By Amanda Miller Littlejohn | @amandamogul

I find the most fabulous people on Twitter. I can’t quite remember how or when I began following Ms. Ashley Small, but I’m so glad I did. She is a fierce indie PR firm owner out of Houston and she’s always tweeting about some fabulous project or another. Earlier this year, she was named one of the Faces of Houston by Fast Company Magazine!

I’ve been wanting to profile her for some time now, and finally got my chance. I hope you follow her and find her as inspiring as I do! Enjoy

Ashley Small (@AshleyRSmall)

Houston, Texas

Owner, Medley, Inc.

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. AS: I’ve always worn many hats and had a sincere passion for media. I was introduced to PR by chance…I needed to take an additional class to meet the requirements in college at Texas Southern University, so I begged my (now mentor) then Chair of the Journalism Department to allow me to take the advanced PR class…it was love at first assignment;).

I’m from Tulsa, Oklahoma and I worked on the school newspaper in high school-so initially went to college to pursue a career in journalism. Ultimately, I majored in journalism, minored in PR. I had several internships while in college and after graduating, including internships at JONES Magazine, Schipul, The Web Marketing Company, The Axis Agency and more. My first job after college was in advertising at the Houston Chronicle.

Mopwater: Describe a pivotal moment in your career. AS: In PR, my pivotal moment was when I took the advanced PR class. I was able to work on actual campaigns, and work on projects that allowed me to utilize my writing, my personality, aggression and energy. Just writing this, reminds me of the thrill of PR. It’s a demanding, and hugely gratifying field for a person like me.

For social media, my pivotal moment was when I interned at Schipul, the Web Marketing Company. I was the SEO intern in 2007, and learned more about the web in 3 months than I had in my entire life. I became fascinated with the opportunities presented via web marketing.

Mopwater: Describe your typical day, workplace and office settings. AS: I have an office, but prefer to work from home. I’m one of those people who roll over and reach for coffee, and then her laptop. Really, I check my iPhone through the night and when I wake up in the morning.

I have a task list for each day and just do my very best to knock it out. My days are mostly spent on my computer, for up to 12-14 hours a day, At times, I attend media interviews with clients, but otherwise I pretty much stay glued to my laptop and phone.

Mopwater: What are your favorite PR tasks? AS: Building/creating lists. In PR this, is our most valuable asset- our contacts. So it’s a task that must be done. Sponsors, media, potential clients, etc.. So many lists in this job…

I love to pitch, and I am thrilled when the writer/reporter loves the pitch. I don’t dread releases, but prefer to write a quick, focused, research-driven pitch. I’m learning that in most cases, this approach is more convenient for both me and the writer/reporter. Getting straight to the point….boldly making the ask.

We don’t do a great deal of blogging for our brands, but we do love maintaining social media sites for them. Every audience is different, and I’m always curious to see how different audiences respond to content.

Mopwater: Who are some of your clients and projects? AS: Our clients include The Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH), Natural Resources Salon, Melodrama Boutique, Texas Southern University and more. Our projects vary, but usually include public relations, new media, brand development or special events.

Typically, I work towards identifying media opportunities and securing placements. I also focus on keeping our clients visible online. Whether that’s through social media maintenance, content development or blogger outreach- my goal is to create a strong presence for clients.

Here’s a sample project:

Client: The Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH)
MOCAH is Houston’s leading developer of community based public art and cultural programming. As a non-profit art organization they are dedicated to the mission of using art and creativity as tools for social awareness and community development.

Outcome

In less than one year:

• National features on ABC, in Art Knowledge News and Art Daily
• Secured over 20 media placements valued at $50,000
• Established brand familiarity and new partnerships for MOCAH

Mopwater: What advice would you give someone breaking into the field? AS: Know your strengths and maximize on them. If you’re a great researcher, learn to pitch detailed, newsworthy stories and create superb analytics. If you’re (like me) and enjoy meeting people and connecting, make it a point to build genuine relationships.

Mopwater: What would you change about your journey so far?  AS: I can boldly and confidently say nothing. I’m grateful for everything I’ve experienced….I’m truly grateful for having a strong sense of faith and knowing that everything happens exactly as it should. No regrets….not one.

Happy Thursday Media People! I’m super-excited about today’s Test Drive My Job interview with Deirdre Breakenridge, whom I “met” at the Georgetown Barnes and Noble while searching for some PR and Marketing reading. I was in one of those saw-sharpening moods that I go through periodically, so when I saw Deirdre’s book PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences I thought it would be the perfect remedy. And it was.

Seldom do I come across game-changers, but this book was definitely one of them. Without going into too much detail (go pick up the book, you won’t regret it) PR 2.0 gave me a ton of great tips that I am already implementing for my clients. For instance, Deirdre writes about how important online newsrooms are for SEO. I’ve improved two online newsrooms just using her suggestions, and I do believe it’s eventually going to make a difference in our search engine rankings.

In PR 2.0, Deirdre also breaks social media, blogging, social media press releases, etc. all the way down and helps you figure out ways to get measurable, affordable results for either yourself or your clients. It’s a must-read, so check out her blog for info about PR 2.0 and her other titles. Let’s get on with the interview…

Deirdre Breakenridge, 42

New Jersey

President and Director of Communications for PFS Marketwyse for the past 10 years

Author of PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences and co-author of Putting the Public Back into Public Relations

Blog and Twitter

Mopwater: What are your typical work hours? DB: I pretty much work all day and night. A normal day could easily be up to 12 hours. I guess this is typical when you own your own marketing/PR agency. You just never stop. I help my employees with their work during the day and then I do my own work (strategy, writing, new business proposals and reports) at night.

Mopwater: Describe a typical work day. DB: I get into the office around 8:00 a.m. (that’s after commuting for about an hour and a half). I like to get some “think” work done and prepare for the day before the staff arrives. Usually, mornings are filled with internal staff meetings that include team production meetings, communications meetings and creative brainstorming. I also devote morning hours to operational responsibilities, so that I can work with the accounting office on financial matters or with the project management department. I tend to schedule most of my client meetings in the afternoons whether they are by telephone or in person. I leave the office by 5 p.m. to beat the traffic, but will finish the work day/night at home. It’s no surprise that I’ll still be emailing clients or members of my team long after the normal work day ends, especially if those clients are across the country or in another part of the world.

Mopwater: Describe your office. DB: I spend four days a week in the office with the staff. We are about 20 minutes outside of New York City, in Northern New Jersey, which is a fairly busy area. I spend every Friday working from home. It’s my favorite day of the week because I feel I can get so much accomplished without interruption. Being in an office is great so that you can interact and brainstorm with colleagues, but there are times that it’s difficult to concentrate. I have an open door policy, so my office door is literally always open. I do feel that you have to be disciplined working at home because there are distractions there too whether it’s the refrigerator or the fact that laundry always needs to get done. But, if you can get into a good routine then you will find the time out of the office is much more productive, not to mention the fact that you want to go back on Monday to see everyone.

Mopwater: What types of clients does your company work with and what services do you provide? DB: We have a variety of clients in different industries including technology, healthcare, financial, HR, and food manufacturing. Our company is made up of three divisions; Communications/PR, Creative Marketing and Video/Multimedia. Many of the services we provide from PR and advertising to FLASH development and streaming video, help companies to bridge the gap from traditional marketing to new media and Web 2.0. Our clients’ campaigns are customized so that they can interact with the most important influencers, at the right time, to gain maximum exposure and engage in new and innovative ways to build brand loyalty.

I really enjoyed the strategy, planning and launch behind GettingHired.com, a website that helps people with disabilities find jobs. GettingHired is also a social networking platform, so that people with disabilities can interact with peers, service providers and advocacy groups. It’s one of my favorite projects, not only because it’s such a necessary service for the 23 million people who have disabilities, but also because the campaign has traditional elements of advertising, direct mail and PR and bridges over to Web 2.0. We used several successful strategies to interact with new influencers and Web communities (blogging, social networking and social media releases, to name a few).

Mopwater: What are your favorite things about working at PFS? DB: My favorite things about working at PFS are the people/culture as well as the diverse client base. The culture at PFS is very hands on and proactive. PFS employees take tremendous pride in their work and have been complimented by clients for achieving aggressive deadlines and staying under budget. I also love the diverse client base because you never feel that you are “stuck” in one industry. It keeps your mind fresh. Each employee has the opportunity to learn about a variety of companies and their communication challenges in the market.

Mopwater: How do you best collaborate with your team (standard board room meetings, conference calls, BaseCamp or other project management tool, etc.)? DB: We have 15 employees in total and I work with all employees in their separate client teams. We collaborate best when we are together in our creative department which is a big open room with comfy chairs surrounded by our computer technology. The atmosphere gets the creative juices flowing when we’re brainstorming. That’s not to say that we don’t have meetings in the conference room. We have our standard production meetings and client meetings in the boardroom setting, and also do a lot of telephone conference calls/Web Ex meetings there for our clients.

Mopwater: What do you wish was different at your job? DB: I wish I could find the right PR person/Director of Communications to run my communications department and to work with me on strategy/planning for clients. This would allow me to give more focus to my Presidential responsibilities (operations and finance), new business, speaking engagements, interviews, etc.

Mopwater: Do you see yourself in this job in 5 years? If not, where do you see yourself? DB: Yes, because I own PFS Marketwyse, I do see myself there in five years. However, my role will be more strategy and consultation to clients and less operational. I will also continue with my writing career, and, hopefully, in five years, be on my 8th or 9th book. I have my 4th book, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” being published in March 2009. And, I’m in the process of pursuing book #5 with my publisher Financial Times Press.

I think as a communications professional you need to be an excellent communicator (both oral and written), have a lot of energy, be a total “people-person” and enjoy working in teams. As a business owner and President of a company, you need a tough skin, be able to handle stressful situations, and learn the art of negotiations.