Bender Helper Impact

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Sometimes our clients’ involvement in an event become much more than brand awareness, it touches you on a more personal level.  On Sunday, September 25 the Susan G. Komen Orange County Race for the Cure® united more than 30,000 breast cancer advocates and survivors in a show of support for the global breast cancer movement to save lives. Hosted by the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the 2011 event took place at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Calif.

With Saban Brands, B/HI participated in the Race For The Cure by featuring activities in the KidsZone as well as gathering a team to run/walk the race on Sunday.  As a member of the Paul Frank team, I was inspired by their dedication to helping out such a great cause. I was so inspired in fact, I felt the participation shouldn’t stop at the Saban Brands team – it should extend to the whole agency. In an effort to get everyone involved, I asked the agency to work together to raise $500 to donate to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

The employees of Bender/Helper Impact (along with some family members, friends and former B/HI co-workers) were amazingly generous – which, if you know the people on our team, isn’t that surprising. Collectively, we raised more than our goal of $500 to support the fight against breast cancer.  

Several members of the Saban Brands/Paul Frank team - and their dogs! - were also able to walk in the race on Sunday, September 25. Being surrounded by survivors and their family members really made it clear that we did the right thing by rallying together and supporting the Susan G. Komen foundation.

A professor once told me that any environment is a learning environment, and that seeking out opportunities to gain knowledge can only help in the journey to success. As a Home Entertainment intern at Bender/Helper Impact, I can honestly say I haven’t stopped learning since I set foot into this blue and green office just one month ago!

Learning in an office environment is the most important part of an internship, but last week I ventured out into Beverly Hills to attend the monthly Social Media Breakfast Los Angeles to learn about the benefits of blogging and social media. This was the first time I had attended one of these meetings, although I had heard about the organization long ago. The group was founded by two young grads who believe that social media is an important aspect of business that is only growing in popularity. When I arrived early last Wednesday morning, blank nametags were left at the front door for attendees to take. I penned, “Amanda Bernard, Intern” on my own, and walked into a sea of other interns enjoying French toast and scrambled eggs. I spoke with other college students with internships at various PR agencies around Los Angeles, asking them how they liked the work they were doing. Through mouthfuls of eggs, many of them responded positively, saying the things they have learned so far were invaluable. Then of course, a few interns rolled their eyes, and talked of the numerous trips to the break room they’ve taken to fetch coffee for those around the office. Some even stated that they often twiddled their thumbs at their temporary cubicles waiting for something to do.

When it was my turn, I couldn't wait to talk about Bender/Helper Impact. When I (excitedly) mentioned the name, many of the students knew the agency and asked questions about what I do on my Mondays and Fridays. I was proud to state that I had never been asked to fetch coffee for anyone, and from day one I had felt like a part of the B/HI family. I talked about learning to properly clip articles, contacting publications, and creating and updating various media lists. I recalled what I was told my first day at B/HI by my supervisor, which was that I had now entered “P.R. Boot Camp”. The other interns smiled, asking me to explain. I told them that I think what she meant by that term is that the people at B/HI are not afraid to give their interns a challenge. That they believe an intern is capable of more than just running errands, and should be doing more challenging activities.  I spoke for some time, and even pulled up the B/HI website on my phone for my interested new friends to see. Soon after, the speaker asked everyone to take a seat, as the lecture was beginning. This speaker worked for famed review website Yelp!, and spoke about how much easier it was to notify fans of the site about Yelp! events in the area via Facebook and Twitter. Although it’s generally considered rude to have a phone out during a speech, the speaker encouraged all of us to “Like” Yelp!’s Facebook page during her lecture.

After the event was over, I walked away with knowledge I hadn’t had before, and it was a nice feeling knowing that I truly am glad to have an internship with B/HI. Oh, and the French toast was pretty awesome too.

[Follow B/HI: @bhimpact and Bender/Helper Impact]

Although I major in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Southern Methodist University, my time spent interning at B/HI has taught me that nothing quite prepares you for the field of PR like working for an actual agency.

I began interning at B/HI at the beginning of the summer and loved every day that I worked there. Instead of grabbing coffee or running other trivial errands, I was actually brought into the fold. Right away I felt like I was doing important tasks like building media contact lists, working on pitches and press releases, compiling press clippings, updating the street date chart, contacting organizations, listening in on phone calls with clients and, my personal favorite, participating in brainstorms. I love attending the brainstorm sessions because everyone throws around ideas of how to promote a particular client, product or event. Listening in on these brainstorms made me realize just how smart and creative everyone on the B/HI team is.

On top of that, they are also very kind and helpful to everyone including the interns, which is not always the case at other agencies. I always felt comfortable asking people here for more guidance on how to do a particular task. As opposed to being annoyed with these questions, everyone was very understanding and willing to guide me.

I could not have asked for a better internship experience than the one I had at B/HI. I loved working here so much that I would gladly intern here next summer as well!

Newbie is a term used to describe an individual lacking the necessary experience to perform an activity.  The term can carry negative connotations, especially in the online gaming arena.  Those who have played online multiplayer matches can recount stories of players who were angry when they were partnered with novices.

Every now and then, a group will welcome a newbie into their ranks.  They understand that they, too, were once unsure of their skills.  They patiently answer hundreds of questions, offer tips and tricks about how to be more successful, and guide the newbie about how to have fun at work.  They are truly the unsung heroes of the community.

My situation at Bender/Helper Impact (B/HI) is quite similar. I am a public relations newbie. Having graduated earlier in the summer, I knew my public relations rite of passage — the all-important internship – would begin.  Internships are crucial to gain experience and strengthen knowledge, skills, and abilities.

After sending out numerous resumes, writing countless emails, and producing cover letter after cover letter, I was given the opportunity to become B/HI’s newest Interactive Entertainment intern.  I was entering a new environment, unsure of the rules of the game.  I wondered what kind of players I would encounter — the irritated loners or the mentoring superstars. 

My fears melted away the moment I walked through the door on my first day. Everyone welcomed me, the newbie/the intern, with open arms and we immediately got to work.

In just one week, I was assisting in the creation of coverage and industry trend reports, assembling press clippings, and updating the firm’s online portfolio. Whether it was walking me through creating a report, providing a demonstration on press clip assembly, or just asking how I was doing, the team was willing to take time from their busy schedules to help.
 
It is said by finding new knowledge we learn how much we have yet to understand. I can take comfort in knowing the supportive culture at B/HI is allowing me to develop as a professional.

This is a team you want by your side.

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a day (well ok, eight hours) in the life of one of the most irreverent and exciting documentarians of our time, Mr. Moustache himself - Morgan Spurlock.  The irony was not lost on me that we were in fact brought together for the sake of promoting his latest project titled “A Day In The Life” - a series he produced and directed with B/HI client Hulu.  From the moment he endearingly referred to me as his “rent-a-publicist” and asked if I like my coffee with cancer (Sweet’N Low) and Alzheimer’s (non-dairy powdered creamer) I knew that we would be friends.
Since Morgan chose to stay behind the scenes for this project and did not film a day in his own life I thought I would take it upon myself to document it for his fans.  So here you have it - my day in the life of the very busy, very charming, Morgan Spurlock…

Monday, August 8, 2011

8:00 AM The car service picked us up at the Sunset Marquis Hotel and we immediately made our way to KTTV studios in Santa Monica to film a segment with Good Day LA. Morgan took advantage of the time on the road and held the first of what would be many check-in calls with his assistant and his partner to make sure that business was running smoothly in his absence.  We arrived on set and shared the green room with Jake from “The Bachelor” before it was time for Morgan’s segment. I was excited to meet one of the world’s most controversial bachelors - Morgan, not so much.

10:00 AM We then headed down to Glendale to record an hour-long podcast with Adam Corolla.  Again, Morgan took a couple calls from the car including a nice long interview with Ben from Hulu’s editorial team for the company blog. The podcast ran long (I was warned it would) and since Adam and Morgan are buddies, it took quite a bit of negotiating to finally get him back in the car.

12:00 PM We arrived in downtown Burbank to do a quick location scout and camera placement meeting for one of Morgan’s many other projects and I had the opportunity to introduce him and his team to the wonderful world of self-serve frozen yogurt à la YogurtLand.  Their lives will never be the same.

2:00 PM Next stop, The Morning After studio in North Hollywood. We chatted with the Wall Street Journal on the way and, after getting a bit lost, finally made it just in time to shoot a great interview.  Morgan even took control of the camera and filmed an hour In The Life of the Morning After crew - just for fun.

4:00 PM The car service took Morgan back to Santa Monica for a casting session that he was already quite a bit late for and took me back to the Sunset Marquis where I had parked my car.  Needless to say, I was exhausted after a day of running around Los Angeles County with him, but for Morgan this was just another day in the life.

Fun Facts:  A few things I learned along the way: Morgan LOVES his son more than anything, prefers blue to gray suits and has a wicked sense of humor (I suppose the last one is obvious).

[Follow Jessica: @jessicabass]

What’s better than a puppy prom? Answer: Nothing.

Luckily, Paul Frank agrees with me. The iconic lifestyle brand hit the road on June 25 for its nationwide Academy of Awesome Tour, and will stop in 50 additional cities across the country.  Paul Frank’s decked-out Winnebago brings music, fun, food and, most importantly, puppy proms to its back-to-back schedule of festivities.

With an extremely short turn-around time for the Los Angeles launch party at the Pacific Design Center, the team did an amazing job. I was on hand to help staff the event along with my lovely co-workers, Nicole Yavasile and Lisa Schwartz, and our dog friends, Millicent (Nicole’s brindle pug) and Lucy and Leila (the two cutest rescue dogs, well, ever).  Media outlets such as Allure, Daily Variety, New York Post and dozens of mom bloggers attended the festivities.  The party included bounce houses, DJs from KIIS FM, hot dogs, face painting, tattoos and more.  The highlight of the event came around 6:30 p.m. when L.A.’s finest pups promenaded the latest in canine couture.

Furry friends from all over the city dragged their human pals to the party for the chance to win the most coveted crown in puppydom – Paul Frank dog prom king and queen! Dogs of all shapes and sizes strutted their stuff in the most fashionable attire (one pup even had on a full tux!) and best hair-styles. In my humble opinion, no one looked better than my ladies, Lucy and Leila, who hit the catwalk in their summer-appropriate denim dresses. 

Sadly, due to my affiliation to Paul Frank, my pups were unable to win the title. In the end, the day was a success with happy people and puppies everywhere.  How did Lucy and Leila celebrate their 15 minutes of fame? With a well deserved nap under the media check-in table.

To check out when Paul Frank’s Academy of Awesome and Puppy Prom will be in your city, please visit www.academyofawesometour.com .


Above: My rescue puppies rise to fame: Lucy (L) and Leila (R) show-off their denim Prom wear
Below: Lucy makes the cutest face she has to try and sway the judges' votes for Prom Queen

[Follow Miranda: @MirandaG1234]

Driving home from work last Wednesday I noticed helicopters hovering over Hollywood and Highland.  I figured it was just the usual movie premiere until a local radio station confirmed it was actually LA’s first riot of the decade.

DJ Kaskade was scheduled to spin at the premiere of the film “Electric Daisy Carnival Experience” at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  He sent out a tweet that afternoon which read “ Today@6pm in Hollywood @Mann's Chinese Theatre.  ME+BIG SPEAKERS+MUSIC=BLOCK PARTY!!! RT!”.  Hundreds of passionate and excited fans showed up to support one of their favorite artists and the street was ultimately shut down.  When the show did not happen, bystanders became irritated; bottles were thrown and out came the riot gear.  According to the Associated Press, authorities confirmed that two people had been arrested and three police cars were damaged.  Luckily no one was hurt.

This incident made me think about how powerful social media has become.  Seemingly out of nowhere, Twitter has grown into this incredibly influential global communications platform.  Just one sentence hastily sent over the twitter-sphere and crowds of fans take to the streets in Hollywood.  But it’s not just a platform for artists and celebrities.  Earlier this year the President held a Twitter town hall which gave users a direct line of communication and allowed them to post questions in real-time.  Recent news articles are even claiming that this social media tool may have helped move the debt agreement along.  Who knew?  From riots to government Twitter has become synonymous with access and communication, but as DJ Kaskade proved - be careful what you tweet for.

[Follow Brigid: @asmidgeofbridg]

This year I had the opportunity to attend Comic-Con on behalf of our client, The Hub TV channel and I could not have been more excited.  For years I’ve listened to unbelievable stories about the wonderfully bizarre costumes, exciting panels and overall craziness that goes on at this event and I was eager to see it all for myself.  Friends and colleagues offered me sound advice on everything from footwear to snacks and especially how best to navigate the showroom floor in order to avoid the inevitable samurai sword and light saber bearing fans.  As much as I tried to prepare, there were certainly a few things I had to learn the hard way so I decided to share with you my list of tips that can be easily applied to any conference- even the ones where the attendees wear nametags instead of capes:

1. Wear comfortable shoes!  I’m not saying you need to break out the sports shoes but this is certainly not the time to show off your brand new heels.


2. If you’re carrying a clipboard, people will assume you know things, be ready to get asked where the bathrooms are, if there’s room in the next panel, etc.


3. Keep your camera/phone handy when navigating the showroom floor. You never know when you’ll come across a nifty display, crazy costume or celebrity (spotting Conan O’Brien was the highlight of my Con experience and I have no photos to prove it actually happened!).


4. Bring a sweater or a scarf because those convention centers sure can blast the air-conditioning.  Extra Tip:  Bring both in case the person in charge of climate control decides to turn your convention center into a giant freezer.


5. Pack little snacks in your bag to avoid those low blood sugar mood swings.  Power bars and packages of nuts or trail mix are ideal.  Extra Tip: Share your snacks to make instant best friends with anyone from fellow conference goers to venue staff to media covering the event.


6. Bring your power cords; you can keep them from getting tangled up or lost amongst the snacks and scarves by putting them in a clear plastic pencil pouch (a plastic bag will do the trick as well).  Extra Tip: Let your new best friends use your power cords and they will probably name their firstborn in your honor.


7. Pedicabs are awesome.  They don’t adhere to traffic laws, they’ll get you to your destination faster than regular cabs during gridlock and you can practice your best Kate Middleton wave as people stare in wonder and amazement as you whiz by.  Be warned, your pedicab experience will not come cheap and you probably won’t be able to expense it since those bikers don’t like to weigh themselves down with silly things like receipts, but it will most definitely be worth it!

Left: COCO MoCA, The Museum of Conan O’Brien fan art that was unveiled at Comic-Con, is the closest thing I have to photographic proof that I did indeed see and get a wave from Conan O’Brien.