Wednesday, March 15, 2006
What is PR anyways?
Good morning everyone!
Pictures of my weekend with CVA are up on http://lisamichelle2006.blogspot.com. I don't like how they put the captions on top of the pictures, but hopefully you will know what you're seeing.
I just got through watching the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games which start tomorrow in Melbourn. It's a huge deal here- sport always is for Aussies, and especially in Melbourne. I'm working again tomorrow and 6:30 comes awfully early, so just a few short notes...
Many of you probably have wondered what exactly it is that I'm majoring in, and coming home from work today it occured to me that I have a better idea myself now that I've done a week of interning at Starlight, and I thought I'd share that, especially for you parental types. =)
Basically Carmel, Nicole, Danny and I are responsible for getting Starlight's great events into the media so that people will hear about the organization and support it financially so we can have the money to reach more sick kids. When I came in this morning Amanda told me that "Captain Starlight's" van is travelling through the small town of Dubbo tomorrow. He'll be doing 2 shows at Dubbo Hospital for really sick kids and taking 5 families to the zoo for a special overnight program. I was responsible for "pitching" the story idea over the phone to 3 local radio stations, 2 papers and 2 TV stations. Editors and journalists get tons of calls a day and trying to grab their attention from the beginning is intimidating. I have to use the proper terms also ("Starlight escape" as opposed to zoo trip, "Captain Dave" as opposed to David Dowley, "seriously ill children" as opposed to kids with cancer.) While I phoned, Nicole frantically wrote, re-wrote, edited and re-edited a press release on all the events with the details. Then Danny and I emailed the info to the editors and I followed up with them on the phone, scheduling interviews with the captains for each reporter, seeing who wanted photo opportunities, which events they wanted to come to, which children have permission to be photographed, etc.
I felt so clumsy all morning. Aussies use different phrases and when they're talking quickly through a bad phone connection I'll miss bits and pieces. I kept saying the wrong thing or just forgot to say things all together- I'm sure I sounded unsure, awkward and rushed. Nicole always sounds so beautiful and composed on the phone.) But when it all started to come together in the afternoon it was rewarding to see the results. It's fun to know the media is going to get some adorable coverage and that the children and families will get a thrill out of it as well. I know I'll get better, I just hope Nicole knows.
Anyways, that's kinda a snapshop of what I'll be doing.
Tomorrow will make one month since I left the states. I can't believe it's already been that long. At the same time, I can see that I'm comfortable here now- I don't have to concentrate when I cross the street at a round-about, I naturally walk on the left, I don't have to look out the window the whole time on the bus because I know I'll feel my stop...
Christina and Walt: thanks for the emails, I promise I'll write back this weekend.
Gran-O: Don't work Granddaddy too hard on his first day off! =)
Jackie and the kids: So glad you're in Houston for a visit and wish I could be there for it! Have a wonderful time!
Daddy, Walt, Jenny, and the Stubbs: I promise I'll get an email out to y'all this weekend about travel stuff. (Dan is a certified diver and he took a month to dive around Oz so he told me lots of things about it today.)
Bailey: Have you heard of the Commonwealth Games? I wonder if they are even on the TV in America? I hope you can see the picture of the hopping wallaby I took!
-R.I.P my little plant. (I forgot to ask my rommates to water him while I was away for the weekend.)
-Hummus is my new favotite thing. I eat it all the time and on everything.
Cheers,
Mich
Pictures of my weekend with CVA are up on http://lisamichelle2006.blogspot.com. I don't like how they put the captions on top of the pictures, but hopefully you will know what you're seeing.
I just got through watching the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games which start tomorrow in Melbourn. It's a huge deal here- sport always is for Aussies, and especially in Melbourne. I'm working again tomorrow and 6:30 comes awfully early, so just a few short notes...
Many of you probably have wondered what exactly it is that I'm majoring in, and coming home from work today it occured to me that I have a better idea myself now that I've done a week of interning at Starlight, and I thought I'd share that, especially for you parental types. =)
Basically Carmel, Nicole, Danny and I are responsible for getting Starlight's great events into the media so that people will hear about the organization and support it financially so we can have the money to reach more sick kids. When I came in this morning Amanda told me that "Captain Starlight's" van is travelling through the small town of Dubbo tomorrow. He'll be doing 2 shows at Dubbo Hospital for really sick kids and taking 5 families to the zoo for a special overnight program. I was responsible for "pitching" the story idea over the phone to 3 local radio stations, 2 papers and 2 TV stations. Editors and journalists get tons of calls a day and trying to grab their attention from the beginning is intimidating. I have to use the proper terms also ("Starlight escape" as opposed to zoo trip, "Captain Dave" as opposed to David Dowley, "seriously ill children" as opposed to kids with cancer.) While I phoned, Nicole frantically wrote, re-wrote, edited and re-edited a press release on all the events with the details. Then Danny and I emailed the info to the editors and I followed up with them on the phone, scheduling interviews with the captains for each reporter, seeing who wanted photo opportunities, which events they wanted to come to, which children have permission to be photographed, etc.
I felt so clumsy all morning. Aussies use different phrases and when they're talking quickly through a bad phone connection I'll miss bits and pieces. I kept saying the wrong thing or just forgot to say things all together- I'm sure I sounded unsure, awkward and rushed. Nicole always sounds so beautiful and composed on the phone.) But when it all started to come together in the afternoon it was rewarding to see the results. It's fun to know the media is going to get some adorable coverage and that the children and families will get a thrill out of it as well. I know I'll get better, I just hope Nicole knows.
Anyways, that's kinda a snapshop of what I'll be doing.
Tomorrow will make one month since I left the states. I can't believe it's already been that long. At the same time, I can see that I'm comfortable here now- I don't have to concentrate when I cross the street at a round-about, I naturally walk on the left, I don't have to look out the window the whole time on the bus because I know I'll feel my stop...
Christina and Walt: thanks for the emails, I promise I'll write back this weekend.
Gran-O: Don't work Granddaddy too hard on his first day off! =)
Jackie and the kids: So glad you're in Houston for a visit and wish I could be there for it! Have a wonderful time!
Daddy, Walt, Jenny, and the Stubbs: I promise I'll get an email out to y'all this weekend about travel stuff. (Dan is a certified diver and he took a month to dive around Oz so he told me lots of things about it today.)
Bailey: Have you heard of the Commonwealth Games? I wonder if they are even on the TV in America? I hope you can see the picture of the hopping wallaby I took!
-R.I.P my little plant. (I forgot to ask my rommates to water him while I was away for the weekend.)
-Hummus is my new favotite thing. I eat it all the time and on everything.
Cheers,
Mich
# posted by Michelle : 10:41 PM
