Posts Tagged ‘public relations’

In the Workplace with Luke Capizzo

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Name: Luke Capizzo
Title: Communications Specialist
Website: twitter.com/capizzol, www.mcul.org
Location: Lansing, MI
Luke Capizzo

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I graduated from Michigan State University in ’07 with a dual B.A. in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy (PTCD, that’s one) and Professional Writing (PW). I really enjoyed studying the leading writers in Western political thought, but I’m employed because of the writing skills, design processes, and use of the serial comma that I learned in Professional Writing. I spent a year at a small PR firm (with varying degrees of success) before taking my current job.

Tell us about your current job.
I’m a communications specialist with the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL), the state trade association for credit unions. I’m in a department of four people that takes care of media relations, publications, multimedia, web writing (and a little bit of design), social media outreach, and member communications. I handle about half of the media relations load including writing press releases and op-eds, contacting reporters and pitching stories, and general strategizing for media outreach. We get to dabble in the political advocacy side of media communications as well, which I enjoy tremendously.

I also write for four different MCUL publications and am the editor/designer for one of them. We oversee the website content, so I get to do regular updates to the public affairs pages and work with other departments to improve the information architecture, usability, and writing in their areas as well. Our department does video work, generally for web use, so I get to write, shoot, and edit the occasional short video. My boss (the director of public affairs) is a former TV news guy, so I’ve learned a lot about basic video production from working with him. I also tweet occasionally on the company account. (more…)

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The Communications Plan

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

If there is one thing I’ve learned from my work experience so far, it’s that planning and managing projects is essential.

Check out Nick Lucido’s post “How to Write a Communications Plan” at PR Start.  He interviews Kelly Rossman-McKinney of The Rossman Group and outlines an eight-step process to planning strategic communications.

I strive to effectively manage multiple small projects week-to-week, so what I might add to Nick’s post is simply to follow through and be consistent. My projects tend to be on a smaller scale and are more frequent. Right now I have three separate documents on my desk detailing communications strategies for three separate projects. It can be a lot to manage, but I’m finding ways to stay organized to keep up on the deadlines. For example, I’ve started making weekly master due date calendars. This can be considerable work up front, but as a one-woman office, it helps to keep me on track and see the big picture.

What strategies and tactics do you use to plan effective communications?

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Shannon Paul Discusses Startup Weekend Detroit

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Startup Weekend DetroitHave you ever wondered what a group of highly talented and motivated people could accomplish in a weekend? Startup Weekend is a unique three-day experience that brings together the best and brightest people in a local office space to take a company from concept to completion in just 54 hours.

Shannon Paul, public relations and social media blogger, has started Startup Weekend Detroit, which is happening November 14-16. Check out Shauna Nicholson’s interview with Shannon to find out why she started the event and why this is a great event for professional writers.

Why did you decide to organize Startup Weekend in Detroit?
I don’t know that it was actually a conscious decision. I was able to attend part of Startup Weekend Ann Arbor, and had several friends who attended that event. When I came home, I started looking deeper into the Startup Weekend organization and reading up on the process to bring Startup Weekend to a particular city. I realized there was a voting process and saw that Detroit was already nominated, but only had 20 votes. To give you an idea of where we stood, we were behind Corvallis, Oregon.

I just thought that Detroit could really use this more than most places. There is so much bad news coming out of this city — especially when it comes to job losses and the overall economy. I thought an event like this would help bring out some of the area’s talent and help jumpstart small business development in the city and the region. It was also my hope to generate a few positive news stories as a result of the event.

Why is it important for the event to happen NOW?
Detroit, and the surrounding region, is facing some of the most challenging times in its history. The future of the economy in this region is going to depend on the ingenuity of individuals who can start small. Most of the new jobs being created in this economy are from small businesses. I believe that there are as many talented, skilled and passionate people in this city as any other, but we haven’t been so great at forming a really solid community around networking and innovation. Community is an essential ingredient to fostering the kind of supportive environment for new businesses to be able to thrive.

Who attends events like this?
Just about anybody with an idea or a skill or both is welcome to participate in this event. Usually Startup Weekend attracts people with deep technical/programming skills as well as design professionals, marketing and public relations professionals, project managers and venture capitalists. Most companies that have formed as a result of a Startup Weekend have been web-based, but there are many notable exceptions to this rule. (more…)

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Upcoming PRSA events

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

There are a couple of events coming up for the Central Michigan PRSA chapter that I think would benefit professional writers.

The first is “Candidates and Campaigns 08: Media and Messages”, which will be held October 16. As Lindsey pointed out recently, the visual rhetoric used by candidates should be carefully selected with attention paid to the message being sent in each image. For this event, Ed Sarpolus, Government Affairs Director for the Michigan Education Association, will be sharing his insights and observations about how this year’s candidates and campaigns are using both traditional and new media to reach and influence voters.

You can register for the event online, and it will be held at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. If you haven’t been to a PRSA event before, this would be a good one to try out, both for the interesting topic and for the low cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members, and only $20 for students.

“Using Social Media: Pitching, Promoting and Protecting Your Organization’s Online Reputation” will be held on November 14 at the Kellogg Center. It’s a bit pricier to attend ($100 for members, $175 for non-members, $100 for students), but it will likely be a good opportunity for professional development for those who are interested in social media and how it can be used in the most advantageous way. The details of the event haven’t been posted yet, but check back to the PRSA website later on for more information.

Also, if you are a student and you are interested in attending PRSA events but have concerns about the cost, the Central Michigan chapter offers sponsorships. You can find out more information in the Student Services section, which also talks about award opportunities.

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Shifting gears

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

This week I received a call at my office that caught me off guard, but probably shouldn’t have. It was a clear signal of the shifting change that is occurring in my professional life.

I’ve made the move from editor/graphic designer to communications manager, and after only three weeks, the contrast is obvious. It has taken some adjustment, I will freely admit that. I’ve had to alter my perception of what “work” means and the way that I think about projects – it’s a much bigger picture now and it’s taking some getting used to.

So, back to this phone call. It was from a radio reporter looking to do a quick interview about an upcoming event. My immediate thought was one of panic, but I quickly regained composure and remembered that this is my job now. All in all the interview went well. It was quick and relatively painless, but it got me thinking. Media relations is a whole new ballgame for me and I need to polish my act. It’s the sort of stuff they don’t teach enough of in school. I did take a 100-level media relations course in college and we did one TV interview that semester, which was horrifying, but I now realize we should have done one a week just to get comfortable.

The next day I joined PRSA (Public Relations Society of America). I need all the support I can get, and I’ve been wanting to join a professional organization for awhile now, I just wasn’t sure which group was the right fit. With time and practice I think I will hit my professional stride and find situations like this to be commonplace.

How have your handled professional change? What kinds of professional development measures have you taken to support your new or changing role? I’m happy to hear your comments.

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