This week I had the opportunity to pick the brain of Amy Mengel (@amymengel). Like some of my other guests, Amy is one of those rare breeds that doesn’t rely on coffee. Although she enjoys “fake coffee” like Frappachinos, you’ll more than likely find her sipping Diet Coke for a little caffeine fix. It’s okay Amy, we promise to not throw any fresh produce your way ;). In the summer months you can find her commuting to work often on two wheels as she is an avid cyclist. During fall months Amy is all about college football and skis slopes in the winter months. When she has free time, this book nerd can be caught bumming at the library looking for some new favorites to dive into. Amy relies on her well managed Google Reader to help her stay on top of the PR/SM news. Some of her favorites include: The Brand Builder, Todd Defren’s PR-Squared, and Dave Fleet’s blog. She also geeks out over Marginal Revolution and Strange Maps. And so I give you, Amy Mengel, discussing corporate communications, consulting, Facebook, and the importance of strategy/tactics.
Category Archives: Christina Khoury
Flack Gift Guide
As you may have noticed, I’ve recently been in holiday mode. I’ve given thanks to PRBC, detailed the do’s & don’ts of holiday parties, and now I am here to solve your gift giving dilemmas. See as a young PR professional, I’ve become pretty crafty when giving gifts to my friends and family. I consider it an art. Every year they’re amazed at how creative I get, when actually I’m just looking for something that won’t break my piggy bank. Why not share the “wealth” of creativity with the PRBC community? Here are my picks of the seasons must-have gifts for PR professionals: Continue reading
Giving thanks to my PRBC Family
This week I was inspired by “Social Media Thanksgiving” and instead of my weekly Coffee Talk, I decided to use this platform to thank the people who probably don’t hear “thank you” enough: my PRBC family. Most of the people who read PRBC or know us would say, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. From time to time we’ll have some fun with posts like “PRBC Member Breaks Off” and “Coffee Talk with PRBC Parents”. I love these because it’s a way for the community to learn more about us. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday, stuffs themselves like a turkey, and remembers to give a little thanks to the special people in their lives. Continue reading
Dear Oprah (Part 5)…
Dear Oprah,
Thank you for making my life a little bit easier. I no longer have to choose between you or Ellen.
Wait, who am I kidding? I’d much rather dance with Ellen.
Best,
Christina
Christina’s Coffee Talk with Danny Brown
This week I sat down with Danny Brown, social media strategist for Maritz Canada, founder of 12for12k, and friend. Danny get’s his daily fix from little coffee shops like, Second Cup or Muddy Waters but says he really starts his day with PRBC’s e-mail updates. (Note: I quickly learned he’s a charmer). He boasts about being a geek and says his favorite pastimes are messing in WordPess or playing video games (sorry PS3 lovers, he plays on Xbox 360 or Wii). In addition to his Recommended Reading, you can catch Danny laughing to off-the-cuff humor blogs like F*ck You Penguin and his wife’s Just Kickin’ It. It was a real pleasure picking Danny’s brain for a little bit, and I hope this chat inspires you just as much as it did for me.
Christina’s Coffee Talk with Danielle Culmone
My favorite thing about working in public relations is how it can be applied to any industry. Chances are, if you find something you’re passionate about, you can do PR for it. My guest this week, Danielle Culmone, is a great example of that. Danielle is an account supervisor in the real estate division at Quinn & Co Public Relations. This fervent coffee drinker fits right in with the rest of PRBC with her latest idea: The Coffee EpiPen: “stab yourself in the thigh each morning with your daily caffeine dose and go!” I think I know a few people that would buy that! When she’s not thinking of these fantastic inventions, or working, Danielle likes to turn her brain off to read lots of books and 186 subscriptions in her Google Reader. She loves to travel and makes it a point to go somewhere new each year. So this week, Danielle teaches us about the world of real estate PR. Continue reading
Coffee Talk with the Winners of #PRStudChat Challenge
Earlier this week I chatted with Assistant Professor Brooke Fisher Liu and Lecturer Susan Whyte Simon from the University of Maryland, the winners of the #PRStudChat Challenge. UMD won the challenge by having the most students contribute to the chat. The university had over 30 students participate in the challenge (You can find a list the students here*.) I had the opportunity to chat with two of them: Jeana Zamanski, a junior communications major, and Rowena Briones, a graduate student in the department of communications. Continue reading
Coffee Talk with the Winners of #PRStudChat Challenge
On October 21st over 409 participants joined in the #PRStudChat Challenge. This challenge was organized by Deidre Breakenridge and Valerie Simon. The conversation consisted of students, professors, and PR pros with Christine Perkett as a special guest. Over 40 schools participated but the winning school, with the most contributors, was the University of Maryland. After the challenge, I got the chance to chat with Assistant Professor Brooke Fisher Liu and Lecturer Susan Whyte Simon about UMD’s communication program and how they integrate social media into their students’ education. There will also be a part two of this interview with two public relations students from UMD. Continue reading
Christina’s Coffee Talk: With the Parents of PRBC
This week’s coffee talk was inspired by a question that I am sure most people in PR have answered: “What exactly is it that you do?” So instead of making another PR professional answer this question for the millionth time, I turned to the people who never seem to get it: my parents. But I couldn’t let them have all the fun, so I had PRBC ask at least one of their parents too. I have to admit, I thought the answers were going to be more off base, perhaps confusing PR with marketing or advertising but I was definitely wrong. Overall I think they did a pretty good job, but I’ll let you decide. Continue reading
Christina’s Coffee Talk: Sasha Muradali
This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Sasha H. Muradali. She is a lover of all things social media, runs ‘Little Pink Book’ (now on Amazon’s Kindle.) and is always sparking conversation on Twitter. When Sasha isn’t blogging about the next “it” topic you could find her enjoying musical theatre, going to the opera, and enjoying a good book. This Harry Potter fan is also a self-taught Photoshop addict and loves trying to see what new things she can come up with. You may also find her singing to herself, her guilty pleasure, in her car to Miley Cyrus’s new song, “Party in the USA” and relaxing on the couch watching Grey’s Anatomy…. But I’ll let you take that up with her. Without further adieu – here is Sasha discussing her blog, personal branding, and its impact on her job search. Continue reading