By Jodie Shpritz, Vice President of Media Relations and Branding In my blog about backpack reporting, I wrote about the importance of preparing your client for a live interview and the need for them to be more like a reporter than ever before.  What I didn’t touch on was how to do that.  While I’m

By Jeanne Atkinson, Senior Consultant This happens all too frequently (at least to me): The end of a typically crazy day finally comes, and the only thing you’re looking forward to is going to sleep, sweet, sweet sleep.   You’ve locked the doors, turned down the thermostat, checked on the kids (if you have any),

By DeRondal Bevly, Community Outreach Executive Last week, I wrote a post about the initial steps in beginning the community engagement process.  In this post, I present two essential steps in finalizing the process, evaluating the engagement and creating an ongoing process.  I see many organizations fail in their community engagement by forgoing these critical

By Jodie Shpritz, VP of Media Relations and Branding I’m beginning to wonder if a good PR stunt, like putting a large macaroni noodle outside of Wrigley Field, is going to always have a place in the world of public relations.   Like many, I like a good PR stunt as much as the next.  But

By DeRondal Bevly, Community Outreach Executive @dbevly For past eight years, I have spent many hours assisting Chicago area nonprofits and community organizations.  Each experience allows me to gain a first hand knowledge of not only how these groups help improve society, but also how they function internally.  Whether it’s pediatric cancer, youth music education

As far as epic Twitter battles go, the recent Hilary Rosen/Ann Romney throw down reminds us of the power, perils and instantaneous response capability afforded by this social media platform. The response from the left, right, punditry and media helped take this moment and elevate the exchange of tweets and helped define this moment as

By: Jodie Shpritz, Vice President of Media Relations and Branding  When I was a television reporter, I saw the way the industry was changing and decided I wanted to go to the other side, aka “The Dark Side”.  Not because I wanted to be behind the scenes, but because I realized I could use my

Dear Family and Friends, As many of you may already know, we are involved in March of Dimes March for Babies.  Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We will be walking in the March for Babies and need your help.  The mission of March of Dimes

By Tracey Mendrek, Senior Consultant @TraceyMendrek The Chicago Tribune, in their ongoing profile of local executives, dedicated a large portion of their Business section today to Ann Lurie, the acclaimed Chicago philanthropist.  One cannot argue that title as it relates to Ms. Lurie and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Foundation, which has given over

Link: Chicago Cubs Introduce Lineup of New and Expanded Corporate Partnerships at Wrigley Field CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs have introduced a lineup of new and expanded corporate partnerships at Wrigley Field for the 2012 season, including two new seating areas of the ballpark, signage and new food offerings.