3 new members joined us last week at our Friday OCA meeting. Please welcome:
- Beth Pascarella, most recently with Majestic America Line, has just finished several web related courses and has both marketing and agency-side experience.
- Will Powers, former VP of Marketing at Restaurants Unlimited, brings a wealth of strategic marketing and branding experience.
- Dana Pruiett was a marketing communications manager with with Fluke Corporation for more than 8 years. Prior to that, she held media and account management roles at local ad agencies.
Taking classes are a great way to use downtime to upgrade your skill set or to simply reinvent yourself.
We had a healthy discussion on local courses and workshops that can help add to your current skill set, specifically in the digital realm.
- Beth recommended Seattle Central Community College as a spot that offers classes that are affordable and up-to-date. They also have a Worker Retraining Program.
- The SVC, which lends a hand to OCA by donating meeting space, has just announced its winter sessions.
Job News!
- Jerome Thiebaud just landed a job as VP of Marketing for K2 (software). He's also asked to stay connected with OCA and has been a great asset to the group over the past several months. Congrats, Jerome!
Upcoming guest speakers and events.
12/18 - John Gaines, former colleague at Publicis who has made the 'digital transition' from traditional copywriter and is now contracting at Microsoft, will be talking about "Going Digital."
1/15/10 - Kristin Flor, VP of Business Services at the ad agency Radarworks, has also offered to come talk to us. Topic details to come.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Networking Events, Week of 12/7
Hi Everyone! There didn't seem to be many events just before and after Thankgiving, but this week we have two Networking events.
PSAMA Executive Luncheon
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Pre-lunch networking 11:30-12:00
Lunch and Presentation 12:00-1:30
Washington Athletic Club, Seattle
Measuring the Bang in Your Buck: How to Analyze and Optimize Marketing ROI, Featuring James Lenskold
PSAMA Members and Students: $38
Non-Members: $50
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Pre-lunch networking 11:30-12:00
Lunch and Presentation 12:00-1:30
Washington Athletic Club, Seattle
Measuring the Bang in Your Buck: How to Analyze and Optimize Marketing ROI, Featuring James Lenskold
PSAMA Members and Students: $38
Non-Members: $50
Online registration closes at 11am the day prior to the event. An additional $5.00 will be charged after that time for phone registrations (call 206-623-8632) or registrations at the door.
Follow this link to register for the event online: http://www.psama.org/events/event_detail.aspx?id=84#date
For you early birds, or those that live in the south end:
Thursday, December 10th PRSA Presents "all a-twitter: how social media change news gathering"
Twitter feeds on newspaper Web sites. Facebook pleas for sources and story ideas. Online comments printed next to letters to the editor. The media lines have blurred.
Sharpen your focus with a panel of media/social media gurus to hear how they use social media to connect and engage with audiences. Reporters and PR professionals will cover current insights, best practices and what’s next in this hot field.
The South Sound Group meets at 8 a.m.—doors open early for networking—in the first floor board room at Metro Parks Tacoma headquarters, 4702 S. 19th St. Cost is $5 for PRSA members, $8 for nonmembers. Please sign in at the door. Refreshments are included, no reservations necessary. Directions: From I-5 north or south, take SR-16 toward Gig Harbor. Take the 19th Street East exit toward Cheney Stadium, turn right on 19th, then right into the Metro Parks Tacoma parking lot. Note: please leave the customer-designated parking open for Metro Parks. If you require special accommodations for a disability, please contact Sheree Trefry at 253.305.1059 or shereet@tacomaparks.com at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
If you'd like more information about the benefits of PRSA membership and how to apply, please check out our Web site at http://prsapugetsound.org/south-sound.html . If you have additional questions, please contact our South Sound co-chairs:
- Jennifer Aalgaard, MultiCare Health System, 253.697.2029, jennifer.aalgaard@multicare.org
- Karrie Spitzer, APR, City of Tacoma, 253.591.5790, karrie.spitzer@cityoftacoma.org
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Twitter Advice and More from Michelle Goodman
Ran across this 11/29 article in the NW Jobs section of the Seattle Times.
"Twitter Patter: Tips on building your profile and tweeting your way into a job," by Michelle Goodman, provides practical tips and great advice for another way to network with potential employers:
- Start following your favorite employers and recruiters on Twitter.
- Build rapport and community by tweeting (and re-tweeting) relevant items, such as "ideas, questions, inspiring quotations, and links to articles and resources..."
- Don't mix business with your everyday life. Nobody at the company you'd like to work for needs to know what you made for dinner last night.
Michelle also has a book out that was brought to my attention:
My So-Called Freelance Life: How To Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire.
... and she has a blog on nwsource.com, called Nine to Thrive, which offers "fresh tips and trends for attaining that crazy little thing called work/life balance."
"Twitter Patter: Tips on building your profile and tweeting your way into a job," by Michelle Goodman, provides practical tips and great advice for another way to network with potential employers:
- Start following your favorite employers and recruiters on Twitter.
- Build rapport and community by tweeting (and re-tweeting) relevant items, such as "ideas, questions, inspiring quotations, and links to articles and resources..."
- Don't mix business with your everyday life. Nobody at the company you'd like to work for needs to know what you made for dinner last night.
Michelle also has a book out that was brought to my attention:
My So-Called Freelance Life: How To Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire.
... and she has a blog on nwsource.com, called Nine to Thrive, which offers "fresh tips and trends for attaining that crazy little thing called work/life balance."
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Power of Pure Art
There are days (and nights) that I sometimes wonder, not why I got into the creative arena, but why I want to remain within it. As exhilarating as it can be at times, it can just as easily be exasperating.
But then I see or read something that tells a story so well, it simply moves me emotionally. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. Sometimes, as in this case, it does both. And I'm reminded of my love and respect for the power of pure art.
Click here or on the photo above to share in one man's story.
But then I see or read something that tells a story so well, it simply moves me emotionally. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. Sometimes, as in this case, it does both. And I'm reminded of my love and respect for the power of pure art.
Click here or on the photo above to share in one man's story.
Notes from 11/20 OCA Meeting
No new members to report, but... we did get together and talked about resumes, social media, and the Taproot Foundation.
Resumes
Paul Verner recently attended ProLango's resume writing 2.0 workshop, and he shared some his newly learned insights with the group:
- Write your resume for the recruiter, not the hiring manager. The purpose of the resume is to get you the interview.
- Contrary to popular belief (and all of us in the room last week), ProLango suggests 3 pages if you have more than 5 years of experience, 2 pages if you have 3-5 years of experience.
- Focus on keywords that tie to the job description. Repeat them within the resume, as current automated readers pick up on these (and the number of times they occur) and will flag your resume as one that is a good match.
- Not rocket science, but identify "tasks and results." Use percentages and dollar figures to highlight sales, cost savings, etc. - what you contributed.
Social Media
Gayle Rose asked if any of us had examples of Social Media case studies. We were able to quickly pull up several examples online (and sites with lists of hundreds of examples).
My favorite of the past year: Crispin Porter's "Whopper Sacrifice," which won a 2009 Cannes Titanium Lion, and asked, "What do you love more, your Facebook friends or the Whopper?"
233,000 friends were dumped in just over a week. I wish I'd known when this launched... I could have cleaned up my Facebook account and gotten a burger (or 3).
Taproot Foundation
Duane Hobbs recently started working on a project for the Seattle chapter of Lighthouse for the Blind. It's always nice to hear how some of us are putting our skills to good use.
Reminder... No meeting this week, 11/27, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll reconvene next Friday, 12/4.
Have a safe and fun Turkey Day!
Resumes
Paul Verner recently attended ProLango's resume writing 2.0 workshop, and he shared some his newly learned insights with the group:
- Write your resume for the recruiter, not the hiring manager. The purpose of the resume is to get you the interview.
- Contrary to popular belief (and all of us in the room last week), ProLango suggests 3 pages if you have more than 5 years of experience, 2 pages if you have 3-5 years of experience.
- Focus on keywords that tie to the job description. Repeat them within the resume, as current automated readers pick up on these (and the number of times they occur) and will flag your resume as one that is a good match.
- Not rocket science, but identify "tasks and results." Use percentages and dollar figures to highlight sales, cost savings, etc. - what you contributed.
Social Media
Gayle Rose asked if any of us had examples of Social Media case studies. We were able to quickly pull up several examples online (and sites with lists of hundreds of examples).
My favorite of the past year: Crispin Porter's "Whopper Sacrifice," which won a 2009 Cannes Titanium Lion, and asked, "What do you love more, your Facebook friends or the Whopper?"
233,000 friends were dumped in just over a week. I wish I'd known when this launched... I could have cleaned up my Facebook account and gotten a burger (or 3).
Taproot Foundation
Duane Hobbs recently started working on a project for the Seattle chapter of Lighthouse for the Blind. It's always nice to hear how some of us are putting our skills to good use.
Reminder... No meeting this week, 11/27, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll reconvene next Friday, 12/4.
Have a safe and fun Turkey Day!
Moving Image Print Media
What would it look like if print production and video broadcast production got together and made a baby? Looks like we're not far off from seeing the results.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Notes from 11/13 OCA Meeting
While Kelly was in Maryland visiting with family and friends and enjoying a little Northeast rain, four of us gathered at SVC this last Friday for the weekly OCA meeting. But being few in number didn't keep the discussion from being lively.
Welcome to one new OCA Member
It was a first visit for Terry Doyle, a writer and ACD from the east coast. Terry's background (if I remember right) is Grey in Atlanta; plus FCB, DraftFCB, and Publicis elsewhere.
It was the second visit for Jim Zimmerman (Business Development and Marketing Management), and the 3rd for Wes Youngquist (AD, CD).
We talked about the "Seattle Premium" – that portion of compensation that seems to come in the form of the opportunity to live here – yes it's real. We talked about contract work as a means of surviving the recession. We talked about start ups, forming your own Co., and venture capital. Most important, we just talked.
Job News!
Kelly reported to me that there's some good news for one of our members: Vanessa Gallant will be starting at T-Mobile on Nov 30th as a Sr. Communications Manager.
WordPress WorkShop
There's plans for another edition of the very popular WordPress WorkShop. (We're waiting to hear back from Richard Geasey on dates. Shooting for early next week, if Thanksgiving plans don't interfere too much.)
See everyone next week,
Duane
Welcome to one new OCA Member
It was a first visit for Terry Doyle, a writer and ACD from the east coast. Terry's background (if I remember right) is Grey in Atlanta; plus FCB, DraftFCB, and Publicis elsewhere.
It was the second visit for Jim Zimmerman (Business Development and Marketing Management), and the 3rd for Wes Youngquist (AD, CD).
We talked about the "Seattle Premium" – that portion of compensation that seems to come in the form of the opportunity to live here – yes it's real. We talked about contract work as a means of surviving the recession. We talked about start ups, forming your own Co., and venture capital. Most important, we just talked.
Job News!
Kelly reported to me that there's some good news for one of our members: Vanessa Gallant will be starting at T-Mobile on Nov 30th as a Sr. Communications Manager.
WordPress WorkShop
There's plans for another edition of the very popular WordPress WorkShop. (We're waiting to hear back from Richard Geasey on dates. Shooting for early next week, if Thanksgiving plans don't interfere too much.)
See everyone next week,
Duane
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