Zackery Moore, 23
Birmingham, AL
Media and Brand Strategist, 4 years
Z Kreativ Media
Blog: Making a PRofessional Twitter: @zakmo

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. Any pivotal moments mentors or internships that let you know PR was for you? ZM: I’m a media fanatic that grew-up in Arley, Alabama, a town in  the middle of nowhere.   Never someone that was especially patient (I tried to skip my senior year of high school just to start college early), I sought out a PR internship during my freshman year of college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
I found a mentor and interned at a music/event venue and bar. That would be the first of four internships. Later I interned with my mentor at a custom motorcycle
shop that creates limited-addition motorcycles. Tom Cruise owns one of the bikes and one of the models was featured in a movie with Jet Li and a commercial with Brad Pitt.

I started my freelance career that same year with an innovative theater group called MUSE OF FIRE: Shakespeare at Sloss. The group turned nontraditional spaces into stages; MUSE OF FIRE specifically used a haunted iron furnace for now annual spring and fall showcases of adapted Shakespeare. On more than one occasion news crews’equipment would malfunction on-site. This project solidified my desire to one day own an agency. I’d already decided I wanted to work for myself.

While looking for freelance projects, I worked part-time in a restaurant, focused on finishing my degree and completed internships (some for school credit, some for the experience).

Mopwater: Describe your office setting and a typical workday including your work hours. What do you do all day? ZM: Usually my workday begins at 9. Freelancing gives me a lot of freedom to create my own schedule. Sometimes I work a couple hours a day, sometimes I work from 9 to 9. It depends on my workload. I completed my last-ever internship at a
creative branding agency called Cayenne Creative and still have office space with the group that I use when I want a change of scenery. They’re one of the most amazing groups of creative professionals and taught me so much about branding and the importance of strategy.

Mopwater: Who are some of your and what kind of projects do you take on for these clients? ZM: My past clients include MUSE OF FIRE, Broadway Across America – Birmingham, Nick Sparks for Congress, a short stint with March of Dimes and the National Center for Sports Safety. Presently I’m working with Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics and I take on occasional projects with Cayenne Creative. I’m also looking for new clients and projects to grow my business.
I like to say I’m a creative media strategist; that means I use traditional and new media to help an organization brand itself. Copywriting, media relations, email marketing, writing for the web and branding strategy are the services I offer.

Mopwater: Describe a recent project where you produced results of which you’re really proud. ZM: The results of my last project included increased website traffic for three months in a row and media coverage from local media and mom bloggers. It was a 6- month project. With Lemak Sports Medicine and Orthopedics I’ve led a team in creating a new logo for the brand, a social network about health and wellness, two branded-email designs and I’m working with a designer to create a new
brochure for the practice.

Mopwater: What are your favorite and least favorite PR/marketing/SM tasks and why? ZM: My favorite part of my job is writing. I love copywriting for email and websites/blogs. I also really love to write press releases and pitch news stories.

Mopwater: What’s the worst part of your job? ZM: The worst part of my job is uncertainty. As a freelancer I’m responsible for every part of most projects: traffic, planning, creative direction, execution and deadlines. It leaves little time for business development. That’s why I’m about to start a search for a business development pro.

Mopwater: What  advice would you give someone who is trying to break into your field? ZM: My advice is don’t wait. My college experience has changed me for the better, but I’m not going to let a piece of paper define my talent, creativity and professionalism. Don’t let [graduation] hold you back. I’m still in college (a 5th year senior) but I’ve started my career when some of my friends who recently graduated are still struggling to find a job.

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I had the pleasure of meeting today’s TDMJ PR Pro a few weeks ago, and was so compelled by her story that I knew you would be, too. In addition to being a new wife and mother like myself, Mrs. Lara is a tenacious public relations professional who started out in the world of academia and leveraged a thirst for knowledge and willingness to work hard to create her own  opportunities. For Lara, this has translated into a pretty impressive career track only a few years out of college-not bad for someone who didn’t study communications in college! Already a senior account exec with several  agency positions under her belt and a consulting practice in the works, Mrs. Lara is one to watch.

Name: Jacqueline Lara
Age: 26
Current City: Silver Spring, MD
Job Title: Senior Account Executive, Lyons Public Relations
Owner, Mpact Communications
Length of Time in this Role: 18 months

Web Site |LinkedIn|Twitter

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. How did you wind up in this field?

JL: My path to PR was nontraditional, but I wouldn’t change it for the world because each step has molded my experience. I received my B.A. in Sociology and a business certificate from the College Park Scholars program at the University of Maryland.  While I enjoyed my major and loved analyzing groups of people and their behaviors, as well as organizations and the key factors influencing their effectiveness, I often wondered what profession I’d pursue after college.  I felt pigeon-holed between working in HR and becoming a social worker.  Neither of these options appealed to me, so I took a few communications courses and was intrigued by the power of words and the way media pundits ‘spun’ messages to advance their platforms. Read the full story

Name: Claudio E. Cabrera, 25

Current City: New York City (Manhattan)

Looking For: A Sports PR Position, Freelance PR / PR Internship Leads, Journalism Opportunities

Our Notes: He’s fashionable, award-winning and game-changing. He won the Independent Press Association 2006 Award for Best Article on a Social, Racial, or Immigration issue. The article, Punishing Phone Call Tax for Prisoners’ Families forced the New York Congress to confront the issue.

Skills: Writing, Editing, Public Relations

On the Web: Live Above Mediocrity

Mopwater: Where do you see yourself fitting into this industry?

CC: Well, I can’t say that I dreamed or even still dream of becoming a publicist; it’s just something that I have experience doing and actually like. But, I don’t like the agency side of it [because] I don’t like being hovered over. I feel I’m at my best when I’m able to sit down and speak with a client one-on-one and develop a plan of attack to garner him/her press. Not to say I wouldn’t take a position with a firm, but I prefer freelancing.

Mopwater: Describe your work history, including relevant internships, up to this point.

CC: While I was in college, I was a paid intern for over two years for the NY Amsterdam News, one of the oldest black newspapers in the country. I was brought on by the owner, Elinor Tatum, and former Editor in Chief Jamal Watson. I covered news in the Harlem community and garnered close to 100 clips at the weekly publication.

I also interned for TravelwithVal.Com, a website that focused on travel deals and destinations. It was a great experience because it exposed me to  a field of writing I was never familiar with. I’ve also interned for the Columbia Records A&R and Universal Music Enterprises Catalog Department.  I was also a writer for DefJam.com profiling artists and generating news pieces.

After graduating [from Brooklyn College] in the summer of 2008, I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to find a job considering the direction the economy was headed in. But I contacted a company called yoonew, whose focus is in sports tickets; and considering that I have experience doing ticket re-selling and journalism, I was brought on as their PR Manager. Read the full story

I’m doing something new today. I come across amazing, talented people all the time.  I profile some of them for Test Drive My Job, Senior Counsel or How to Pitch. But occasionally I meet very impressive people who are looking for work.  Brilliant, talented and eager to work in PR and communications, I wish I could put them all in a building and start my own mega-firm! And someday, I just might.

Just because you don’t have a job does not mean I won’t profile you. If you’ve impressed me with your job-seeking skills and hustle, you might just find yourself on Mopwater PR + Notes.  Like Karyn Watkins.  I “met” her on Twitter.  She was tweeting about her search for PR work in DC, so I contacted her and we met for coffee.  Currently living in her hometown of Chicago, Karyn writes The Fabulous Giver–an amazing blog on philanthropy. She also writes a philanthropy column for the Examiner.  Very tech and new media savvy. Sharp young lady. Check her out–she won’t be “retired” for long!

Name: Karyn Watkins, 25

Current City: Chicago, Illinois

Looking For: A Healthcare or Non-Profit PR Job in DC or Chicago

Our Notes: Great writer, awesome personality

On the Web: The Fabulous Giver

Mopwater: Can you give me  a quick description of your decision to leave advertising and move into PR?
Karyn: Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work in various facets of marketing communications from sales to advertising. I’ve learned so much from each experience! However, it’s becoming very clear that the Internet is changing the way that people interact with each other and with companies. I knew that I wanted to be a greater participant in the conversations happening between people, businesses, and donors about various brands, initiatives, and organizations. So, it seemed only natural that I switch it up and move into public relations.

Mopwater: How is the search going? How long has it been? What is your ultimate  goal?
Karyn: I’ve been “retired” for almost five months, but honestly, I didn’t start my job search until January of this year as I wanted to focus on writing and volunteering. So far though, I think that the search is going well. I’m not saying that the opportunities are endless, but in all fairness, I can’t totally blame it on the economy. I have a specific idea of the tasks and creativity needed to do my next job, and while I’m willing to compromise a little, I can’t compromise it all strictly because the Dow Jones tells me that I should! After all, I courageously and voluntarily left my previous employer to pursue my ideal career path and I just can’t throw that away.

My ultimate goal is to land in a public relations or communications position within the healthcare or nonprofit sector. I am either looking to stay in Chicago or relocate to the Washington D.C. Area. There are pros and cons to each decision, but I’ll just have to weigh the opportunities once they become available to me! Read the full story

Name: Amy Kauffman, 23, on the right

(with BBPR partner Kristen Kouk, left)

Current City: Dallas, Texas

Company: BlueBird Public Relations
Founder, Partner
Est. Oct. 2008

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. What made you want to get into the field?

AK: While I didn’t “fall into the PR field” so to speak, I did take an interesting route. Sometimes you have to figure out what you DON’T want to do before you find what you DO find value in pursuing.

I was originally a Nutrition major when I went to The University of Texas at Austin and I quickly realized (after a brutal organic chem class) that being a dietitian was not the career path I wanted to take. If I didn’t enjoy learning and executing the material then, I knew that there was no way it would help me lead a fulfilling life down the road. So when I took some time and thought about my true passions I realized my whole life I have always loved writing and communications; always enjoyed literature, was the PR Class Officer for our high school, spent time writing for a newspaper and also sold their ad space. After taking time to reflect on this, I decided to apply to the Communications School. I knew I had no interest in being a journalist, but decided that Public Relations was the way to go. I am so blessed that I made the decision and was true to myself even though there was a possibility of not getting into the school, graduating late and an unspoken pressure to not change majors.

Mopwater: What were you doing prior to launching your business?

AK: I spent time in Austin as the Director of PR for Texas Campus Compact, a state-wide education nonprofit and my last position was leading the communications at a start up advertising/media agency in Dallas.

Mopwater: What kind of clients does your company serve and what services do you provide?

AK: Right now we are serving small to medium sized organizations from very diverse industries; entertainment and retail to industry machining and nonprofits.  We help build our clients’ brand and image assisting with internal and external communication; help build awareness through traditional and non traditional media and form partnerships with sponsors for events and charitable causes. Read the full story

Today’s TDMJ profiles James Walker, an incredible social media specialist who is just starting his career in PR. James is a junior project manager for APCO Online , a division of the global agency APCO Worldwide. James works in Washington, DC and I discovered him through his insightful tweets about PR and his informative blog Gen Y PR Prescriptions.

When he met me recently at a DC Starbucks, James told me how important it is to claim a piece of the social media pie for yourself if you’re a PR person calling yourself a social media strategist/expert (read: start your blog!) Hopefully I’ll be able to get the video footage of that timely interview up this weekend, pending tech support. For now, here’s James:

James S. Walker
Washington, DC
Age: 22
APCO Worldwide
Junior Project Manager, APCO Online
length of time in role: 6 months

Blog: Gen Y PR Prescriptions
Twitter: @Jaywalk1
Linkedin: in/jswalker

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. What made you want to get into the field?

JW: I discovered PR right around the time I decided to declare a major at George Washington University. I made a call home to check in and mentioned that I was planning to major in Communication. My mother replied: “What kind of job can you get with that major?” I said: “Umm…(scratching head) you know…Communications positions.” At that point, Communication just seemed interesting, but I knew that I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t come up with a good answer, so I went to work.

After reading books, taking career assessments and browsing hundreds of sites, I decided that PR was it. Glad that I figured it out, I called back home and made a compelling case showing how I would get a job in PR. Her response: “So… what exactly will you do?”

Reflecting back on my answer to her then reminds me of the opening for MTV’s The Real World – “You think you know, but you have no idea.” I have worked (internships and full-time) in a number of Communications roles since then, from university relations and special events to CNN’s Crossfire at GW to public affairs and crisis comms shops to a health care communications firm and now a global communications agency.

In my short time in the industry, I’ve worked steps away from James Carville and Donna Brazile, helped prepare for prescription medication product launches, developed materials for patients with chronic pain and diabetes, and proposed social media strategies for tech giants. Each position taught me something new about the industry and myself, allowing me to grow both personally and professionally.

Mopwater: What aspects of the industry are you most excited about?

JW: I am most excited about the role the PR industry already is and will continue to play in the development, promotion and adoption of social media among businesses and other organizations.

I think the industry is well positioned to not only teach groups how to engage in social media but also to provide communications counsel on how to engage in a way that benefits them and their audiences, the people they serve. Read the full story