has worked for the Dalton Agency for 5 years now and is wonderful at her job. I am so thankful I was able to shadow her for a day. I learned a lot about the profession and it really made me excited to get into the real world! Thanks Anna and the Dalton Agency for this wonderful opportunity!

PRSSA National Conference

Only five days until I fly to Washington DC to participate in the 2010 Public Relations Student Society of America's National Conference! I am so excited to participate in this opportunity and I sincerely hope I learn a lot for my future career in Public Relations.

(Each year, PRSSA and PRSA work to bring students like you unparalleled educational and professional development opportunities through the PRSSA National Conference. At Conference, you will have the opportunity to network with public relations professionals and make contacts with students from across the country. Resume workshops and speaker sessions will prepare you for the real world and show you how you can achieve success in this vast and exciting field.

Washington D.C. is filled with innovation and opportunity. As the host city of Conference, our historic capital provides the following advantages:

• Public relations firms to provide speakers and exhibitors.
• Politicians who can discuss public relations issues of domestic and international dimensions.
• Some of the nation's most respected journalists and media, such as The Washington Post.
• Museums that bring both history and culture to our city.
• Historical landmarks like the Washington Monument and the White House.
• A neighborhood for every mood, from trendy DuPont Circle to stately Capitol Hill.)

I am really looking forward to meeting the 2,000 professionals who will be at this event and although I may not get a job from it (which I am hoping I will be able to :) ), I am excited to hear from their experience in the profession and I am looking forward to all of the information I will learn! Stay tuned for the post Conference blog post to see how it all goes!