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.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2009

I had the pleasure of attending the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for Orange County/Desert Cities last night along with Robyn and Hilary. This was my first time attending the event after hearing so much about it, and exceeded my expectations with the gorgeous venue, the great presenters and emcee and of course, the fabulous company. Each of the finalists were recognized with a video that played before the announcement of the winners in each category. This year’s finalists were especially impressive with their growth and success in the face of the current economic recession, and it was moving to see that the “American dream” (in which we can often lose faith because of dismal headlines and depressing stories) remained alive and well.

Well hello there, Peter Shankman!

Robyn, Peter Shankman, and Mari: HKA's latest brush with celebrity

To anyone in the PR world, Peter Shankman is probably a familiar name, if only for the HARO emails he peppers our inboxes with each day. His Help A Reporter Out email venture, which provides the useful service of bringing an aggregation of reporter queries directly to PR people on a mass scale, is only the very tip of the Shankman iceberg. In fact, as Robyn and I learned yesterday, icebergs actually played a role in making Peter Shankman who he is today.

“It Sank. Get Over It.”

To those of us who were blubbering, emotional preteen girls at the time the epic film Titanic came out, this phrase might not have resonated so well. But to the rest of the world, especially the segment who was underwhelmed with the Titanic mania that engulfed the planet circa 1997, “It Sank, Get Over It” probably reflected their sentiments exactly. As a young guy living in New York City, Peter took his rent money and used it to print up 500 T-shirts emblazoned with this slogan. He sold out  in six hours. And as if that wasn’t great enough, after contacting a reporter from USA Today about his idea and building a super-primitive sales website, he sold over 5,000 of the shirts at $15 each, making $100,000 which he used to start his own PR firm, The Geek Factory.

Why didn’t I think of that.

What makes Peter Shankman such a wunderkind in the PR world today is precisely this, and a collection of experiences much like this, that mix innovative thinking with refreshing simplicity in a way that is nothing short of brilliant. His free HARO email service, which is subsidized by advertising and is said to be worth about $1 million per year in revenues, is the perfect illustration.

This is why Robyn and I, and hundreds of other PR professionals, gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach yesterday to hear Peter Shankman’s insights into social media, which he quickly characterized a “way to screw up quicker and to  much larger scale.” In the midst of the fascinating stories and observations of this self-described ADD-boy, several particularly interesting insights emerged.

1) Transparency is key. Google has changed the tradition of a lack of transparency in big business with its ability to make fact-finding an everyman operation, and social media only compounds this. If you screw up, admit it and move on. And DON’T be like Motrin, who shockingly took 18 hours to respond to the flurry of negative Twitter activity it sparked by an ad that offended the massive online community of babywearing moms.

2) Listen to your audience. If you’re not distributing the information in the way they want to receive it, then they are not going to come out to you to get it. And don’t Tweet another Tweet until you’ve analyzed if what you’re saying is relevant to your audience. The job of the PR person has changed; it’s now our job to get other people to do our PR work for us. By utilizing social media in the proper way, we are convincing people that what we have is worth them talking about, and that is what creates the kind of buzz that we are constantly trying to achieve.

3) Lastly, brevity, something I have outright failed at in this particular post (too much good info to share!), is an important piece of communication today. The MTV generation has an attention span of about three minutes– about the time it took to watch a music video, back when music videos and MTV actually had something to do with each other. But today’s generation, and don’t laugh, has an attention span of about 140 characters, literally. That’s right, the 2.7 seconds it takes to read one 140-character Tweet on Twitter is about all we have to give as we filter the more than 16,000 hits of information that compete for our time today. For us PR-types, this means that in writing a pitch or a press release, or in trying to be persuasive over the phone, we’ve got about 2.7 second to hook the other party’s attention, or we’re done.

Although Robyn and I got our exercise for the day chasing Shankman down for this photo, it was definitely the cherry on top of the sundae that was the privilege of being there and hearing him speak.  Creative thinkers like him tend to inspire creativity in others, and while one of us HKA-ers may or may not have the next flash of genius for a T-shirt slogan, we will definitely be able to make better use of the online and social media resources that are at our disposal.

A returning client and something new…

HKA welcomes back Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, which provides fresh, nutrtionally balanced and calorie-controlled meals that are delicious, individually prepared, packaged to order, and delivered straight to your door.

Some exciting news with this returning client: Susan Johnson, Kerry Johnson Anthony (owners of Susan’s Healthy Gourmet) and celebrated OC chocolatier Tracey Downey have come together to create Xan Confections — indulgent artisan chocolates, caramels, and other handcrafted treats using distinctive flavors and only the finest, all-natural ingredients.

As director of research and development, Tracey is creating gourmet treats to fit into anyone’s dietary requirements, including non-dairy chocolates and caramels that are gluten-free, low-glycemic, vegan, and diabetic-friendly. A press release announcing the launch was issued earlier this week.

And yes, they really taste amazing! (Ask any of the gals at HKA.)

Feel Good PR

I think I’m probably recognized by my colleagues here as the “nonprofit girl,” leading the work on both Komen OC and Working Wardrobes, and also having worked in the past on Materials Matter. Even my internships were with worthy causes (Girls Inc., Families Forward).

While some may consider this a typecasting of sorts, I couldn’t be happier to work on what I think of as “feel good PR.” These accounts are favorites of mine because I get to do work that I love to do, and in turn, help some very noble causes. Call me a sap, but I like to think that maybe the world is made just a little better because of the latest Working Wardrobes press release, or the story about the Latina breast cancer survivor (even if it is just indirectly helping).

So many feel good PR events this fall; here are some highlights (beginning with the most recent):

Black Tie & Tennies Gala (Working Wardrobes)

This was one of the most FUNdraising galas I’ve ever been a part of – funky decorated tennis shoes, petite beef Wellingtons, and even a Bichon-Papillon puppy (aka a Papichon). It definitely was not your usual black tie event. The Orange County Register did a fabulous job, as always, of covering it.

“Feel goodiest” part: The amazing success stories of Stephen Campa and Carmen Rodriguez, who overcame decades of drug abuse and homelessness to become successful, inspirational individuals.

(And another part that felt good: Sporting TENNIES instead of heels! My toes didn’t hate me one bit that night.)

Men’s Day of Self Esteem (Working Wardrobes)

This event is what Working Wardrobes is all about. More than 100 men, from different shelters across SoCal, arrived that day in just t-shirts and jeans. And in just a few short hours, they were transformed. Each had his own different story, but all of them were there with the same positive mindset and determination to succeed.

We were so happy to help secure these slideshows in the L.A. Times and the O.C. Register. Hopefully those who clicked through were inspired.

“Feel goodiest” part: Oh my, there were so many – watching the men come out of the dressing area with new suits on, beaming and walking just a little taller; the fashion show at the end as they strutted the catwalk and danced. But probably my favorite was when a U.S. veteran named Saul, at the end of the fashion show, thanked Working Wardrobes and its volunteers, for “giving up a beautiful Sunday to dress [him] like a king.” My heart swelled and my eyes welled.

Race for the Cure (Komen OC)

The Orange County Race for the Cure is such a magnificent event, it just swallows you whole. The members of Team HKA were just a few among the estimated 30,000+ who were there.

This was my second year working on the Race, and once again I got into “Race mode.” A good indicator of when I know I’ve entered Race mode is when I start to dream about it. And when Race day finally arrives after all the hard work, the feeling is simply amazing.

We were thrilled with the coverage we secured (among them: FOX11, ABC7), but our favorite clip was from a local station, whose news program is sorely missed. Daybreak OC’s Ben Aaron captured it perfectly.

“Feel goodiest” part: The whole breast cancer survivor tribute ceremony. The sea of pink shirts worn by breast cancer survivors all holding pink roses is an overwhelming visual, and a reminder of hope that a breast cancer diagnosis is far from a death sentence.

In conclusion: Remember to do what love and love what you do.. and help others where you can along the way!