Meet Our Summer Interns: Thomas Renner

Posted on 11. Aug, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Thomas Renner

On Twitter: @tarenner

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Kristena Morse

Why are you doing this internship? Half way through my first semester of my freshman year I realized that if I ever was going to conquer the PR world I would need to get some out of school training as soon as possible. Also given the current job market and the fact that you need experience to get any good PR job I thought it would be a perfect time to start building my résumé.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? So far I have already learned so much from my mentor Kristena Morse and from other PMGers. I hope to gain more knowledge about the business, the ins and outs of dealing with clients and the press. I am really hoping that after my time at PMG I will have gained all the experience I am going to need to land an awesome PR job.

What are your views on PMG? I love PMG, I really do, everything that they stand for, the people who work for them, the clients. The atmosphere at PMG is the best I have ever experienced in a place of work. I think the way the firm has decided to specialize in certain areas instead of trying to take on everything has really led to the success of PMG. I love coming into the office to work and actually miss not being there when I am not scheduled! PMG is a great place to intern and work. Being an intern at PMG is just like being a member of the team, and I think that is part of what has made my experience so great, I am actually working on accounts not doing coffee runs!

What’s it like working with your mentor? I love working with my mentor. Kristena has a great personality and always is  very understanding, it also helps that she has some cool clients. I do not believe that my experience at PMG would be the same without my mentor, the direct guidance and information that I receive from her is key to the success that I achieve and my learning path.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? At first writing a good pitch even a good subject line can be difficult. Even when you think you have written the perfect pitch there still could be something wrong with it. Those are the times when you will end up going back and forth with your mentor to try to fine tune the pitch. Although it may feel like you have not accomplished anything it is all a learning process.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Brittany Southwick

Posted on 10. Aug, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Brittany Southwick

On Twitter: @brittsouth

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Tom Kupfer

Background? My name is Brittany.  I am a Public Relations Major with one semester left at Champlain College.

Why are you doing this internship? After completing three years of my education with Champlain College I was anxious to put my knowledge to the test. I enjoy a professional work environment and felt that I was ready to step into the industry. I want to build my resume and strengthen my portfolio. A textbook can only take you so far; working in the field is a great opportunity.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? I have expected to strengthen my writing and organizational skills. I also think I am going to get a pretty good idea of what it is like to work for a firm and focus solely on Public Relations, without Marketing or Advertising thrown in the mix.

What are your views on PMG? I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with PMG. I am proud to represent a company that represents socially responsible businesses.  My one concern for working in the PR field is having to represent clients with view points that are different from my own. PMG makes that dilemma easy by eliminating the challenge and providing a variety of clients that stand for great causes.

What’s it like working with your mentor? I thoroughly enjoy working for Tom because he provides great direction and has a wide array of knowledge to share. He has helped me strengthen my pitching skills and has a great sense of humor to make the experience more enjoyable.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? My advice would be to just dive in. Take advantage of every opportunity; get to know your co-workers and the people that you work with. Everyone you meet is a potential contact and Public Relations is about establishing and maintaining good relationships.  As far as writing press releases and pitches: edit, edit, edit. Explore your creativity and all of the different ways you can tell a story. My greatest challenge has been to come up with numerous ways to pitch one story. With the help of my mentor, towards the end of my internship I have definitely seen a growth in my ability to push my pitching further creatively.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Hilary Greene

Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Hilary Greene

On Twitter: @hilaryfay

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Iza Socha

Background? My name is Hilary Greene and I am entering my last semester at Champlain College to attain a business/marketing degree. I am a transfer student and have spent most of my college years in Colorado and Utah enjoying the outdoors.

Why are you doing this internship? I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do my internship at PMG this summer to gain first-hand experience that will compliment my current marketing program at Champlain College, which I will complete in December of this year!

What do you expect to gain from this internship? This internship has already provided me with a better understanding of the public relations world; I have little PR background since I am a marketing major. In addition, this internship has allowed me to witness the power of using social media tools as marketing and PR techniques and the outstanding benefits that they can provide for many different types of companies.

What are your views on PMG? PMG, People Making Good, is a great company and I could not be happier about doing my internship here. Their name, PMG, tells all…they truly are, good people – making good. (They might as well change their name to G-PMG!) As a Vermonter, I appreciate the work that they contribute to the community and genuine support of their clients that are socially responsible.

What have you learned so far? Thus far, I have learned a lot of new things and have been able to apply my education from Champlain in a professional environment. Some exciting projects that I have been involved with at PMG include;

  • Organizing a Tweet-Up
  • Drafting Twitter messaging
  • Writing editorial calendars
  • Editing video footage
  • Writing a variety of blog posts using WordPress
  • And; researching different brands, markets and trends

What’s it like working with your mentor? My mentor, Iza Socha, is fantastic and is the Social Media Manager at PMG. She is very talented and open to sharing new concepts with me; she knows all the new trends! It is really fun working with her and she guides me in the right direction to complete finished work that both of us are proud of.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? My advice for any intern would be to be fully appreciative of the opportunity and learn as much as you can! It helps to stay knowledgeable about new trends because these days, it seems like techniques and applications change and improve constantly.

Meet Our Team: Kristena Morse

Posted on 21. Jul, 2011 by

Over the next few weeks months, we will profile each PMGer to give you a better sense of the firm and those behind our social media channels and working on behalf of our great clients. We encourage you to start a dialogue through the comments section if you have additional questions for our do-gooders.

PMGer: Kristena Morse
On Twitter: @kristenamorse
Position at PMG: account executive

Favorite Music? I’d like to think that I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to music, so my music collection is always growing and changing. I love everything from jazz and blues to hip hop and R&B. About the only thing you won’t find much of in my collection is country (although I will admit I went through a brief country phase in high school). Some of my most-played albums lately include Ray LaMontagne, Coheed & Cambria, Jonny Lang, Dashboard Confessional and a variety of mixed albums that my sister made for me. :)

Favorite TV? Some of my favorite shows include Modern Family, So You Think You Can Dance, and almost anything on the Food Network (I love to cook!) or The Discovery Channel. If I’m not watching any of those or if I’m not tuned in to the news, there’s a good chance you’ll find me watching some sports game or catching up on highlights via SportsCenter. :)

Favorite Teams/Sports? Oh, I’m a sports nut! As a huge baseball fan and Michigan native, my heart will always belong to my Detroit Tigers. Other than baseball, I love college basketball (March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year!) and college football.

Favorite Foods? I definitely don’t have a favorite. I love to eat… and I love trying new foods. Burlington has an awesome variety of restaurants and it seems there’s always a new one to try!

Favorite Quote? “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” — Benjamin Spock

A favorite websites: Pandora and/or Grooveshark get me through the day. Other sites I visit daily are: The New York Times, CNN, Washington Post and Burlington Free Press. I’ve also got about a dozen PR blogs that I skim through each day. Some of my favorites include: PR Squared, Social Media Explorer, prTini, PR at Sunrise and PR Breakfast Club.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Heather Barrett

Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

 

PMGer: Heather Barrett

On Twitter: @hbarrettsays

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Tom Kupfer

Background? My name is Heather.  I am a Mass Communications major entering my last semester at Champlain College.

Why are you doing this internship? As a Mass Communication student, I have taken a variety of courses in marketing, advertising, and public relations.  These courses have provided me with the base knowledge in each section, but I found myself wanting a hands-on experience.  With an internship, I knew that I would learn more than I ever could in a classroom, and that the knowledge would be invaluable.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? From this experience, I expect to learn more about working for a public relations agency.  Working for more than one client, I expect to learn a variety of tools to better fine tune public relations to work for each individual company.  In addition, I expect to improve my writing skills.

What are your views on PMG? I was first attracted to PMG because they are devoted to working with socially responsible clients.  I also read the Q&A with Nicole and Ken before I applied, and I thought that my personal interests would connect with PMG.  After starting my internship in June, my impressions of PMG proved to be true.  PMGer’s are all extremely hard-working people who have a passion for public relations. I also really like having an office dog ☺.

What’s it like working with your mentor? At PMG part of the internship experience is to work hands on.  So, instead of fetching coffee for Tom, I have been able to create media lists, write pitches, and follow up directly with media outlets.  Tom always has a clear vision as to what needs to be completed, and is willing to provide valuable feedback.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.?

  • Always work hard and do your best.
  • Remember that writing is a skill that takes a lot of practice.  A first draft will need to be edited, so be open to feedback!
  • Your mentors are busy, so it may seem intimidating to ask them for help, but don’t be afraid.  That’s what they’re here for! Pester away.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Selma Basic

Posted on 06. Jul, 2011 by

Meet Our Summer Interns: Selma Basic

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Selma Basic
On Twitter: @Selmander89
Position at PMG: Intern with PMG co-founder Nicole Ravlin

Background? My name is Selma Basic. I am a senior at the New England School of Communications (NESCom), located in beautiful Bangor, Maine. I am working on my Bachelors degree in communications with a concentration in Marketing. I chose the communications field because I get a chance to exercise many different aspects of the field, such as: advertising, marketing, public relations, graphic design, photography,  and video production – over the years at Nescom I have gained skills in all these fields. When I was asked to intern at PMG I was excited to be granted with an opportunity to increase my knowledge of public relations.

Why are you doing this internship? Last semester I joined the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), this organizations has really sparked my interested in the public relations field. Hence why I’m here! PMG is the hands on experience I’ve been looking for. From day one I dove right into writing press releases and doing media lists. PMG is giving me the opportunity to challenge myself and put my skills to the test! This is no internship where you run around fetching coffee and donuts for your boss… At PMG you do real work for real clients!

What do you expect to gain from this internship? By doing this internship I am gaining a variety of skills in public relations, which will help me continue to do well in PRSSA and eventually my career.  Is public relations the job for me? That’s what I’m here for to find out! I definitely have a passion for writing and PR is something I’ve always wanted to give a try.

What are your views on PMG? PMG stands for People Making Good, which is the first reason I wanted to know more about this firm. I like and respect the philosophy of helping promote healthy brands. PMG is an exceptionally comfortable environment where I feel free to be myself and express my skills. PMG is doing good things for good companies and I want to be a part of that.

What’s it like working with your mentor? Here at PMG I am surrounded by wonderful people. My mentor, Nicole Ravlin, being one of them. Nicole is super friendly, outgoing and most importantly, has a sense of humor. What’s a workplace when it’s strictly business 24/7? It’s no fun! Here at PMG we get our work done but we also know how to relax and enjoy ourselves; I personally find that extremely important in a work environment. As for working with Nicole, it’s great to have a mentor help you out! She always makes sure I know exactly what to do, she gives me some great advice on how to improve my work and she lets me enjoy some variety in the tasks I do.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? Future interns! If you are looking for an internship in public relations and you are within the Burlington area, I would definitely recommend PMG. So far I have written press releases, pitches, done plenty of media lists and am currently working on social media. Be aware that PR requires a little bit of everything I just mentioned. So prepare yourself to do some multitasking and lots of different projects. DON’T be afraid to ask your mentor for help! that’s what they’re here for. Also, remember to always revise your work. Make sure at least three pairs of eyes read your work before you send it out to a client. And last but not least, enjoy your internship! you are learning from people who are doing what you want to do in the future, there is no better way of learning than by following the footsteps of your mentor. Take all the mental notes you can, practice your writing skills, observe, listen, and always give your best!

Meet Our Team: Alicia DeMartini

Posted on 25. Jan, 2011 by

Over the next few weeks, we will profile each PMGer to give you a better sense of the firm and those behind our social media channels and working on behalf of our great clients. We encourage you to start a dialogue through the comments section if you have additional questions for our do-gooders.

PMGer: Alicia DeMartini
On Twitter: @aliciademartini
Position at PMG: account executive

Best thing about living in BTV? Since I’ve moved here, I eat about 5 different types of cuisine I never would have tried otherwise – Burlington has some of the greatest restaurants I’ve ever been to, and the best thing is, there’s always a new one to try. (Oh, and I like the lake, too. :)

Favorite Music? Lately I’m really into Ingrid Michaelson, Ray Lamontagne, Johnny Cash, Girl Talk… It’s always a mixed bag.

Favorite Thing About Working at PMG? When you combine a client list full of unique, socially responsible companies with an incredibly creative, open work environment, you get PMG – and that results in a great team with a work ethic I continue to be impressed by each day. I never stop learning, and every day is different!

Favorite Teams/Sports? It’s well known in the office that I’m the resident Yankees fan. Though I’ve lived in Vermont for five years now and have found myself slowly being turned on to several New England sports teams, I’ll always remain a New York (state)-er and a Yankees fan for life.

Favorite Quote? “Trust the instinct until the end, though it may render no reason.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. This quote continues to ring true through many different phases of my life.

List a few of your favorite websites… Pandora gets me through the day… I love GOOD for news about unique companies and good works all over the world… and

PR Bag of Tricks: AP Style Guide

Posted on 05. Oct, 2010 by

Each week we will highlight one tool from our PR bag of tricks. This could range from “old school” books or gadgets to a social media tool or client… and anything in between.  Feel free to give your feedback on each tool/trick and tell us about yours.

PMGer Elizabeth Hagwood’s Pick:

What is one tool, app, website, etc. that you love at the moment? Since I’m considered the “Grammar Nazi” around these parts, I’d have to go with my AP Style Guide.  I’d consider it more a love/hate relationship though; other things may come and go, but this book has been in my life since high school journalism.

Why? If there’s ever a debate about proper spellings, usage or punctuation, this book settles all :) .  Their’s nothing worse than words used incorrectly.  (Get it? Catch it? Petpeeve.)

How do you use it? Anytime I’m editing something or if there is ever a question about the proper usage or spelling of a word.

Mea Culpa. I Repent. Sorry Costco.

Posted on 20. Jul, 2008 by

OK, I get it.  Took me a little while, but I’ve seen Costco doing great things for local businesses in the markets they serve. And I’ve spoken with small businesses that have had enjoyed tremendous breaks thanks to Costco providing them with an opportunity to get in front of a huge market.

So, I’m tempering my earlier blog rant: between their dedication to offering local suppliers a huge market opportunity, and the generous way they take care of their employees, Costco may be big, but they’re a big socially responsible business. They truly are people making good.

Bonus to my revelation: I get to shop there guilt-free again!

Ken