Keeping Up with Appearances

Music I am loving...

2011-10-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

I severely suggest you check out the following songs:

Midnight City - By M83 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE
Lights Out, Words Gone - By Bombay Bicycle Club http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vglxk3JbHnQ
Everything Goes My Way - Metronomy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P2w_hq8YTk&ob=av2n

What NOT to do on a placement

2011-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Sit and play with your Rubix Cube whilst having an email open to send to someone in the agency who is waiting for the work you are meant to be doing!

It's been a while....

2011-10-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

And by gum it has. I literally have no idea where the past few (or six) months have gone! My last post was during the midst of dissertation, since then a lot has changed. I've graduated with a 2.1, had an awesome summer and am working and living in London, everything has turned out rather rosy!

I am currently second in command at new brands division of Dawbell PR. It is going well.
Really enjoying the vast amount of responsibility and the ability to be creative and have an impact on how our different brands campaigns run.

Think the blog is going to take a more creative turn over the next few months so stay tuned...

Is Social Media like Garlic Bread...Is it really the Future for Everyone?

2011-01-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Due to being a bit busy with final year I have found it increasingly difficult to keep my blog regulary updated and have unfortuntely let it fall by the way side. Hark No! Social media fantatics cry! Having a blog is a commitment, a hobby, something to come home too and treat like one of the family, an important part of your personal and working life that you must treasure.

Much like Twitter. Who in the morning, wakes up and checks both their Twitter and Facebook accounts even before getting out of bed? I do for one, it has become a habit, and being a bit of a creature of habit I have placed it firmly within my morning routine and continually check it at regular intervals throughout the day.

It is these sorts of social media orientated habits that many organisations are increasingly relying on as part of their social media strategies. Everywhere companies turn they are being instructed to jump on the social media bandwagon and 'get with the times'. But is social media really for everyone? Granted it has many positives and is a fantastic way of reaching out to a lot of publics, but I can't help feeling that it is not always the best choice for every kind of organisation.

For instance a large amount of the people that frequent the Twitter realm (latest figures I have found are about 190 million) are predominately media orientated. I am not saying there are not millions of people that aren't but if I were to do a survey amongst my friends (all fine upstanding young professionals might I add) very few of them would admit to using anything more than Facebook. This would mean a brand that might want to target my friends and those like them, may find that a social media campaign to not necessarily be such a good idea.
Don't get me wrong I love a good retweet as much as Wossy, but I just feel it is important to remember what works and what doesn't.

As I am increasing my knowledge of ever changing PR, I am also gaining my own values and beliefs. As a PR professional I see myself, upon graduation, dedicated to providing my clients and accounts with the most effective and worthwhile service I can offer, through whatever mediums work best for the individuals in question. By leading clients to think that social media will rocket their brands to the top of the twitter trending charts is misleading and to be misleading to the client is not what I as a PR set out to do.

What is the point of following the crowd, if it is better to do something to stand out from it?

Graduate Schemes..How can you stand out from the crowd?

2010-10-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

October in final year, dissertation is starting to roll, communication audit is gaining pace and then there is portfolio (not to mention that trying to get a 1st is likely to cause health problems..Oh great!).
It doesn't sound much when down on paper but believe me it is extremely stressful and finding enough hours in the day is becoming a skill that is definitely going to help later in life! To add to the stresses of final year there is also the 'what next' to consider...So what next?
There are graduate schemes galore from the large PR agencies, but competition is steep.. with PR being an ever increasing sector it is gaining popularity at a dramatic pace and many PR graduates will find themselves pitted against the likes of Oxbridge and even Boston University graduates.

With this in mind action is required. I feel that having a specialist area is important in making a person stand out in interviews and so whilst keeping an eye on all areas of PR I will be looking at crisis communications as my area of speciality, so much so that I will be covering the topic in my dissertation.

I will also be up-ing my online presence in an attempt (hopefully not a futile one) to increase my chances of potential future employees seeing what I am capable of and hopefully cause a spark of interest around my own personal brand.

Whilst this is a good start I will also need to come up with some new and creative ideas to make me stand out from the crowd...

Back to 'School'

2010-08-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

With placement finished and a jam packed summer had, this is the point where every final year student realises that they should have begun reading and planning for the D-word, as well as putting some serious thought into where they will head once graduating.

With the constant reminders on how hard it is to get a job in any industry it has got me into a bit of a tiz as to whether I should begin with applying to graduate schemes now, as I had previously intended to take some time out and do some teaching in beautiful foreign lands among other constructive activities (for a comical example of how not to spend a gap year check this out- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFjWR7X5dU). I am aware that once you are in the rat race it is incredibly hard to 'duck' back out again..but with the economic climate as it is, is it wise to jump on board as soon as possible (pending actually being offered a grad role!)? Any thoughts from both in and out of the PR sector would be great.

Newbies to PR...don't take it to heart

2010-02-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

I was recently trying to create a PR opportunity by arranging for an editor of several local papers (who and which shall remain nameless) to visit a care home within their local area.

The aim of this was to create relationships within the media local to the area and give them an insight into what life in a care home is really like.

When enquiring what the news hook was for this visit I explained that it was really just to meet and greet…I was promptly replied to with an email that was rude, sarcastic and pretty disheartening…needless to say I will not be contacting this 'ruthless, hard-bitten and crucial story hunting' journalist again.

Glad I'm acquiring a thick skin all part of being a PR I hear...

Top Tips to make the transition of student to professional easy

2010-02-08T03:28:00.000-08:00

Having been a student for four years prior to my work placement I found that I had a deep rooted student mentality. Whilst this is not necessarily a bad thing it is perhaps not the best way to fit into to a corporate environment.

So thought I would put some tips together for those of you who are looking into placements for the coming year:

1. Dress code - Make sure you find out what kind of a dress code the office is that you are going into. It looks more professional to be dressed to smart than slightly scruffy

2. Take notes whenever possible - Always keep a pad and paper in hand, it not only helps you to understand and looks like your paying attention (even when you aren't sure what they are talking about) but will pay dividends when needing to look back over what you have done for those reflective essays!

3. Get feedback - This is vital for your development during your placement. Although it is a daunting prospect it is so very important. It not only helps you get recognition for all of the things you are doing right but also will give you the chance to chat about your weaker areas, and how to improve them. The best way of doing this is to set up a series of development meetings with your managers, outline points that you wish to develop and give them the opportunity to give you some of their own. This will help you to work towards specific aims thus helping you to get the most out of your placement

4. Don't email/interact with those above you in the same way you do your friends - This is a common mistake, and one that I have made several times. The most comical being when I gave an enthusiastic shake of my fist in a one to one with the comms director...this later resulted in my manager asking me why I shook my my fist at the director...So word of warning, body language is an important thing to gauge!

5. Try to get involved in meetings - Any contribution is better than no contribution. Even though at times it is frightening that you may say the wrong thing, it shows you are interested and paying attention, employers love it

6. If you have to stay late as you have a bit of work you could do with finishing - Do it. Don't think “oh I’ll come in early to do it”. Just stay that little bit longer and get it done. Even if you think that no one has noticed, karma ensures that it pays off in the end...believe me

7. Ask questions - Yes its annoying, yes you don't want to seem like you don't understand but how are you ever meant to know if you don't ask?

8. Don't spend all day emailing your friends - Regular checks are carried out by large companies to check that you are not wasting precious working hours being an email socialite. No matter how you delete your emails they can always be found again

9. Check, recheck and check your work again - It may seem obvious but it is so easy to miss a comma here, skip a word there. If it makes it easier, close the work down and come back to it a bit later, it saves a lot of embarrassment when your managers check your work and point out some extremely obvious mistakes

10. Always offer to help - If there is a small task up for grabs offer to do it, it shows that you are keen and eager to help. It gives employers a sense of reliability in you, which is not a bad thing in the slightest

11. And last but by no means least, do not moan about your job via social media sites - The internet is a dangerous place, once something is uploaded it never disappears. We have all heard stories of people being sacked due to their facebook status, it happens, just don't let it happen to you

So there we go a quick top tip guide to making the transition of student to professional, it's not easy but play the game, stick to the tips and you will not go far wrong.

Zebra Management Wants Naive Young Women for Faux Fame and Fortune

2009-11-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

Have you been wondering down Oxford Street or that area and been approached by a young woman/man with a camera who asks to take your picture? Have they then told you that you are great looking and have the idea look for some of the modelling/acting/music videos they are involved in...before taking your details and giving you the Zebra Management agency business card.

During the following week you receive a phone call from a lovely sounding Zebra Management rep who tells you that you take a great picture and would like to organise a photo shoot with you and put you on their books all at no cost to you! NO COST I hear you say... they then tell you that to get a portfolio up on Zebra website that you need to have a professional photoshoot. This then causes you to ask where is the hidden cost, won't you have to pay for the shoot. The 'lovely' rep puts you on hold before coming back and telling you that because you are so likely to get work their boss has said that they will pay for part of the shoot. You can't believe it, this is the kind of thing that you have always dreamed of happening..

You go along to the shoot, a mardy italian girl does your make up and straightens your hair a bit. You are then asked to get into your three outfits that you were instructed to bring with you and spend a couple of hours prancing around a rather professional looking studio called The L*ght R**ms.

Excited, enthusiatic and feeling more like Kate Moss than Chris Moyles, you head back to the reception where you are greeted by the studios manager who's smile can only suggest a massive payout is coming her way, greets you and takes you into a side room to show you your amazing pictures. Once again you are told how incredibly photogentic you are and that you really are truely natural in front of the camera, honestly all of this flattery is working wonders!
Having looked through all of the photos (all 100 of them) and been told you look fantastic in 99.9% of them, the woman turns to you and says "So if you by this package you get all of these for just £300"...

Hold on a minute.

£300?

I thought this was being paid mainly by Zebra Management? "Oh no they paid for your hair and make up, so which package do you want, you want to make sure you can show future castings that you are versitile so the more the better"

Whats the cheapest package? "Well if you want to show all of your outfits and I really recommend you do £250, you can pay in installments of £75 a month if its easier"

Feeling bullied, forced and at risk of jepodising any future fame opportunities you begrudingly pay the first installment.

Your pictures are given to you on a copied DVD in a plastic case, you ask if they give you any print copies to which you are told "you can print them out at home"...So what does my money by me? "The rights to your pictures and some fantastic shots that are bound to get you loads of work!"

Upon returning home you panic about spending such a large amount of money and forward your pictures to the agency who in turn load them up to your own personal profile, and when I say them I mean three...

You begin applying to the jobs that appear on the Zebra website full of excitement about the prospects that lie ahead, as well as the determination to earn back that ridiculous amount of money you have just spent.

Weeks go by and still no one has replied to your applications, contact with the agency trails off as they no longer seem very interested in helping you achieve your dreams of stardom, and slowly but surely you begin to realise, you've been had.

How are companies like this allowed to get away with it, their argument would be that you don't have to pay the money, but when in the situation you suddenly feel very under pressure and at the age of 20 or so you are still very impressionable.

Recently one of my house mates was got with this scam and although I warned her of the financial costs she felt that if she found herself in the above situation she would be able to say no. She didn't, and as a result she has found herself in quite an uncomfortable financial position without any 'modelling' work to cover the bill.

I wonder if there are any agencies out there that come up against prejudices due to cowboy agencies such as the one mentioned?

Either way if you get approached by a representative from Zebra Management...Run, run like the wind!

This is all my person opinion and financially ruining experience by the way, so if you value your bank balance take note.

Network network network..it's all about networking

2009-11-26T05:39:00.000-08:00

The title of this blog says it all: PR is all about networking.
If you want to make it in PR, get yourself known/out there/meeting and greeting, whether it's online or face to face.
You ask most graduates 'What are you thinking of heading into when you graduate' and I am willing to put my music collection on it that 5/10 undergrads will say 'ah well I have been thinking about PR'. Its statements like these that should encourage PR undergrads to get out there and get their names known in the industry.

It is difficult though, speaking from a PR undergrads perspective, sometimes the most difficult thing to PR is yourself.

But one thing that I am learning is that it is the most important aspect of PR, that pays off in the long run.

The Wonders of Placement

2009-11-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

Five months into my placement and I am feeling more than happy with my achievements to date. Last week saw the publishing of my article in The Sun, which was printed almost completely unaltered and mentioned said organisation 14x! A round of appluse proceeded me during media briefings and the mention that further great things are to be expected...No pressure!!

With this last week, a great case study in The Mail on Sunday the week before and a rather timely ES piece..it appears that I am beginning to earn my weight in salt. Makes a nice change from earlier months I must say!

My November development meeting takes place tomorrow, which feels slightly odd as this to me feels the least productive of previous months and so has left me feeling slightly worried at the prospect of presenting my 'developments' as they were. Never mind!

2009-11-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

When reading the guardian online at lunch I came across a piece written by an internationally reknowned blogger by the name of Penelope Trunks. A very interesting and intelligent woman who has caused quite a stir after tweeting that she was in a meeting having a miscarriage. Her piece, defending herself and her right to free speech led me to look at her blog.

Penelope's blog was really quite inspiring, and got me really thinking about the power of a good blooger, is it a born quality? Does it come with practice?
How can I raise my status as a blogger and what is it the world is looking to read about?

Also as blogging has become a massive open forum of debates over the last few years, with the bloggers achieving a 'celebrity' status, do they sometimes take on more than they can chew? As perhaps could be suggested with people such as Penelope, who although appears to have handled everything as efficiently as if she had a personal PR, still have noticed the invasion her blogging/tweeting has in her everyday life..

Do you fellow bloggers feel the pressures of your blogging weighing you down?! haha (other than being aware that sometimes you're not blogging as often as you should!)

No rest for a PR student

2009-10-15T02:37:00.000-07:00

So I am three and a bit months into my year placement at the top provider for health and care.

It has been a turbulant couple of months that have effectively seen me thrown into the deep end of corporate PR. Having been a student for 4 years and having never been in a corporate environment it was most definitely a massive shock to the system. But I have taken it all in my stride and although there have been ups and downs I appear to be picking up pace and getting the hang of this press officer milarky.
When entering into a massive company I was not prepared for the amount of information I was going to have to take in, remember and reuse. I was also not prepared for the strictness on grammer, phrasing and generally writing all over, this is something I am most definitely going to bring up upon my return to university. The PR world is one that relies on writing and although I can write a perfectly good essay it is very apparent that there is more to writing than this.

I am beginning to start thinking on my own two feet and have been considering project opportunities that I could pose for myself, which may I add is quite exciting as there are only so many press releases one can write about open days.

The chance to do a placement year is already clearly invaluable to my future career, as one of my managers put it 'if you can work here, you can work anywhere'. It not only provides experience in the sector but also an insight into the 'real world' which seems so very very far away during your university years. I warn thee it is rather daunting, but really rather worth it.

2009 PR Industry Nightmare?

2009-01-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Recession - a period of an economic contraction, sometimes limited in scope or duration.

It's 2009 and second year PR students at Leeds Metropolitan are currently looking for a placement to take them through a year in industry.
But it looks like it's going to be a bit more difficult than normal, with companies cutting costs, making redundancies and the Media having a field day over the phrase 'Credit Crunch', there are very few employers who looking to take on more staff, let alone students.

By now I had expected the placement board to be overflowing with placement after placement each offering a PR adventure in wide variety of areas. Alas this is not so.

The words 'limited in scope or duration' could not sum up my current placement hunting better.

Today I was offered a year placement in a highly respected Music and Entertainments PR company, but due to cut backs they could only afford to offer me expenses of £50 a week, which when living in London is impossible.

Panasonic have retracted three placement offers and many more companies I have contacted myself are unable to offer placements for any longer than a month or so, epescially on a wage basis.

Even the Public sector are beginning to feel the pinch of the 'R' word, I am currently carrying out a placement within the communications department of my local council and I've even begun to notice through relevant media the slow but steady decline in jobs.

At times like this would it be better to get experience within the public as opposed to the private, although it is not secure it still stands relatively firm. I had never considered working within the Public sector until my placement here at the council, although it lacks the glitz and the glamour or consumer/commercial PR it is still very varied and interesting.
Since being here I've seen campaigns that had a budget of £50, and resulted in a energy saving push that could power 3292 homes for a year, all from £50.

You don't get budgets like that in consumer PR, working on a shoe string increases initiative and causes one to be far more productive.

Private or Public...or whatever we can get!

My journey through PR: Interviews/placements and all that Jazz

2008-11-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

My journey through PR: Interviews/placements and all that Jazz

Interviews/placements and all that Jazz

2008-11-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

So having scored a placement in the Yeadon based Direct Marketing Response company the Ashley Bolser Agency I am feeling quite content with my interviewing abilities. Having never had a real interview for an official position I was incredibly nervous and chatted myself through the nerves..which I think could have possibly won my interviewers over.

Over the last week I have been feeling very concerned about my employability at the end of my degree due to placement work.
At present (although this changes regularly) I am not intending on doing a year long placement as I would quite like to get out into the working world before the tender age of 24 (which is what I would be if I were to do a placement year).
Everyone seems so proactive and busy, I am fairly busy but find it difficult to fit everything in with having a regular part time job, placement and university work itself.
Does anyone else feel this pressure bearing down on them when sat in guest lectures and tutorials hearing about the various placements, experiences and published writing that others are getting involved in?

Also I was wondering if any PR employers could give me their opinion on the benefits of doing a placement year. Even though by the end of my degree I will have done at least six placements in a variety of places ranging from the voluntary sector to PR agencies and even magazine work.

First time for everything

2008-09-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

A new semester a new blog entry!
Although there is no denying that I could have done one during the summer but it has been an insanely busy period!
This summer consisted of a variety of activities ranging from working on brick lane in a restaurant to serving over 20,000 pies...No I am not kidding!
All in all it was a great experience, as due to contacts I scored a three week work placement in a Soho based PR company going by the name of Mission Media.
Although I didn't come out with any work for my portfolio just being in the environment, contacting the journalists and helping the PR practitioners was fantastic in itself.
But now I am on the hunt for more knowledge...which I think I may have just sorted in the form of a one day a week placement in the offices of the Faversham!
That and more PR placement coming up soon, must dash as am off to first lecture of the year....It's beginning well!

Taxes taxes taxes

2008-03-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else concerned that these days you don't get any change from a pound when buying a loaf of bread?Has anyone noticed that within the space of a year the petrol prices have hit an all time high? Every day I read about different things rising in prices ranging from houses to bottles of milk. There appears to be no halt on these rising prices and its not like when they do stop that they are ever going to drop.
How are people coping, wages aren't rising so how are people managing to afford this financial change? Will this coping lead to an increase in the numbers of people already in debt?
What about us students getting ready to head into the big wide and ever increasingly expensive world? How will we be able to afford houses? Let alone be able to live to a comfortable standard that we are currently working towards??

Any PR students got any thoughts on this...

2008-02-25T02:08:00.000-08:00

All been incredibly busy as of late! I have received confirmation on my placement with House Beautiful for two weeks in March in the PR capital that is London! I also went for an interview with the Leeds based PR company SLB PR and found out the next day that I had the weekly placement!
Hopefully both these placements will give me lots of material for my portfolio! Fingers crossed

Work with CLIC sargent is also moving along nicely as we have been preparing for the launch of CLICs latest initiative Kick For Children With Cancer.
Kick for Children with Cancer now going into it’s fourth year, is a UK wide initiative organised by CLIC Sargent to encourage children and young people across the country to get out onto the pitch this summer and play football in support of children with cancer.

I have recently compiled a press release for the local launch of the fundraiser in the area of Billingham where last year Northfield Sports College raised £4000, the highest amount raised nation wide.

2008-02-12T02:22:00.000-08:00

At the end of last week I recieved an email from the editorial assistant of the well known magazine House Beautiful.
I had recently contacted a friend who worked for the magazine enquiring as to whether there was any possibility of being able to arrange a short term placement.
The woman who contacted me mentioned the possibility of being able to work with the Features team helping them to compile stories and collect material for future stories....

All sounds quite exciting

2008-02-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

So far this week has seen quite a development in my activites involving Public Relations!
Firstly I have managed to obtain a placement within the Leeds based company SLB PR, which is fantastic, and I am visiting the office tomorrow afternoon to finalise any details. Also within my other placement with the charity CLIC Sargent I have been assigned to the role of press officer for their latest national event Kick for Children with Cancer. For the north east region I have based my launch upon the Billingham area (near Middlesborough) due to this being the area where the highest amount of money was raised last year.
I contacted the main paper for the area the Evening Gazette in search of creating some form of Media Partnership enabling the event to be publicised as fully as possible within the local area. Unfortunatley I was greeted with a very harrassed journalist who didn't really pay much attention to what I was trying to tell her and fobbed me off with a number that so far has not been answered.
Luckily my second port of call was far more successful. Instead of using just newspapers to launch the event I also contacted a regional radio station and propsed the idea of the media partnership. This time I was more practised with how to approach the situation, this seemed to make the difference as I managed to convince the radio that arranging a media partnership with CLIC was the best decision they could make all year!

And so they agreed to look through our proposal during the week and get back to us with their final decision......................Fingers crossed WHOOOOOOOOH OOOOOOOO

2008-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

First day of lectures today and felt like i'd never been away...good or bad i'm still deciding!

Various things are different this term such as it being shorter thus meaning we have to work just that little bit hard to fit all the work in which isn't so fun. But spring is coming and the nights are getting brighter so this january depression that appears to have settled on the country will hopefully lift.
Although with rising costs and wages remaining the same why should this feeling of despair lift, being able to afford to live is getting more and more difficult by the day. How large families on low incomes manage i have no idea. Its all rather worrying especially as we the public appear to have completely lost control of our country our finances and pretty much everything else that comes with living in this country.

2008-01-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

Roll on 2008, a new year, a new start and bad habits continue to die hard!

Christmas has come and gone quicker than you can say PR and already we are a week into the new year. The ad breaks are crammed with healthy meal ideas, celebrity exercise videos and weight loss companies promoting their products and services.
We as consumers are being bombarded with things that claim to help us lose those excess christmas pounds ready for the spring and summer....

But do we really need all these products to help us achieve our new years resolutions, are companies not just encourging us to look at ourselves in a negative light?????

My journey through PR

2007-11-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

confussed

2007-11-21T06:37:00.001-08:00

I am the top google search for Natalie Torbett's aalllllll oovvveeerrr the google network whoop whoop! Yay. I'm also hopefully going to get a piece published in the next issue of Behind the Spin...how thoroughly exciting!

2007-11-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

After officially arranging my placement with the charity CLIC Sargent, I rapidly found myself being asked to get involved with various fund and awareness rasing events.
In fact here is one in particular that you the readers may be interested in attending or at least spreading the word and showing support....

Carr Manor Y11 Prince’s Trust xl pupils have taken on a project to raise awareness about the Anthony Nolan Trust. The reason for this is to increase numbers on the Bone Marrow Register and promote the work they do for Leukaemia.
Leukaemia affects thousands of people each year and is by far the largest killer of young people out of all the cancers.
The Anthony Nolan Trust are an organisation striving to raise awareness and increase the number of people on the Bone Marrow Donor Register. Without a donor match many young people die from Leukaemia. Finding a match is a lifeline for many young people suffering from Leukaemia. Unfortunately there are not enough people on the Bone Marrow Donor Register, therefore finding a perfect match is a long and difficult task which can involve searching worldwide.
Searching worldwide takes precious time which is something a sufferer does not have. Unfortunately for some it can be too little too late.
The xl pupils are organising an open event for people in the local community and further a field to come to the school to find out more, spread the word, raise money and more importantly increase the number of people currently on the Bone Marrow Donor register.
The event is to take place at Carr Manor High School on Wednesday 12th December 2007, 5.00 – 8.00pm
On the night there will be all the information you need to help you make the important decision to register on the Bone Marrow donor Register and qualified staff from the Anthony Nolan Trust will be there to guide you through the process.
Theoretically anyone could be the match for one of the 7,000 patients currently waiting for a transplant. In fact, you might be the only person in the world with compatible tissue-type for a patient with a life-threatening illness.
Please come and support this event and give someone the gift of life.
For further information please contact:

J.Laxton / K.Westerman at Carr Manor High School Tel: 0113 3368400 or
The Anthony Nolan Trust
Tel: 020 7284 1234 during office hours, Mon - Fri
e-mail: heathgate@anthonynolan.org.uk

2007-11-07T06:50:00.001-08:00

Man alive, there is quite a lot to a portfolio having had a closer look at one of the absolutley amazing ones from last year....think I need to seriously start getting organised!

2007-11-06T03:37:00.001-08:00

This past week I have taken to ensuring my CV is completed and done to the highest of standards.
I have also been keeping myself up to date with what is going on in the rest of the world through a variety of newspapers ranging from the Daily Express to the Guardian. One thing I have become aware of is the lack of world wide issues being on the first few pages of every newspaper i have read. What i mean by this is for example, the constant coverage of the Madeleine pursuit..which to be honest is not that much of a pursuit. In fact the coverage is identical from day to day. Would it not be more beneficial to the campaign to not make it a constant front page feature and only bring it back out when some real developments are actually made. I suggest this from my own personal thoughts and feelings as the constant non event that is the Madeleine Campaign is beginning to bore me. Don't get me wrong I would love nothing more that the little girl to be returned home safe and sound, but in the grand scale of things, she is one little girl.
All over the world little girls are dying from genocides in Africa to floods in Mexico. These aren't documented quite with the coverage as Madeleine, I realise papers publish what sells.....but is this unchanging story really selling? Would other pressing issues sell more?

2007-10-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I arranged a permenant placement with CLIC Sargent which I am starting tomorrow afternoon beginning with cold calling to raise interest in a charity event near Margate.

I also had a meeting with my Pace presentation group, in which we discussed our plan of action for our Caffe Italia presentation. I also began drawing up emails and letters to send to possible placements for the summer period as I am very interested in getting involved in the Public relations aspects of festivals.

2007-10-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Why hello my name is Natalie
Having never written a personal blog before I am unsure as what to write so please bear with me.

I am currently entering the fourth week of the first semester and finally the course is beginning to pick up some speed. I am still undecided if the Public Relations sector is the right route for me but I am hoping first year will shed some more light.

I plan to write on here once or twice a week detailing any major events or activities that I have been involved in as well as setting myself targets to achieve by certain dates. Or just for general chit chat boredom.

This week I plan to arrange my permenant one day placement with "Clic Sargent" as well as starting to find ways of getting more involved in the local PR industry.

Oh and read lots of newspapers!