As the Chair of the planning committee for CPRS National 2013, I am delighted to be with my colleagues in Victoria this June for Currents 2012. In addition to the rich professional development and social opportunities this occasion gives me, it's also my honour to be the official representative for Ottawa, inviting you to join us next year in the Nation's Capital.
By way of introduction, I wanted to share with you a little about my over 30 years in the business.
This blog post is a collection of a series of 25 posts I wrote in 2009, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the launch of Algonquin College's Public Relations Program - of which I am a member of the first graduating class. This recap of that series will give you just a little glimpse into one PR career, built in the Nation's Capital.
I hope it also sheds some light on why I'm extremely passionate about Public Relations.
I was a new university graduate looking to do something with my BA in English and History. Although I had been accepted at Queen’s to enter their Bachelor of Education program, I wasn’t convinced it was my destiny to teach English to children. Meanwhile, I had been working with my father, a scientist at the National Research Council, since 1978, running a scientific association called the Canadian Industrial Computer Society (CICS). Using a very early personal computer, I had been editing their quarterly newsletter, managing the membership lists, and organizing workshops and conferences – and really enjoying the work of “translating” technical speak into plain language.
In the summer of 1984, as I continued to ponder what to do with myself, I stumbled across a program on the local community access channel which showcased various professionals across the region talking about their work. I remember very clearly seeing an interview with Sandi Digras, who was speaking about her work as the director of “public relations” for the Chateau Laurier Hotel. As she spoke about the media relations, special events, and writing required in her job, a light bulb went off for me: this is what I was meant to do! Now if only there were some place for me to go to get training…
meeting Claudine Wilson
Eureka! The Ottawa Citizen tells me about the creation of a new program in Public Relations to launch that Fall at Algonquin College – and I know I’ve found my destiny!
In addition to writing the usual entrance exams, PR program founders Claudine Wilson and Robin Dorrell personally interviewed all of the would-be PR students (an entrance practice which they were, sadly, forced to abandon shortly after). Claudine and I met, and it was magical. We had so much in common: we both had English degrees, and were both only children who lost their mothers early to cancer. Through the luxury of the hour or so we spent chatting in her office, we found common interests and passions, and hit it off immediately.
Claudine clearly and succinctly painted a picture of her vision of the public relations practitioner's highest calling: to bring the right information and people together, at the right moment, to inspire people to move mountains in order to affect a positive change in the world. In that moment, my love of words, my love of storytelling, and my love of organizing found a home. Claudine showed me what a creative force PR could be. I was mesmerized.
the City of Nepean
1985: not even a year into the program and I have my first break: a chance at a summer job at the City of Nepean in their Information office. I’m in competition for the job with two university students, but end up landing the job working with the Director of Information Services, Andrea McCormick – who was to become my first workplace mentor. She single-handedly taught me to get over my fear of the media, making me do all of the follow-up media calls for each City Council meeting. She also gave me one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever had as a junior employee: don’t just bring me problems, bring me solutions! I began my love affair with public service.
As I entered the second year of the program, the curriculum – and the extra-curricular activities – began to intensify. We took on a fundraising challenge for St. Brigit’s Soup Kitchen which was to become the first in a long and storied line of fundraisers for community charities held by Algonquin PR students over the years. Our PR skills didn’t stop with fundraising, though: we actually designed and built a three-layered-cake float for the Salvation Army to use in the Santa Claus parade. Our reputation as the “can-do” program was well under way.
Algonquin Vice
OK, sounds cheesy now, but in 1985, "Miami Vice" was all the rage. As most college students do, we planned to raise some of the funds for our first fundraising campaign by hosting an on-campus pub. But we were not content to just stick posters up around campus and pray for a good turnout. No indeed – we managed to persuade two TV broadcasting students – and our tv production prof -- to help us produce a promotional video for our pub. Shooting took place around the campus, and an entire weekend (and a few all-nighters) were spent in the production studio cutting together the finished product. We toured the campus with a VCR and TV, playing our video for anyone who would watch. Tickets – at a mere $1 apiece – began to fly. It was a sellout event – with much credit to our "multimedia" campaign.
I’d love to show you the video, but youtube wants to strip out the soundtrack as we used a few copyrighted songs. I will just leave you with this image: two cool cats in sharp suits and shades prowling the campus to try to determine “who killed that unfortunate 2-4 at Bert’s Bar”…. Like I said, cheesy…
a point of reference…
desktop publishing? e-mail? digital cameras? are you kidding me? the ‘80s in Algonquin College's "E Block" were a different technological era. It still staggers me to have been witness to such dramatic changes in such a “short” time – erm, well, you know what I mean. Let me paint you a few word pictures of life in the class of ’86:
• smoking in class (we were kicked out into the hall in second year)
• manual typewriters on each desk;
• special “word-processing” classes, taught on Wang systems which occupied their own special lab across campus;
• pmt cameras and waxers for laying out print ads; and
• splicing audio tape using, well, tape!
By the time the PR program moved in, our beloved "E" block – now a parking lot on Woodroffe campus – was already home to not only to a few hundred students, but to an assortment of mice, squirrels, and other vermin who took advantage of the fact that the building had long since come to the end of its useful life. We persevered for a few years, huddling under tarps when it rained and occasionally having to evict unwelcome visitors who invaded file drawers and overhead crawlspaces every summer while the staff was away. Needless to say, we all cheered the arrival of the new media building when it finally arrived.
Information Officer, ‘80s style
As a member of the three-person “information services” team at the City of Nepean, my colleague Lois and I were essentially the city’s 4-1-1 service. In the days before databases and the internet, residents often turned to City Hall for answers to questions as wide-ranging as “how do I get Mom placed in an old folks’ home?” to “how do I get rid of the skunk under my porch?” to “where is the nearest bus stop?”
Over the course of a couple of years, we built the Black Book – a three-ring binder stuffed with every scrap of information we would possibly need. Our motto was that if we didn’t have the answer, we would find it and get back to the citizen. We sourced out provincial and federal contacts, community organizations, advocacy groups, crisis and information lines – everything we could to add to our bag of tricks.
I see now that we were trying to be the “Service Canada” of the City of Nepean: no wrong door, focused on service, we always delivered for our clients. But it sure would have been easier with a database…
the PR agency
One of the most innovative aspects of Algonquin's two-year PR program is the second-year-run student PR agency. Clients from the non-profit sector who would otherwise be unable to afford PR services benefit from students keen to apply what they’ve learned about media relations, special event planning, communications and public relations in a “real-world” setting. My agency clients included Ottawa’s Savoy Society, and my own client, the Canadian Industrial Computer Society.
The agency work was so interesting that I remained committed to helping students even after I graduated. I worked with students as they took on clients such as the Neil Squire Society, Greeley Players, and Algonquin’s own Horticulture Program for their annual Spring Flower Show. The client list has grown into the dozens since we first hung up the shingle, many of them returning year after year – a true testament to the consistently high quality of the students’ work. And I can truly say that I honed my client relationship management skills in this setting – skills which were to serve me well in my own consulting business.
on consulting
The existence of a Public Relations program in Ottawa was not a secret for long. Soon, we were getting enquiries from outside organizations wanting to hear about our curriculum, and interested in securing the services of a student or graduate. In the early days, we also had the opportunity to develop customized training programs on an ad-hoc basis.
In fact, one of my first “consulting” gigs was to develop a media training session for a local utility company. As a graduate with a good understanding of the municipal infrastructure, I was in a good spot to design and deliver the workshop for their senior executives. Through a three-hour session, we covered the basics of handling media enquiries, and were able to run through some practice scenarios with the spokespersons-in-training. Not only was I now an employed graduate, I was also beginning to develop some pretty robust consulting skills!
a Prof is born…
It started small: supervising a few shifts in the agency, giving a few guest talks. But there was a little flicker deep inside of me that responded early on to being in front of a class full of people. I loved being able to encourage a discussion during which new ideas were explored – and most of all, I was hooked on the rush that came from seeing the light bulb go on for a student. And let me tell you, I have learned as much from my students as they have from me. Teaching compels me to keep current on trends in the practice, and to keep true to the highest standards and principles of our profession.
Over time, I’ve had the chance to teach almost every core course in Algonquin's PR program. I taught full-time through two sabbaticals, and in the early years supplemented my growing consulting business with part-time teaching. I have been pleased to see how technological developments have made much of the more mundane aspects of teaching easier, and allowed for more innovation in the classroom.
I also have been able to bring my teaching experience to the Service Canada College, which delivers service excellence and program-related training to thousands of employees across the country. I renew my commitment daily to learning and growing as a coach, mentor, and willing participant in the exploration of new ideas.
the Algonquin College and PR family
I remember vividly my first Mass Communications lecture at a local university which shall remain nameless, sitting amongst some 300-odd other nervous youngsters, waiting for The Man to show up and enlighten us. When he finally showed – late, trailing his entourage of TAs and adjuncts – I was underwhelmed. Even from the depths of that giant lecture hall, I could see that he was a small, high-strung little man who clearly wanted to set the tone for the coming year with the strength and conviction of his opening remarks. “Refer to your handouts if you wish to follow along” said he as he began to lay out the curriculum for the coming year. For the first time, I looked at the mimeographed sheets I had been handed as I entered the hall, and what I saw helped to set the future course of my life: the Man, however mighty he might think he was, could not spell. And what was worse, his grammar sucked, too.
Four years later, I took my new English degree, left The Man, and never looked back. When I entered my first class at Algonquin the following year, I looked around at my 30-odd classmates who, like me, were about to embark on this brand new adventure, and knew it was going to be a whole new ball game. I would know every one of their names by week’s end, and maintain contact with many of them to this day. Together, we shared a remarkable journey through the birth of the PR program, and I, like many of my fellow alumni, still feel a very strong connection. It has never occurred to me to turn away from Algonquin – I will always feel that it is there that I found my first academic home.
the Nepean sandstone project
My first major project with the City of Nepean saw me traveling from event to event with a maquette of the proposed new City Hall which was under construction for close to two years. Our message for taxpayers: this is your facility, and we are proud to tell you that it’s already paid for. This was, needless to say, a good news message, and a great introduction for me to the business of PR.
We travelled with a slab of Nepean sandstone (famous as the major building material for the Parliament Buildings) into which residents were invited to help us carve the city’s official Coat of Arms. My partner and co-facilitator in the exhibit was a man named Robert Brown, a third-generation stone carver whose family had helped build the Rideau Canal. After two years of public events around the region (and with a little final help from Robert), the finished product was installed outside the Council Chambers of the new building.
As I led my first tour of the new facility when it opened in 1988, that Coat of Arms was there to remind me of the thousands of conversations I’d had with Nepean residents leading up to the unveiling. I recognized many of the faces of the young amateur carvers as they roamed the new library and theatre spaces. And I knew that I’d been part of a great PR project, one which I could come back and visit for many years to come.
Centrepointe Theatre opening
In June of 1988, I was the City’s Marketing Officer, helping design the celebrations for the opening of the new Nepean City Hall, which featured not only offices for city staff, but a 900+ seat theatre, a public library, a multi-purpose council chamber, and a visual arts gallery. Centrepointe Theatre signaled an impressive step forward for performing arts in the region, as it provided access to professional-level facilities to dozens of community groups. A black tie event to open the space featured a performance by Ottawa native Rich Little in a performance of Peter and the Wolf, accompanied by the Nepean Philharmonic Orchestra. Funds were raised to create the Nepean Endowment Fund for the Performing Arts, providing support to dozens of community arts groups.
As a PR practitioner, I particularly loved the fact that the story of Centrepointe Theatre we were telling was the story of its place in the community. The Box Office, front of house and production facilities were operated with the support of a dedicated corps of volunteers who received training from experienced professionals. Many a budding director, set designer, and producer cut his or her chops on a Nepean Little Theatre or Les Petits Ballets show. By building shows from the ground up, and encouraging local talent, Centrepointe Theatre, in the 20 years since its opening, has put a real sense of community into the community arts scene in Ottawa.
Ballet on Bank Street
After the excitement of opening Centrepointe Theatre, my marketing job for Nepean’s Parks and Recreation department seemed to devolve to simply promoting kids' gym programs and art classes. Certainly a noble enough calling, but I was looking for a new thrill. Right on cue, the professional ballet company with whom we were co-producing a dance series announced that their Director of Communications had quit. "Hmmmm," thought I: "is this what I’ve been looking for?"
The next day, I was sitting in a tiny office upstairs from the old CHEZ radio studios in the Byward Market, chatting with a leotard-clad Frank Augustyn about what he was trying to do with Ottawa Ballet. “I want to bring a new audience to dance” he said – and I could tell by the fire in his eyes that he meant it. I had found a new home. Leaving behind my city pension, I took a cut in pay and dove into the arts full time.
A new home for the company was one of our first challenges. Working with our corporate sponsor Standard Life Assurance, we put together a deal which saw us moving into a brand new, street-level studio at 142 Bank Street. Based on a model Frank had seen in a shopping mall in Florida, the concept was to bring classical ballet out of the shadows and plunk it down on one of the busiest streets in Ottawa where they could be seen hard at work every day. We worked with local merchants to promote “Ballet on Bank” at various sidewalk sales and other events, and opened up our rehearsal space to other community dance groups.
In time, Ottawa Ballet was to become another victim of the recession, and the spot where our studios once stood is now, literally, a parking lot… but nothing can take away my memory of the day that Ballet came to Bank Street.
The Tin Soldier
Although my time with Ottawa Ballet was short – just under two years – it was enough to see us produce two dance tours, and two original productions. The most remarkable of these was The Tin Soldier, an original ballet based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, for which we created original music, costumes, and choreography.
Building a ballet from the ground up requires significant funding. Through our innovative “Build a Ballet” program, we broke down the production into its component parts, such as choreography, lighting, set design, etc., and priced out the costs associated with each character in the piece. We then did a targeted marketing campaign matching potential business partners with appropriately-themed sponsorship opportunities. Little by little, we covered the costs of mounting the ballet, and on opening night, our sponsors were thrilled to be able to identify so closely with their part of the production.
Our full dress rehearsal the night before we opened was turned into an invitation-only children’s event, and we reached out to community groups and the Children’s Hospital to identify families to fill the seats. I still remember sitting in the dark that night, finally seeing the entire ballet run through from start to finish, and after all that work, I found myself weeping like a proud mom. Frankly, I have yet to replicate the feeling of immense pride and accomplishment I felt for having been part of creating such a beautiful work of art. As the curtain came down on that first performance, I thought I’d never feel it again. Fortunately, the followup CBC tv production of “The Tin Solder” has become something of a Christmas tradition, so I get to revisit my old friends every year.
my first recession
I recall vividly when the summons came. On a beautiful Friday morning in the summer of 1991, I was to present myself to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a corporate tax lawyer whose impressive offices loomed over the downtown court house. When I arrived, I was ushered into a board room where the GM and the chairman were sitting waiting for me. The axe fell, and my jaw followed it: I was laid off. I had two weeks’ notice and was out on my ass. They would be keeping on my assistant, whose smaller salary and year of experience working with me would help to see them through the next season.
Faced with two weeks to ponder my legacy to the company, I realized that it was more important to me that they survive than it was to express my outrage at being dumped so unceremoniously. I built a detailed work plan to get them through the coming tour, and left careful instructions to help them manage their media and public relations campaigns.
Sadly, the company only survived one more year before the doors closed forever. The company scattered to the winds, and the building was taken down shortly after that. All we have left are the memories – and some pretty great tour posters, if I do say so myself.
Gagne Creative Communications
Suddenly unemployed, I faced another crossroad. I had been toying with the idea of heading overseas to visit a friend who worked with the Canadian foreign service, and called her to look at some dates. Before I knew it, I was putting things in storage, selling my car, and headed to Germany with no firm plans to return.
I spent the next three months in Germany licking my wounds and indulging in glorious day and weekend trips, and subsequently ended up in England where I helped promote, renovate and run a small bed-and-breakfast in Canterbury. As a recent tourist and rabid fan of the little university town, I got to know it in some ways better than my new local friends - so I was an excellent hostess, knowing all the best tours and where to take the best pictures. I had free room and board, along with a little PR work to keep my hand in.
Alas, six months after leaving home, my travel visa required me to return to Ottawa. Looking through the classifieds, I saw a tiny ad for a PR person for a local charity. The salary was pitiable – but I realized I could likely help them on a contract basis for a fraction of those salary dollars. Pitching the idea to the GM, I landed my first client, and my consultancy was born.
I will always cherish the freedom self-employment gave me. I never set a meeting time before 9, and controlled when and how I spent my days. The financial advantages continue to enrich my life – and I give much credit to my father, who told me early on: “remember to spend your before-tax dollars on the things that you need – you only pay tax on what’s left over!”
the first client (… and the second…)
You never know where that first client will appear – or how you will find them. My first client came through the classified ads, and winning that account represented for me an act of sheer bravery and chutzpah. My second client was, by contrast, a kind of repeat customer – as a teenager, I had babysat his two girls. Years later, after a lunch with my father, he called to ask for some help with a newsletter.
Now here’s the lesson I learned from our first lunch: sometimes (as it turns out, more often than you might think), clients don’t actually know what they want. Many think they do, but if you are a good practitioner with the patience to listen for awhile, you may discover that they need something entirely different.
My newsletter client needed an entire PR program: media relations, customer relations, and a trade show/conference outreach strategy. But he only realized that after our conversation had probed why he wanted that newsletter, to whom he intended to give it, and how he planned to use it as part of his overall communications program.
The other thing I learned from my newsletter client is that I was on to the right business model. My philosophy with a corporate account like his was that I could help to define the PR program, develop the tools, and train the people on staff who would take the program and run with it. I was, essentially, working myself out of a job. It was my client who first pointed it out, in fact: with respect, he saluted my choice, and said that it was a business approach that would resonate particularly well in the high-tech consulting world, where I hoped to parlay our work together into some referrals.
Careerbridge
The early and mid 1990s were an exciting time to be in communications – and working with technology clients allowed me access to some pretty cool tools, too. In addition to embracing hardware innovations like Palm Pilots and cell phones, I couldn’t wait to take advantage of e-mail and the internet, which was absolutely revolutionizing the world for communicators.
I joined Careerbridge Corporation when my teaching career and my high-tech consulting business were competing for my attention. As the PR director for this new high-tech startup, I was charged with getting trade media excited about a new web-based recruiting software – a precursor to Monster.com. With free resume posting and job browsing available to a large and talented pool of high-tech workers, Careerbridge was able to attract employers like Nortel, Mitel, Newbridge and many others to subscribe to a dedicated, focused recruitment portal that even allowed for “virtual interviewing” via webconference. It was a very exciting story to tell.
As we were putting together our case study newsletter and media kit, I was looking for a catchy headline. I was doodling (as I often do)…. “e-mail”, “e-commerce”, hmmmm, how about “e-cruiting”? Ultimately, the slogan ended up lasting longer than the company. Shortly after I was laid off (once again, to save budget), they sold the company and, like many tech startups, the principals made their bang and moved on. My legacy? A great coffee cup, a nice denim shirt, my first front page story in the Globe’s financial section, and "e-cruiting", a very cool slogan you’re just going to have to take my word that I created. And along the way, I gained a very useful education in the world of high tech.
the Government of Canada
Now these high-tech clients were all very well – high-strung, high-maintenance, but high-return, too. However, for an Ottawa practitioner, the brass ring in consulting is landing that first government contract. This was my next goal – and in 1999, I was hired to lead communications for a Y2k project. My client, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), had to test and verify that all of the federal office buildings were Y2k "compliant", and their systems wouldn’t fail when the clock ticked over on January 1st, 2000. My job was to communicate with some 28 other federal departments, the building management industry, and our Minister's office on the state of our preparations.
The Y2k project was intense, and driven by an immovable deadline – and in retrospect, it taught me nothing useful about how government manages its deadlines! Frankly, following Y2k, I don’t think I witnessed another deadline which didn’t move like a leaf in the breeze… but nevertheless, my foot was in the door, and my relationship with the feds was born. The excellent contacts and working networks I built across government to support our Y2k program stood me in good stead as I competed for and won another contract to lead communications for employee and industry relations for a departmental renewal initiative.
Eventually, as the contracting dollars began to shrink, I had the opportunity to join the public service through a competitive process. Since my time at the City of Nepean, I had been hooked on the idea of public service, and the promise of steady employment with Her Majesty was impossible to resist.
the 20th anniversary
It was stunning enough to witness the turn of the millennium – but to suddenly discover that it’s been 20 years since you started College is another shock. In 2004, we marked the 20th anniversary of the creation of the program with a reunion event.
The highlight of the night was the declaration by PR Program friend (and then-Mayor of Ottawa) Bob Chiarelli of “Claudine Wilson Day” in Ottawa. The declaration was in recognition of her leadership in the program, and its contributions to the community over the last 20 years.
It was at that point that I realized that we were building a legacy not only for the program, but for the community in which we live and work. At the time of the 20th anniversary, we had already raised close to $100,000 for various community charities, and were on our way to doubling that number.
Is it any wonder I am such a proud grad?
Service Canada
I had been at PWGSC for a few years when I caught wind of the Service Canada story. I was told that there was this crazy bunch of people trying to change how Canadians access their government services. Instead of having to bump around namelessly from jurisdiction to department to bureaucratic answering machine, they were proposing a “one-stop shop” for all government services.
My little practitioner’s heart just leapt. Now here was a cause I could get behind – a story I wanted to help tell! The organization was only a couple of months old, and they were still building their shop. Imagine my delight when I discovered that their DG of Communications was Jean Valin – not only an APR, but a Fellow of CPRS and former President of CPRS Ottawa. He took one look at my cover letter, saw Algonquin and “PR”, and I had an interview.
Now let me clarify something: it RARELY happens that way. Like my immovable Y2k deadline, government is only prompt when absolutely pressed. But Jean was pressed. I was qualified, so I deployed over. Within the first year, I had helped shape the corporate comms plan, produced a corporate video, a public awareness brochure, and witnessed the birth of a brilliant series of TV spots: the Service Canada Booth campaign. Like building a ballet had been, it was a wonderful experience to be part of the creation of something new - and you don't get those chances very often in government!
APR
Inspired by the opportunity to work with Jean, I decided it was time for me to pursue my accreditation as a PR practitioner. I looked across my last three years of work and saw the perfect case study: the customer relationship management program I had built for PWGWC.
Accreditation is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the recent graduate. It is, however, a wonderful opportunity for reflection on past accomplishments, and an excellent exercise for validating what you know.
My philosophy going into exam day was this: I’ve been in the business over two decades, and if I don’t know my stuff by now, I never will. I brought along a few of my favourite sources, but my main reference for the exam was my own body of work. In the final result, that seemed to be enough: I received the top written exam score, and the top national overall mark for that year. I received my APR at the national conference in Halifax, and was very proud to do so.
For even the most modest among you, I encourage your to give yourself this gift. It is credibility, recognition, and a little leg up over the “competition”. And it feels surprisingly nice to slip that pin into your lapel now and then.
celebrating 25 years... and beyond...
Our celebration of 25 years saw Algonquin PR Alumni gather for a champagne reception and gala dinner/dance. Of course, the event could only have been possible with the help of a small core of dedicated fellow grads, every one of whom demonstrates how connected we are to our College, to our program, and to our profession.
A strong theme for the celebration was “family” – and I can attest that, once you join the family of Algonquin PR students and graduates, you never leave. I am very much looking forward to celebrating the next 25 years with my Ottawa PR family.
And I think the same can be said for our profession: once you've experienced the thrill of a solid PR campaign, you're hooked for life. Through organizations like the Canadian Public Relations Society, we build strong connections within and across our PR family, connections which only serve to make us more effective at what we do: change the world for the better.
I'm looking forward to welcoming my extended PR family to Ottawa in 2013 for Conversations2013. I hope that you will join us in celebrating our Passion for PR.
The Tin Soldier
Although my time with Ottawa Ballet was short – just under two years – it was enough to see us produce two dance tours, and two original productions. The most remarkable of these was The Tin Soldier, an original ballet based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, for which we created original music, costumes, and choreography.
Building a ballet from the ground up requires significant funding. Through our innovative “Build a Ballet” program, we broke down the production into its component parts, such as choreography, lighting, set design, etc., and priced out the costs associated with each character in the piece. We then did a targeted marketing campaign matching potential business partners with appropriately-themed sponsorship opportunities. Little by little, we covered the costs of mounting the ballet, and on opening night, our sponsors were thrilled to be able to identify so closely with their part of the production.
Our full dress rehearsal the night before we opened was turned into an invitation-only children’s event, and we reached out to community groups and the Children’s Hospital to identify families to fill the seats. I still remember sitting in the dark that night, finally seeing the entire ballet run through from start to finish, and after all that work, I found myself weeping like a proud mom. Frankly, I have yet to replicate the feeling of immense pride and accomplishment I felt for having been part of creating such a beautiful work of art. As the curtain came down on that first performance, I thought I’d never feel it again. Fortunately, the followup CBC tv production of “The Tin Solder” has become something of a Christmas tradition, so I get to revisit my old friends every year.
my first recession
I recall vividly when the summons came. On a beautiful Friday morning in the summer of 1991, I was to present myself to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a corporate tax lawyer whose impressive offices loomed over the downtown court house. When I arrived, I was ushered into a board room where the GM and the chairman were sitting waiting for me. The axe fell, and my jaw followed it: I was laid off. I had two weeks’ notice and was out on my ass. They would be keeping on my assistant, whose smaller salary and year of experience working with me would help to see them through the next season.
Faced with two weeks to ponder my legacy to the company, I realized that it was more important to me that they survive than it was to express my outrage at being dumped so unceremoniously. I built a detailed work plan to get them through the coming tour, and left careful instructions to help them manage their media and public relations campaigns.
Sadly, the company only survived one more year before the doors closed forever. The company scattered to the winds, and the building was taken down shortly after that. All we have left are the memories – and some pretty great tour posters, if I do say so myself.
Gagne Creative Communications
Suddenly unemployed, I faced another crossroad. I had been toying with the idea of heading overseas to visit a friend who worked with the Canadian foreign service, and called her to look at some dates. Before I knew it, I was putting things in storage, selling my car, and headed to Germany with no firm plans to return.
I spent the next three months in Germany licking my wounds and indulging in glorious day and weekend trips, and subsequently ended up in England where I helped promote, renovate and run a small bed-and-breakfast in Canterbury. As a recent tourist and rabid fan of the little university town, I got to know it in some ways better than my new local friends - so I was an excellent hostess, knowing all the best tours and where to take the best pictures. I had free room and board, along with a little PR work to keep my hand in.
Alas, six months after leaving home, my travel visa required me to return to Ottawa. Looking through the classifieds, I saw a tiny ad for a PR person for a local charity. The salary was pitiable – but I realized I could likely help them on a contract basis for a fraction of those salary dollars. Pitching the idea to the GM, I landed my first client, and my consultancy was born.
I will always cherish the freedom self-employment gave me. I never set a meeting time before 9, and controlled when and how I spent my days. The financial advantages continue to enrich my life – and I give much credit to my father, who told me early on: “remember to spend your before-tax dollars on the things that you need – you only pay tax on what’s left over!”
the first client (… and the second…)
You never know where that first client will appear – or how you will find them. My first client came through the classified ads, and winning that account represented for me an act of sheer bravery and chutzpah. My second client was, by contrast, a kind of repeat customer – as a teenager, I had babysat his two girls. Years later, after a lunch with my father, he called to ask for some help with a newsletter.
Now here’s the lesson I learned from our first lunch: sometimes (as it turns out, more often than you might think), clients don’t actually know what they want. Many think they do, but if you are a good practitioner with the patience to listen for awhile, you may discover that they need something entirely different.
My newsletter client needed an entire PR program: media relations, customer relations, and a trade show/conference outreach strategy. But he only realized that after our conversation had probed why he wanted that newsletter, to whom he intended to give it, and how he planned to use it as part of his overall communications program.
The other thing I learned from my newsletter client is that I was on to the right business model. My philosophy with a corporate account like his was that I could help to define the PR program, develop the tools, and train the people on staff who would take the program and run with it. I was, essentially, working myself out of a job. It was my client who first pointed it out, in fact: with respect, he saluted my choice, and said that it was a business approach that would resonate particularly well in the high-tech consulting world, where I hoped to parlay our work together into some referrals.
Careerbridge
The early and mid 1990s were an exciting time to be in communications – and working with technology clients allowed me access to some pretty cool tools, too. In addition to embracing hardware innovations like Palm Pilots and cell phones, I couldn’t wait to take advantage of e-mail and the internet, which was absolutely revolutionizing the world for communicators.
I joined Careerbridge Corporation when my teaching career and my high-tech consulting business were competing for my attention. As the PR director for this new high-tech startup, I was charged with getting trade media excited about a new web-based recruiting software – a precursor to Monster.com. With free resume posting and job browsing available to a large and talented pool of high-tech workers, Careerbridge was able to attract employers like Nortel, Mitel, Newbridge and many others to subscribe to a dedicated, focused recruitment portal that even allowed for “virtual interviewing” via webconference. It was a very exciting story to tell.
As we were putting together our case study newsletter and media kit, I was looking for a catchy headline. I was doodling (as I often do)…. “e-mail”, “e-commerce”, hmmmm, how about “e-cruiting”? Ultimately, the slogan ended up lasting longer than the company. Shortly after I was laid off (once again, to save budget), they sold the company and, like many tech startups, the principals made their bang and moved on. My legacy? A great coffee cup, a nice denim shirt, my first front page story in the Globe’s financial section, and "e-cruiting", a very cool slogan you’re just going to have to take my word that I created. And along the way, I gained a very useful education in the world of high tech.
the Government of Canada
Now these high-tech clients were all very well – high-strung, high-maintenance, but high-return, too. However, for an Ottawa practitioner, the brass ring in consulting is landing that first government contract. This was my next goal – and in 1999, I was hired to lead communications for a Y2k project. My client, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), had to test and verify that all of the federal office buildings were Y2k "compliant", and their systems wouldn’t fail when the clock ticked over on January 1st, 2000. My job was to communicate with some 28 other federal departments, the building management industry, and our Minister's office on the state of our preparations.
The Y2k project was intense, and driven by an immovable deadline – and in retrospect, it taught me nothing useful about how government manages its deadlines! Frankly, following Y2k, I don’t think I witnessed another deadline which didn’t move like a leaf in the breeze… but nevertheless, my foot was in the door, and my relationship with the feds was born. The excellent contacts and working networks I built across government to support our Y2k program stood me in good stead as I competed for and won another contract to lead communications for employee and industry relations for a departmental renewal initiative.
Eventually, as the contracting dollars began to shrink, I had the opportunity to join the public service through a competitive process. Since my time at the City of Nepean, I had been hooked on the idea of public service, and the promise of steady employment with Her Majesty was impossible to resist.
the 20th anniversary
It was stunning enough to witness the turn of the millennium – but to suddenly discover that it’s been 20 years since you started College is another shock. In 2004, we marked the 20th anniversary of the creation of the program with a reunion event.
The highlight of the night was the declaration by PR Program friend (and then-Mayor of Ottawa) Bob Chiarelli of “Claudine Wilson Day” in Ottawa. The declaration was in recognition of her leadership in the program, and its contributions to the community over the last 20 years.
It was at that point that I realized that we were building a legacy not only for the program, but for the community in which we live and work. At the time of the 20th anniversary, we had already raised close to $100,000 for various community charities, and were on our way to doubling that number.
Is it any wonder I am such a proud grad?
Service Canada
I had been at PWGSC for a few years when I caught wind of the Service Canada story. I was told that there was this crazy bunch of people trying to change how Canadians access their government services. Instead of having to bump around namelessly from jurisdiction to department to bureaucratic answering machine, they were proposing a “one-stop shop” for all government services.
My little practitioner’s heart just leapt. Now here was a cause I could get behind – a story I wanted to help tell! The organization was only a couple of months old, and they were still building their shop. Imagine my delight when I discovered that their DG of Communications was Jean Valin – not only an APR, but a Fellow of CPRS and former President of CPRS Ottawa. He took one look at my cover letter, saw Algonquin and “PR”, and I had an interview.
Now let me clarify something: it RARELY happens that way. Like my immovable Y2k deadline, government is only prompt when absolutely pressed. But Jean was pressed. I was qualified, so I deployed over. Within the first year, I had helped shape the corporate comms plan, produced a corporate video, a public awareness brochure, and witnessed the birth of a brilliant series of TV spots: the Service Canada Booth campaign. Like building a ballet had been, it was a wonderful experience to be part of the creation of something new - and you don't get those chances very often in government!
APR
Inspired by the opportunity to work with Jean, I decided it was time for me to pursue my accreditation as a PR practitioner. I looked across my last three years of work and saw the perfect case study: the customer relationship management program I had built for PWGWC.
Accreditation is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the recent graduate. It is, however, a wonderful opportunity for reflection on past accomplishments, and an excellent exercise for validating what you know.
My philosophy going into exam day was this: I’ve been in the business over two decades, and if I don’t know my stuff by now, I never will. I brought along a few of my favourite sources, but my main reference for the exam was my own body of work. In the final result, that seemed to be enough: I received the top written exam score, and the top national overall mark for that year. I received my APR at the national conference in Halifax, and was very proud to do so.
For even the most modest among you, I encourage your to give yourself this gift. It is credibility, recognition, and a little leg up over the “competition”. And it feels surprisingly nice to slip that pin into your lapel now and then.
celebrating 25 years... and beyond...
Our celebration of 25 years saw Algonquin PR Alumni gather for a champagne reception and gala dinner/dance. Of course, the event could only have been possible with the help of a small core of dedicated fellow grads, every one of whom demonstrates how connected we are to our College, to our program, and to our profession.
A strong theme for the celebration was “family” – and I can attest that, once you join the family of Algonquin PR students and graduates, you never leave. I am very much looking forward to celebrating the next 25 years with my Ottawa PR family.
And I think the same can be said for our profession: once you've experienced the thrill of a solid PR campaign, you're hooked for life. Through organizations like the Canadian Public Relations Society, we build strong connections within and across our PR family, connections which only serve to make us more effective at what we do: change the world for the better.
I'm looking forward to welcoming my extended PR family to Ottawa in 2013 for Conversations2013. I hope that you will join us in celebrating our Passion for PR.
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