HKA Turns 25 Through the Eyes of Melissa Rivers

Interviewing guests on the exclusive red carpet was a dream of mine since I watched my first Oscar pre-show at age 10.  Joan Rivers would ask celebrities questions that we would all think in our head but never dream of asking out loud.  Before the Botox injections and facial remold, Joan was natural and attractive but it was the in-your-face, New Yorker interview style that made her a household name.  I often envisioned myself as her sidekick, using my hairbrush as a microphone, asking questions to the mirror, bantering back and forth with her.  When I graduated from college and entered the Hollywood scene, the red carpet became my obsession.  Working at the Leeza Show catapulted me into a whole new realm where I rubbed elbows with the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Patty Labelle and Jennifer Lopez.  As I facilitated their appearances on the show, I envisioned all of the questions Joan and I would ask and how we would comment on their style and appearance while relaying the latest gossip.  Little did I know that my dream would unravel on the length of a blue carpet where I would join a Joan replica in interviewing guests who were coming to honor a phenomenal woman celebrating 25 years in business: my boss, Hilary Kaye.

On August 21^st, I was transformed into a bold brunette with long eyelashes and an East Coast accent.  Not only was I Joan’s sidekick, I was her daughter, Melissa Rivers. As I looked at the people lined up to be interviewed I recognized many movers and shakers in Orange County.  As Joan and I pushed the microphone into each of their faces they were beaming, not because they were on camera but because they were excited to recognize Hilary as someone who epitomized humility, character and integrity in the corporate arena.  These traits are a far cry from the qualities found in the heart of Hollywood.  It was then I realized the significance of this milestone and how Hilary had impacted so many lives.  All the glitz and glamour of the paparazzi taking pictures paled in comparison to the snapshots provided by those who wanted to share their heart about who she is and what she meant to them.  Susan Belknapp, assistant editor of OC Metro and OC Family said, “Hilary sets the bar so high that it is hard to rise to it.”  “Without Hilary Kaye where would any of us be?” shared Karen Gifford, president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).  Stepping into the role of Melissa Rivers was more profound than I had originally envisioned, and the cast of figures I got to interview alongside Joan surpassed my expectations.  The HKA 25-year anniversary was more than a celebration; it was a reflection of 25 years of hard work, dedication and consistency.  It was through the lens of Melissa Rivers that I caught a true glimpse of the woman who I know as my boss.

PROTOS: A Race to the Finish

The Winners of the Evening

They say it’s not about the destination but the journey we experience along the way.  While this is true, it sure is exciting to reach monumental milestones after traveling down a long and treacherous road to get there. This past weekend was a culmination of hard work, endurance, perseverance, commitment, discipline and dedication to my role as a PR professional and my own personal landmark.  

Spending long hours sifting through e-mails and gathering evidence of all my work to get Farmers & Merchants Bank into the spotlight this past year was like running a marathon.  It started out slow but then required a faster pace as the deadline to submit entries for the annual OC-PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) PROTOS Awards approached, honoring outstanding PR work in Orange County. As a first time applicant, I was unprepared for the rocky road ahead that required hours of compiling information, articulating the value of our hard work and sweating up hills to complete a nomination worthy of submission. The race was a series of peaks and valleys that culminated in tears once I crossed the finish line.

This was not an individual endeavor, as my colleagues here at HKA were an instrumental part of the process. The tedious tasks of typing, stapling, writing, hole-punching and copying were completed by my co-workers, Mari, Anika, and Linda to ensure my entry would receive recognition (Nicole was supporting us in spirit, although she had not quite yet joined our team!) It was a team effort with Hilary, Inez, Martha, Emily and myself actually running in the race.

Although Inez was struggling to forge ahead with her submissions, she served as a cheerleader, providing constant encouragement and support at the wee hours of the morning and at night.  The road was familiar territory for her since she had entered the race last year and was hard at work to complete her nominations at the same time. Hilary dedicated countless hours to writing, refining and revising the final outlines to confirm they were worthy of winning. After the final revisions were instituted, we did our annual “blessing of the nominations,” hoping they would lead to victory.

The Blessing of the PROTOS

This past Friday night was the countdown to the outcome of the race announcing the recipients of the awards at the PRSA awards dinner at Rancho Las Lomas. As we sat underneath the stars hearing Steve Churm announce the categories I had entered, my heart started beating and my palms started sweating.  As he presented the media relations category, I jumped up and screamed when he announced the Award of Excellence goes to…Robyn Williams! It felt like a drum roll when he started to announce the Award of Excellence for Total Program goes to…Robyn Williams!

It was unbelievable night with Inez winning an Award of Excellence for Media Relations on behalf of Komen for the Cure OC along with a PROTOS statue for ethnic media outreach. Martha and Emily were victorious in receiving an Award of Excellence for an article pitched to the Orange County Register on behalf of O’Connor Mortuary. At the end of the night, HKA walked away with 5 prestigious awards, claiming the PRSA marathon a victory!

We are all winners with HKA!

 

What I learned from Columbine

It was 10 years ago today that I was on a plane bound for Denver to cover the Columbine shootings for the Leeza Show, a news-reactive talk show that aired on NBC for seven years. As a young 20-something, my aspirations to be a broadcast reporter cultivated my thirst to cover news, something the show’s executive team allowed me to pursue on a national scale.

 

As the horrifying news of the shots being fired at Columbine High School hit the airwaves, I was running out to catch a plane, landing 5 hours later with only a backpack, Hi-8 camera and a notepad.  As I got off the plane, I sprang into action, catching a ride to Littleton with a local camera crew from San Diego.  As we loaded the car, I quickly realized the reality of my “rookie” ways as they loaded high-tech cameras, monitors and microphones along with extensive luggage, ready to set up shop for a week. Looking back, I should’ve done the same.  Nevertheless, I was on my way to cover a big-time story that would forever leave an imprint on the way I covered future news events.

 

It was dark when I got to the school, and actually pretty quiet, with one satellite truck standing in the distance. I beamed with excitement when I saw the NBC imprint with the peacock on the side. I quickly befriended the editor inside and touched base with the producer in LA, who frantically wanted updates that I didn’t have.  She said, “You want to be a reporter, then go get the story, find out Who, What, When, Where and How, and do it fast!” 

 

On my own, I found a ride to the nearby elementary school that was serving as a refuge for many of the students and families who were reeling from the shock. I started asking questions and talking to people to glean information.  My job was to secure interviews with students and parents and those directly impacted by the tragedy.  It was there I met a young man who was friends with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the shooters who embarked on this bloody massacre. This young man had been a member of the Trenchcoat Mafia, a group of outcasts that Harris and Klebold were a part of.  He said he was not surprised by their violent outburst that had been building for some time. I knew immediately that I had a strong interview subject and made arrangements for him to appear in a satellite interview with Leeza.

 

I could hardly sleep that night thinking of the events that unraveled earlier that day and how I was going to cover the heartbeat of this tragedy that was not only impacting the Columbine community, but the entire world. The next day I woke up to one of the most profound interviews I have ever watched. Katie Couric was seated next to Craig Scott and Isaiah Shoel’s father, who were holding hands in an emotionally charged exchange. The on-air segment captured the grief, sadness and shock the two were experiencing after losing a sister and a son.

 

I was overwhelmed after arriving at Columbine High later that morning. The scene had transformed from a quiet episode of grief to a circus of satellite trucks that were lined up as far as I could see. An area on the baseball field had been roped off for the media, and everyone was scrambling to capture the story. Fortunately, I was inconspicuous with my backpack, young appearance and small hi-8 camera, and was able to break through the perimeter. At around noon, the students gathered around Rachel Scott’s car, the beloved 17-year-old girl who was the first victim and allegedly served as target because of her Christian beliefs. With acoustic guitars playing and students singing, the car was swarmed with those who wanted to pour out their tears, recognizing the tremendous impact this girl had made on their lives. I watched as journalists observed behind their marked perimeter, most of them untouched by the emotional scene before them. As I stood watching, I noticed many of the reporters laughing with each other, wrapped up in their own conversations, separated from the harsh reality of one of the deadliest shooting rampages in U.S. history. It was then that I vowed to never become immune to the human experience, and when I did, it was time to depart the world of news.

 

After spending the week setting up interviews, shooting b-roll and giving live reports, it was time to head home. As the adrenaline from covering the story evaporated and I sat on the floor of the Denver airport reliving the horrific events, depression set in. I was completely drained and depleted, trying to put a toe in the shoes of those who lost so much, so quickly. You see, Columbine was a middle-class, safe environment with a strong Christian community much like the area where I grew up in Huntington Beach. The massacre that killed 12 students and a teacher was unforeseen, something that was not even imagined in their worst nightmares.

 

Since that time, I have helped produce many talk and reality shows, worked as a broadcast reporter on the Texas/Mexico border and dedicated my time marketing for a security consulting firm before joining HKA. The events of that day have guided my ability to execute interviews, cover stories and produce segments in a more profound way, allowing me to interact with those on the receiving end with compassion, never losing sight of their experience and how it is impacting them. It was 10 years ago today that I remember those whose lives were taken, and reflect on how it has changed me as a professional, and more importantly, as a person.

Our Clients “Make a Difference”

Claire Braeburn & Terry Thompson receiving the award from Sen. Lou Correa

Snapshots of my days working as a broadcast reporter on the Texas/Mexico border were playing through my mind at a recent function in the heart of Santa Ana. Fond memories of mariachis and Tejano bands danced in my flashbacks as hundreds of people clamored to recognize Women Who Are Making a Difference in this Latino community. State Senator, Lou Correa was at the front honoring these selfless women as cameras flashed and photographers clamored to catch the moment. In the midst of the frenzy, I thought of how I would tell the story if I was still wearing the shoes of a reporter, trying to make an event like this come alive for the 6 o’clock news.

Claire and me at the event

I would focus on the two women I knew best, Terry Thompson and Claire Braeburn, who started the non-profit organization America On Track fourteen years ago, enduring a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys to ensure children from all socio-economic environments were given a chance to succeed. Terry glows like a mother when speaking about the kids in her mentoring programs. She pours her heart and soul into developing training programs, instituting curriculum and laboring hours and hours to write grants to support the organization. Claire’s selfless spirit and her willingness to work overtime on the mentoring, tutoring, and drug prevention programs are the heartbeat behind the program’s success.

I would try to capture the essence of these women by illustrating portraits of them working with their kids, editing their daily activities at lightning speed so viewers catch a glimpse of their demanding schedule and sound bites filled with emotion, conveying their passion and heart to keep kids away from drugs, gangs and violence, directing a path dedicated to keeping them on track. It is difficult to quantify the hard work and sweat poured into their two main mentoring programs, Kids On Track and On Track Mentoring Children of Prisoners that have generated 17 local, state and national awards for outstanding youth services, now adding one more to their list. These types of stories are what I live to tell and I’m thankful I can still be a conduit to making that happen, but now it happens behind the camera.

Mentor a Child Through On Track

Growing up with a strong family network and support system enabled me to excel in many areas, but not everyone is given the resources to soar. Through my mom, I learned the value of investing in the lives of others at a young age. She took my sister and me to a Cambodian Church every Sunday to teach reading and writing skills to dozens of young kids. As I grew older, I struggled with my self-esteem but was able to navigate my way through that rocky period with the help and encouragement of others. As I graduated from college and went to work in the entertainment industry, I never lost sight of the challenges others face in their journey to succeed and pursue their dreams. It was at the pinnacle of my career in TV when I was asked to join some colleagues in a mentoring program for young girls in South Central L.A. Every Sunday we would pile into our expensive vehicles to spend time with these young ladies who were faced with challenges I couldn’t even imagine. Stepping into the shoes of my mentee, Shauna, helped me see the world through a completely different set of lenses and we formed a special bond that inspired both of us.

Recently witnessing the power of mentoring through Orange County On Track re-awakened me to the influence of mentors stepping out of their comfort zone to make a difference in the lives of others. Terry Thompson, president and co-founder, raved about the mentors in her program. I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the commitment, involvement and encouragement of her mentors who are no ordinary high school kids, who are trained, coached and guided by On Track staff members. I was introduced to teens that defy the cultural images of being self absorbed and narcissistic, sacrificing their time and energy to educate and inspire young kids every week in the heart of Santa Ana. Catching a glimpse of their energy and enthusiasm to invest in these kids was contagious. I felt honored to witness this on “Thank Your Mentor Day.”