a point of reference…

desktop publishing? e-mail? digital cameras? are you kidding me? the ‘80s in 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
• splicing audio tape

Our beloved E block – now a parking lot on Woodroffe campus – was 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.

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 our funds for our first fundraiser – for St. Brigit’s Soup Kitchen – by hosting an on-campus pub at Bert's Bar (now the Ob). 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, Ron Nieman -- 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 – and a few budding TV stars were born!

I’d love to show you the video, but youtube wants to strip out the soundtrack as we used a few copyrighted songs (I guess you'll have to come to our reunion to see it!). 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…

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 followup 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!

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 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.

meeting Claudine Wilson

1984- In addition to writing the usual entrance exams on current events and writing ability, PR program founders Claudine Wilson and Robin Dorrell personally interviewed all of the first PR students (a 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, 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 hit it off immediately.

Claudine clearly and succinctly painted a picture of her vision of Public Relations' 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.

This was my calling - I had always been doing it, but had simply not known it had a name. I was over the moon when I got the phone call that I had passed the exams and had been accepted into the program. I've never looked back.

Of course, Claudine was to become my first mentor and one of my closest friends. I am so pleased - and feel honoured - to have shared these last 25 years with her. She has a cherished place in many of the stories I will be sharing on this blog over the next 24 days.

1984: it all begins

1984 (spring): 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. So was I a writer, then? An office manager? Wait – what’s this thing called “PR” I keep hearing about??

1984 (summer): as I continued to ponder what to do with myself, I stumbled across a program on Rogers Cable which profiled various professionals across the region talking about what they did. 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 lightbulb 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… Eureka! The Ottawa Citizen tells me about the creation of a new program at Algonquin College – and I know I’ve found my destiny!

25 days to celebrate 25 years

In 25 days - on September 19th - we will be getting together to celebrate the 25th birthday of Algonquin College's Public Relations Program. As a member of the first graduating class, I have been looking forward to this event for several years now. Since graduating, I have stayed very close to the program, and have been grateful to have the chance to contribute as a member of the advisory committee, and as a teacher. I am a rabid fan and frequent client of the student-run agency, and have enjoyed dozens of Alumni events over the last couple of decades.

To mark my 25-day countdown to the 25th, I will be posting the story of my career in 25 little chapters. Tomorrow's chapter: finding PR...

thinking about "been_thinking"

I've been reading a lot of other blogs, and watching some very lively discussion about the place social media can and should be taking in our PR strategies. I think the stat that most intrigues me recently is that over 60% of users joining Twitter drop out of the race after six months. I consider myself the poster child for the "what could people actually care about me puttering in the garden, for heaven's sake?" movement.

But as a business and a PR tool, it is right on the money - allowing us another way to keep people updated on projects and event plans in real time. Just as fax machines, PCs, e-mail and the internet have moved us closer together, now we seem to have the ability to be in each other's pockets 24 hours a day.

What a new world.

I am slowly adapting to social media - and continue to hope that the things I do will, at times, be of interest to other people.

promise

what an inspiring day.
the energy, the sunshine, and the vision.
such clarity of vision.
I can't wait to hear more. And I am daring to believe it just might be the start of a brand new day for America.
How incredible to be sharing this. I can only imagine it being like this when they elected JFK. It took a few years, mind you, but then along came Pierre...
dare we hope for a Canadian Renaissance?
I do.

An inauguration wish

Is it possible that we can all catch this wave and ride it to true transformation?
Can we really learn to rise above and look for the common good?
Will we as Canadians look for an opportunity to learn from what we're seeing?
Are going to jump on the bandwagon?
Gosh, I hope so...

welcome, Mr. Obama. Let's get on with it...

trying to understand

I received the awful news today that my best friend killed herself last week.
This was the woman who could - and would - talk me in off the ledge under any circumstance.
She was my maid of honour, and my cheerleader.
And somehow, I missed it.

All I can think is: how sad I am that she got so sad. So sad she couldn't call me. Like she always would - so I could return the favour. Like I always would. That was what we did for each other.

Oh, my darling Meggie, what happened?
I'm trying to understand...

Halifax Star Sightings...

The folks in Halifax certainly put together a star-studded event from a professional perspective - speakers such as Max Valiquette and Len Brody alone are enough to excite the practitioner in me.

But the welcome put on by Ron James had us laughing and charmed, ready to embrace our Maritime experience. In typical Canadian style, he wrapped his show and stepped out to man his own merchandise stand, selling and autographing DVDs for dozens of us gawkers. I only wondered how he got the handy little Swiss Army knife he used to open the cellophane wrapping through airport security.

The rest of the week was buoyed with maritime energy, and I bobbed and drifted from one interesting conversation to the next, soaking it up like a sponge. So many brains to pick, so little time...

As I sat in the hotel lobby waiting for the airport shuttle to head home, I spotted a man at the ATM: Terry David Mulligan. Now I’ve been a fan of his for 30 years - he was, in fact, one of my first celebrity crushes - so before I could stop myself, I blurted “oh my God, you’re Terry David Mulligan!” He smiled, reached out his hand, and said “yes, I am”. (what a dork I am! call myself a communicator and that’s all I can muster?)

Pulling myself together, I quip “you’re my first celebrity sighting in Halifax!” I’m treated with that lovely, patient smile and he says “well, stick around for a minute and you just might have another.”

He finds his group and shepherds them through the checkout, as a van - which I had already mistaken for the airport shuttle, much to the amusement of the driver - waited outside. They turn for the doors and TDM comes over to me asking “what’s your name?” Next thing I know, he touches the shoulder of his ball-capped companion and says to him, “Jay, I’d like you to meet Lea. Lea, meet Jay Priestley”....

My 47-year-old brain slowly processes this - and perhaps he saw this on my face, I’ll never know - but I finally realized this is the much-ballyhooed 90210 alum, travelling with his family (who were that moment being ushered into their van). I am sure I expressed the appropriate amount of star-struckedness, having regained my composure a little, we said our goodbyes and they were quickly on their way - TDM flashing me a final little wave.

To tell you the honest truth, it’s meeting Terry David Mulligan which had me most psyched out of that whole encounter. And the tremendous grace he showed throughout was just one final master class in great PR which I was lucky enough to have all to myself to cap off my wonderful visit to Halifax.

CPRS National Conference

I am writing from beautiful downtown Halifax - where I have been attending the annual Canadian Public Relations Society national conference. What a tremendous city - and what a tremendous effort, organizing three days of professional development and social activities for 400+ public relations practitioners from across the country.

I had the chance to spend time getting to know people from Vancouver, the Yukon, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec, and of course from the Atlantic provinces, as well as meeting (and re-meeting) a strong contingent of Ontario and Ottawa colleagues. Every one of them has inspired me, and demonstrates the best qualities of PR professionalism. I am coming home with new ideas to explore, and a renewed sense of passion for my work.

A very, very special moment this evening was the celebration of this year's Mentor of the Year: my own personal PR mentor, Claudine Wilson. I have known her for 24 years, and she has become one of my dearest friends. She has shepherded close to 25 years' worth of graduates as they have gone through the program, and gone on to become stars in our profession. I am very proud to count myself among that number and must say (cliché or no) that I would not be where I am today without her. 

Finally, it was very nice to be presented with my APR in front of 400 of my peers, and to hear their genuine and elaborate praise for my own accomplishment over this last year. 

I recommend membership in CPRS to anyone in this profession. And I most fervently recommend to anyone who has not been to Halifax to get themselves out here ASAP! What a delightful city.

reconnecting

Love it or hate it (again) - blasted "technology"! 

It's made even worse when you crave it and can't get to it...

let me explain ... I have been locked out of my blog for months, caught in a silly technical sinkhole of forgotten passwords, "upgrading" interfaces, and job changes. I was able to get my satisfaction from blogging at H&K while I was there, but since I have returned to Service Canada, I have effectively been locked out of two blogs. (and of course, as a public servant, I am unable to access social media from behind the Fire Wall... but that's another subject!)

At any rate, with much relief, I finally figured out how to get back into this blog tonight, and look forward to sharing a whole lot of thoughts on ICT, the life of a bureaucrat, and on the profession of public relations. But first, to fill in some of the gaps in my narrative, here are some thoughts forged in the crucible of my adventures at Hill and Knowlton... http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/blogs/leawerthman/default.aspx

If those knobs on Global had just listened to Mr. Rae's comments in French, they would understand:
"It is not the place of the man who came third to decide who comes first".
At least, that's what I heard.
No one was doing simultaneous translation, and I could actually hear it for myself. I thought it was perfect.
Later, the cameras caught Ignatieff quieting his workers to give his old room mate and lifelong friend the space he needed to speak to his people.

I loved seeing two gentlemen practice politics.

My Aunt Lorraine has been trying to tell me for years that I need to learn to speak French, yes; but she hopes more than anything that I come to see how beautiful, graceful, and gracious a language it is. She wants me to come to love it as she does. To open my mind, and my world, to our French-Canadian culture and heritage. To open my heart to a big part of what makes me who I am.

Seeing someone like Bob Rae say such a beautiful thing in French inspires me. And I hope he said it to someone, somewhere, in English as well...

l'avenir...

I don't even know if I've spelled it correctly; imagine having Russian as your third language.
He reminds me of my beloved Aunt Lorraine.
that's a very good thing...

no rehearsals, please...

... a little Jimmy Stewart, (my PR practitioner was screaming "stop with the Mr. Smith, already...!"), but very sincere. He needs to stop licking his lips so much...
I certainly believe his sincerity.

Justin speaks...

...I miss his father. Justin learned very well from him, didn't he?
Gerard, on the other hand, left me a little flat. Nice words, not much content.
Pretty presumptuous "heir to the throne" stuff...
the plot thickens.

the intersection of the People and the Planet...

economic prosperity and social justice...
the People and the Planet...
yes, the core of Who We Are as Liberals...
how lovely was Stéphane Dion...?
...
this is going to be a very interesting evening...

hammer time

now the fun begins.
We have tons and tons of footage -- great stuff, people genuinely sharing their stories with us, beautifully photographed and ready for the cutting room...

The fun part is shaping those stories; tightening up the sound bites, coming up with that clever transition... the good stuff. I have to let the consultants earn their money, though -- and focus on the bigger picture: how will we make the most of this opportunity? These stories are so compelling, it's essential we use them well, wisely, and with a long-term strategy in place.

The possibilities are endless, of course: training aids, orientation materials, public and media relations, publishing ad nauseum, etc. etc.

The fun stuff!

inspiration

... just got home from Friendly Manitoba.

On this leg of our tour, we visited some very small towns. Needless to say, when we showed up with our camera and lights, we caused quite a stir in little Carberry, Manitoba. People mostly watched from their shop windows, but the ladies still slipped down the sidewalk to their hairdressing appointments... I briefed a few of them, whose shops I visited - so they will have the inside track tomorrow over coffee. No one from the local newspaper showed up, but I expect that the news of our visit will spread just the same.

My job is to ensure we capture testimonials from the people we are visiting: we need to hear how people are responding to Service Canada's presence in the community, who is partnering with us to make it happen, and most of all, we are hearing from some wonderful staff who sincerely, passionately believe in what we are doing with the Service Canada approach.

I truly believe in what we are doing, and feel so grateful to have had the chance to help to tell this story. This is the stuff that gets me up in the morning.

And in that respect, again, I count my blessings: how many people get the chance to work with passionate people, doing work they love, and actually make a positive difference in people's lives along the way?

So far, we've had over 20 interviews over the last nine days! We're working long, long hours, but I feel like I'm back birthing a ballet again. When I was Communications Director for Ottawa Ballet -- with Frank Augustyn as our Artistic Director -- we launched several original works, the most important of which was an adaptation of HCAndersen's Tin Soldier....it was six months of very hard work, but when the time finally arrived, I wept all the way through the full dress rehearsal.

There is nothing -- nothing -- like the joy that comes from creating art.

On this project, I'm getting the chance to tell some great stories, which will help a very large and worthy organization galvanize and feel both valued and appreciated. It will have a significant impact on a lot of people, in a lot of very positive ways: we can use footage for training videos, instructional packages, in our internal newsletter, the list goes on and on...

These days, it's good to be a public servant. Good to be part of Service Canada. Good to be alive!