Why So Serious?

By David Eisele, Intern

Why do I care? This was the title of our most recent ed session on press releases, hosted by our director, Suzanne McGee.

When you’re writing a press release, you need to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. Why do they care or why should they care? At first glance, they probably don’t, so it’s your job to show them. How can you?

Loosen up and stop using the same boring quote. Show your audience that you and your client are real and what they’re announcing is exciting. Don’t revert to the same old quotes “We’re happy to work with…” And you wonder why your release is in the garbage?

Make sure that what you’re trying to convey comes across as interesting and important. Remove the fluff and try a new approach. Maybe you can reach someone that you haven’t been able to before. But you’ll never know ‘til you give it a try.

Together Everyone Achieves More… TEAM!

By Kemba Francis, Intern

I used to wonder to myself why I was in college and the professor kept putting us into teams and encouraging us to do group work. I thought I was over that stage already. Never did I realize that team work is actually a fundamental part for most businesses. Everyone at Fusion is part of a team. Each team has their designated clients that they cater to on a daily basis.

This week I attended a team meeting. The purpose of being in a team is being able to share opinions with each other. You can’t always do everything on your own. There’s always something someone else sees that you may not. Individually, everyone here has their tasks that they complete throughout the day, but there are occasions when someone else’s input could be beneficial.

Being able to be in a team and share your ideas with others increases your communication skills. Even though your coworkers might be the people you see and talk to everyday, your communication skills are still being exercised when you try to get your points across. Effective communication skills lead to building better and stronger relationships.

Internal Data Theft

By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)

I have been looking up articles on companies being robbed by former employees. It is pretty interesting. A lot of employees get mad when they get fired and decide to steal information from the company in order to destroy them somehow. How can companies protect themselves from that? They would need around-the-clock IT security but, in all honesty, who would want that job? I wouldn’t, that’s for sure. But a client we are doing work for provides that security through their software. With this current recession and high unemployment rate, no company is too safe.

What's In a Name?

By Leilani Needham, Intern

Have you ever wondered where the name Yahoo! or Cracker Jack came from? I never thought about it either. That is, until recently, when I was sitting in a social media brainstorming session at Fusion. I never realized the amount of thought that goes into a name or new idea but I realized probably every name, every strategy and every idea resulted from some sort of brainstorm. Now I find myself thinking, “I wonder how they came up with that?”

One vital thing I learned in the meeting was that there is no such thing as a bad idea. Don’t hold back on speaking up or sharing an idea because you never know if it could lead to the next big thing.

It's Always Sunny on Silicon Beach

By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)

This week at Fusion has been a bit harder and more challenging for me. This internship is not picking flowers in a field and giving awesome high fives to your best buddies; it’s hard work and very demanding. At school you learn about PR through a book, reading about crisis management in employee newsletters. In the field of PR, the job details go way beyond that. My bosses have me doing work all across the board.

Last week, I was contacting radio stations in Detroit to see if they run PSAs (public service announcements). Then, I was gathering information in order to twitter about "Silicon Beaches." It’s very hectic and fun, but hard and sometimes confusing. My favorite thing to do, currently, is this Silicon Beaches project. We are making a trend. Our whole purpose is to get the phrase “Silicon Beaches” to be associated with the booming tech business in Florida. Mike Vogel, editor of Florida Trend, wrote a great piece on Florida’s up-and-coming tech sector this past January.

I am really glad I took this internship at Fusion because it has taught me a lot. It has taught me about office life, working with people, having bosses and, most importantly, what PR is. It’s a definition that can only be understood by doing, not so much through a detailed explanation. I understand now why that PR firms and jobs want to know what you have done, not so much what you know. Doing PR is a lot different than studying PR.

Field Trips

By Bennie Sham, Internship Program Lead (@beesham)

I can't say it enough but it's been an great semester with our current group of interns. Lisa Langsdorf, director at Fusion, organized a few field trips to the Reuters, AOL and the NY Times offices over the past few months. I've never been to any of the offices and was glad that I could join the outings.

At Reuters, we met with an editor who took the time to show us his offices and explain how a newsroom works, where our press releases go and how the editors collaborate on stories. At NY Times, we learned another side of public relations, where the VP of their corporate communications department explained the differences between corporate PR and agency PR. Our meeting with AOL's senior communications manager may have been my favorite. He scheduled meetings with the editors-in-chief of AOL Television and AOL Music, as well as the senior VP and director of corporate communications, where we learned about consumer and entertainment public relations.

Each meeting brought a different view on PR but they all had the same advice: know your industries, know your clients, know your reporters and be honest. Their main pet peeve is an uneducated PR professional.

Religious Radio

By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)

I am doing research for a client trying to get a PSA (public service announcement) done for them over the radio in Detroit. To my surprise, most of the radio stations were just rude and not nice and helpful. The most helpful stations were religious talk radio stations. I started calling them just to see if, maybe, they would run PSAs. They were so helpful and so willing to do anything. It was actually surprising and pretty awesome.

Are You Fine-Tuned?

By Leilani Needham, Intern

Writing is an essential skill to have in public relations and it is a skill I have yet to develop. Being at Fusion has given me an opportunity to draft press releases and learn AP style writing. I feel I am improving but can always be a better writer.

It is really important to fine-tune your writing and, most importantly, editing skills. Suzanne McGee, director at Fusion, gave us some great advice. She stated, “If the only thing you gain out of this internship is editing skills, it will be one of the greatest assets to you.”

Coming to Fusion has really helped me to understand AP style. It is difficult to break habits and stop writing like I’m in class, but it is possible. If you are not familiar with AP style, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times are great examples of publications that follow this writing style.

The AP Stylebook is a great tool that I have used often. Get it and use it in your papers and classrooms (unless your professor dictates a different style). If you’ve decided to pursue PR as a career because you were trying to avoid writing, it might be a good idea to rethink a different profession.

Blogging?

By Kemba Francis, Intern

When I first heard that I was going to be blogging—mainly about my experience as an intern—I was a little worried. I had never blogged a day in my life. The term was frequently used around me, but I had no strong foundation of what it was to be a blogger.

Blogging is one aspect of social media that encourages communication and the ability to build a network with others. There are multitudes of blogs out there on an abundance of topics. Experts post blogs about their expertise and people enjoy reading them and gaining insight. There are also blogs that are published by everyday people that just want their opinion to be heard, allowing others to engage in conversation by posting comments in return.

By Fusion creating this blog for the interns, it gives us the opportunity to communicate with each other on certain topics that may not fuel everyday discussion. Also, for all future interns, reading what past interns have blogged about serves as an advantage. I am always up for being able to learn from my own experiences, as well as others.

Silicon Valley...On the Beach?

By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)

This week has been very exciting for me; I have been working on a new project with Suzanne McGee, director at Fusion. We are researching the tech business in Florida to see what new businesses are up-and-coming, in what we like to call "Silicon Beaches." The term Silicon Beaches, coined by Suzanne, evolved out of the term Silicon Valley, an area in California where tech businesses boomed in the 1990s and is still running strong.

It has been a lot of fun and, in addition to researching tech, I am also learning a lot about Florida. To be honest, I don't know much about the state. Prior to this research project, I thought Florida was an overly-populated, humid, assisted-living state. In some ways, my initial thought is true but I've found out that there are a lot of companies emerging in the Sunshine State. There is even an alliance for southern Florida tech companies called South Florida Technology Alliance.

Suzanne and I have decided to start tackling a new major city in Florida each day and see what tech companies are already there and which ones are emerging. Silicon Beaches is becoming the new hot spot in the recession. If you're going to open a new business, why not do it on the beach?

Coming to a Close

By Dave Eisele, Intern

First off, I realized that I only have three weeks left here at Fusion! Woo-hoo!

Now, I’m not rejoicing because my time here is coming to a close. I’m mostly excited because I’m graduating in December and I’m ready to (hopefully) move on to bigger and better things (although, I’m not sure if the current economy will permit it). I am a little bummed because I’ve had a blast here at Fusion and in New York (but I am excited to be moving away from cockroaches).

Last week, Jordan C. (Fusion’s CEO) assembled the team into the conference room, to share and discuss what we're doing, the company as a whole and how the economy is making everything more difficult.

I learned that wherever you end up working and no matter what you’re doing, if you’re not actively trying to improve your business plan, strategies, etc., you’ll fail. It’s a simple principle, but one that is easily overlooked and forgotten. The meeting was great. I really enjoyed catching a small glimpse into how a PR agency is effectively managed and run.

Available Opportunities

By Kemba Francis, Intern

One of the many tasks in PR regarding support for clients is searching for award and speaking opportunities for clients. Lately, I have been involved in searching for a lot of these opportunities for them. Generally, it is better to search for these opportunities from January to March; that way you can begin generating your list of what’s out there. Be aware of whom to contact, the name of the award and speaking opportunity and other important data regarding these items.

An award received is the recognition gained by a company for a specific aspect of the industry. It could be considered beneficial to the client in regards to future business. The award may stand as their credibility in being recognized for what they do.

In contrast, speaking opportunities may be more effective in the fact that companies are drawn to events and conferences where they have the ability to interact with other industry professionals. It is all about networking and how you network these days and sometimes you just have to get with the program.

Internship, Internship, Internship

By Kemba Francis, Intern

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Suzanne McGee, director at Fusion PR. One question to Suzanne was, “What advice can you give to someone like me, who is preparing for graduation?” Her response was, “Internship, internship, internship.” I couldn’t agree with her more.

Given the current economic situation, it is important that you stand out to future employers. Before you are actually called in for that interview, your resume speaks for itself. Internships are the best thing anyone could have thought of. The experience and knowledge gained through an internship is amazing. With dedication, an internship allows you to learn a lot of information.

I am currently interning here and I love it. This is my first internship, so I didn’t know what to expect. I put a lot of pressure on myself at to do almost everything to perfection. I wanted Fusion to feel like they chose the right person for the task. However, after a couple of weeks, it started to come to me and I realized that I have to stop putting so much pressure on myself and enjoy this time. This is a great opportunity I have been given and I want to be able to walk away with something from it.

Everyday is a new day; learning about the different industries and what the clients do. Most of the time, I am involving myself with a lot of research for clients, but it is all so very interesting. Fusion puts so much effort into teaching us interns and making sure that we are in the best learning environment we could be in. The best way to apply your education to real world experience is through an internship. Internships are preparation for future employment. Why pass up the wonderful experience?

Waking Up In the City That Never Sleeps

By Leilani Needham, Intern

When I was accepted to intern at Fusion Public Relations, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’ve lived in a farm town for the past two years, have never been to the East Coast and have never worked an eight hour office job. I was in for an awakening. I knew New York City was the largest city in the U.S. and was home to many famous buildings, shows and people, but that was it.

When it comes to PR, I was unfamiliar with it and did not know how extensive the work was. While at Fusion, I am learning things that I would have never learned in class or at school, and am experiencing things that I probably never would have if I didn’t take this internship. I had the opportunity to sit in on media trainings, which I had no idea was even necessary. It is interesting how much preparation is required and goes into these trainings.

In the training, we had our clients practice interviewing in different scenarios. Every client needs to be prepared with key messages and make sure their messages are properly communicated to the media. We walked them through the steps of what to do in the different situations. This is only one out of the many things I have been able to experience while being at Fusion.

I advise everyone to participate in an internship to help figure out what you want to do. Take the time to make an investment for yourself. Regardless of the city, any internship is going to be worth the time and money. Coming out to NYC has been difficult and unpredictable, but everything I am learning has been well worth the sacrifice.

Everything to Gain

By David Eisele, Intern

Before I came to Fusion, I wasn’t sure what I was passionate about. In fact, I still don’t really know what I’m passionate about, although I feel like I’m moving in the right direction. That’s a big part of why I wanted to be an intern--because I wanted to find out what I was good at and enjoyed.

Even though I haven’t decided on a career, I have learned what I like/dislike about PR. For example, I like helping to establish and maintain a relationship between a reporter and a client. On the other hand, I don’t care much for the creative side of PR (e.g., brainstorming sessions). But, that’s just me.

Actually, my internship has persuaded me to go to law school, which (oddly enough) is something I've never imagined myself doing. But that’s what’s so cool about an internship. You learn more about yourself.

You may or may not come away knowing what you’re absolutely passionate about, but you’ll at least begin to take the small steps that can begin to point you in the right direction. I really believe an internship is the best thing that you can do for yourself while you’re in school, because if nothing else, it can really beef up your resume. You’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Introduction to PR

By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)

My internship at Fusion PR has been both very exciting and very hard for me. Going into it, I honestly had no clue what to expect. My only knowledge of PR work prior to this internship was “Introduction to PR,” a course I took at my college. I have to say that this internship is the best introduction of PR that anyone could ask for.

My duties as an intern differ day to day; from doing research charts to drafting press releases. In actuality, I have only done two press releases for two different clients, and learned a lot from both of them. Sometimes I work on monthly reports, which aren’t as bad as they sound. A monthly report is a detailed document on all the work we have done for a client in that particular month. It includes things such as what publications picked up a press release, what reporters we have contacted and describes the research we have done.

My favorite thing, of course, is any writing assignment, like this blog, or press releases and bios.This week we had a great "Brown Bag" meeting with our VP Steve Andrews. A Brown Bag is when we bring our lunches into the conference room and a Fusion executive teaches us about an aspect of PR. Steve delivered a very good session on the importance of PR planning. It was very informative and noteworthy. The main thing that stuck with me was that, in a sense, a PR plan can make or break a company. It should be the backbone of a company, and it is very important to follow. If companies don’t have goals and or set a plan for PR, the less successful they’ll be. The brown bag meetings are one of my favorite things about this internship.

My goal for this internship is to learn all that I can about public relations. I want to be able to go back to school and teach my professor something new about PR. I want to become more familiar with AP style, and be able to catch my grammar mistakes before others do. I want to make contacts so that in the future I can use them for referrals, recommendations and to find other jobs. I want to get out what I put in and hopefully more.

Interns, Assemble!

By Bennie Sham, Internship Program Lead (@beesham)

We’ve kicked off another exciting semester with a new group of interns. While we’re always sad to see our interns leave at the end of every semester, we’re eager to meet, work with and mold the new batch. Our internship program is designed to offer students hands-on experience in the world of public relations, giving them the training and knowledge they need and can bring with them to their first PR job.

In January, we introduced four new faces to the Fusion family – three from Brigham Young University in Idaho (the sister university to BYU-Utah) and one from our very own Baruch College in NYC. After a few days of training, they immersed themselves into Fusion life, adapting quickly.

Since our interns do a lot, we’re giving them the opportunity to share what they’re learning and accomplishing while at Fusion. They’ve been tremendously helpful and have brought great ideas to the table. But enough from me. This blog was created to be the “voice” of Fusion’s interns. So, let’s hear from them.