PRBreakfastClub

[Editor's Note 1/29/10: This list still needs to be updated with the bios and headshots of our newest authors.  Check this post for their info. addendum 8/30/10 -- I'll get to it this week, promise...]

Founders

Christina Khoury (by Sherri Haymond)
Christina Khoury is a travel publicist.  Not your typical “Strong Island” girl, Christina’s childhood dream was to be a choreographer. Or a detective.  (We all agree that she’s a better detective than choreographer now….)  Since she realized she wasn’t going to be the next Paula Abdul (or Olivia Benson, for that matter), Christina majored in Public Relations at Quinnipiac University, where she was an active member (and an officer!) of PRSSA.  A die hard Mets fan (even if they stink) of Dominican/Italian/Lebanese decent, Christina’s feisty personality and excellent PR and organizational skills make her an excellent client representative.  Don’t be surprised when she randomly starts spurting Spanish – we may not understand what she’s saying, but rest assured it’s always intelligent and thought-provoking.  (At least that’s what we’ve been told!)  Oh, and Christina’s already had her 15 minutes – she kissed Ricky Martin on TRL – and has the video to prove it!

CT Michaels (by Keith Trivitt)
CT Michaels – better known as the “guy with the white pants” and/or vest at almost any event he attends – is an Account Executive at one of the leading PR firms in the country.  That’s the “elevator pitch” side of him. The other side is a self-described hot guy who likes to have fun, knows what he’s doing and is a reality TV junkie. Simply put, he’s got style, class and enough moxie and smarts to get any one of his numerous clients into a top-tier publication or a feature television segment. Sometimes his mouth gets him trouble, but hey, he’s got character. CT graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2004 and currently lives in New York City in a 5th floor walk up.

PRCog
Chief Bottle Washer, Editor [Editor's Note: Yes, I'm the one writing these witty (yes, damnit, they are witty) comments], Admin and general troublemaker.  Maintains another blog for things not quite high-end enough for PRBreakfastClub.com.

Keith Trivitt
Now that Keith lives and works in New York City, you might never know he grew up and attended school in Missouri. But as soon as you meet him (or talk to him on Twitter) you’ll know he isn’t from around here. Keith is the undisputed gentleman of the group; he’s always ready to lend support and encouraging words to his fellow members. After five years in the PR business, Keith allowed his entrepreneurial spirit to finally run wild and joined Sternberg Strategic Communications as the agency’s Executive Vice President, where he’s helping to build businesses he is truly passionate about. When not working or spending time with his lovely fiancé, Laura, you will find Keith running! In fact, he has run not one, not two, but 10 marathons, including the 2008 and 2010 Boston Marathons, which he describes as the “coolest experience of his life.” Although running is definitely his thing, he also enjoys channeling his hyperactiveness in other sports such as cycling, baseball and lacrosse. Keith is incredibly social media savvy; he is always exploring the ways social media and traditional public relations can be integrated to help build clients’ businesses, a particular focus of his at SSC. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, he is definitely the person to follow. Keith also loves O.A.R, the St. Louis Cardinals, reading and he never misses an episode of “Mad Men.”

Marie V-B (by Jess Greco)
After being a slave (in other words, publicist) to the music industry for a number of years, Marie decided she didn’t love any band enough to stay out until 4:30 in the morning partying with them.  Well except for The Smashing Pumpkins of course- infatuation doesn’t even begin to describe what she feels for them.  Marie is now living the agency life at a PR boutique in New York City, where she works with a variety of parenting-oriented products and services. Besides public relations, Marie loves fantasy football, Austin, TX, obscure indie rock, horror movies, James Spader, and she’ll never say no to seeing one of her favorite bands live.

Bloggers

Contributing Writers

Danielle Cyr (by Heather Duiett)
Danielle is an Account Manager at Co-Communications and PR Breakfast Club’s resident Pastry Chef.  While insuring theraccoon stays on the treadmill so Connecticut has power, Danielle bakes up award-winning PR campaigns.  This sweetheart is a recipe for success proven by nearly a dozen PR and Advertising accolades.  Danielle graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Hartford and a minor in retail therapy.  Future blog posts may define the power of persuasion with chocolate and cupcakes.

TJ Dietderich
TJ is an online coordinator with the HarperCollins Children’s Books online marketing team. She manages the social media outreach for all their teen, tween, and children’s titles and promotions. That’s because books are awesome. TJ has a master’s degree in Writing & Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, which means she was about an inch away from becoming an assistant editor. Luckily, she realized she was a terrible editor and took to e-publishing and publicity as a concentration instead. Before that, she earned a B.A. in creative writing at Florida State University. She digs cupcakes and likes to tweet in an overly excited manner, ending almost every sentence with a (!) but she isn’t faking it; she really does get overly excited about books.

Heather Dueitt (by Danielle Cyr)
Don’t be fooled by this Wildcats’ southern charm.  Heather Dueitt is a pr and social media powerhouse and has done everything from living on a plane for 30 days to running events at the Super Bowl.  A University of Kentucky alumni, this super social city girl can be found surviving boot camp in Central Park or hiding-out at Sunday brunch when time allows.

Jess Greco (by Marie V-B and Kate Ottavio)
A lover of all things pink, this girly-girl will inspire you with her quick wit and insight to the Social Media/Public Relations world. A huge foodie and wine connoisseur, Jess can lend her creative thoughts to many different topics. After graduating from NYU, Jess has spent the last year demonstrating her social media prowess at a NJ public relations firm and is now starting her post-grad career as an account coordinator at a Manhattan PR agency. In her spare time you can find Jess running the unofficial Dunkin’ Donuts fan club, rockin’ out to Lady Gaga, struggling with Adam Lambert’s American Idol loss, and dressing her dog in Juicy Couture clothing.

Sherri Haymond (by CT Michaels)
After surviving Duke University, Penn Law School and way too long as a corporate finance lawyer [Editor's Note: we like her anyway], investment banker and hedge fund analyst, Sherri bid farewell to her past life and said hello (via Walkie-Talkie) to a new life as president and PR gal of @WY20. Mom to Mack and Wife to Jason (The Red Power Ranger), Sherri has a full dinner plate, but yet still finds the time to grace the #prbc with her presence and insightful thought.  She loves fashion and has a great sense of style. Fantasy Football and reality TV are the guilty pleasures in her life, but when she gets a free day, she can be found hanging by the pool with her son Mack.  Don’t be shy boys (and girls), if you see her at a bar, say Hi and order her Patron on the rocks with lime juice!

Correspondents

Tracy Bagatelle Black (W. Coast Correspondent)
Tracy is principal at Bagatelle Black Public Relations. A seasoned PR executive based in Los Angeles, she has been working in Internet public relations for as long as the Internet has been commercially viable. As a freelance writer she has been published in The Net, Websight, America Online, California Computer News, and most recently, the Gannett News Service. Her lame attempt at a social media blog is just getting up and running. You can find her on twitter or LinkedIn.