Mary Ellen Mark/Bravo

I have a confession to make and I don’t think I am alone. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that there are many people – specifically women who either a) are in PR or b) own their own businesses – who are suffering from the same affliction as I.

Hi. My name is Kim. And I am a Kelly Cutrone-a-holic.

I am not saying I am proud as I frantically program my DVR in both the living room and bedroom so as not to miss KELL ON EARTH every Monday night. Hey, you gotta have a back up plan, right?

What I am saying is that I, along with many others it seems, am intrigued. I mean, who is this woman, this publicist who dominates a largely male-ego-glamour driven fashion industry looking like she literally rolled out of bed?

Clad in signature black from head to toe, barking orders and dropping f-bombs in the office like it’s her job and making no apologies for it? Cracking me up as she announces to the camera that she’s had it – if people want to come learn from her years of experience, you know what? They are going to have to pay her.

All the while demonstrating a fierce passion for what she does and belief in her clients – until they try to skip out on paying her to which I say, AMEN sista.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s “reality” TV and I know that out of hundreds of hours of tape shot, our friends at Bravo pick the most drama-filled footage to air, orchestrating meltdowns of junior staffers and catching the tears as they roll down their stressed-to-the-max cheeks.

But, call me crazy, I think that we are seeing more reality out of Kelly Cutrone than perhaps any other reality TV star to date.

I think her love for fashion and her role in it is undeniable and while working in her offices looks like an exercise in torture, I think her no nonsense “go outside if you need to cry” attitude conceals a deep commitment to her team and desire to want to see them become their best. And not just for the success of her company, but for themselves.

While her rough around the edges approach can be jarring at times, the counterbalance of her home life and loving dedication to her young daughter – her softer side – is refreshing. Kick ass by day, cuddle up at night.

I admire her ability to separate the two decidedly different aspects of her life and as a working mom myself, I know this is no easy task. Although I wouldn’t particularly want to be on the receiving end of one of her rants, I do, to a certain degree, appreciate the openness with which she seemingly conducts her business.

There’s something to be said for raw honesty that lets you tell it like it is and then move on – not dwelling on an incident or wading through a pool of passive-aggressive nonsense. Taking peer humiliation to new heights is certainly not fitting for most company cultures, but admit it –  who hasn’t wanted to call out a co-worker for not doing their job every now and then? In. Front. Of. Everyone.

As Sarah and I were IM-ing yesterday about our new found love of the show, we laughed at how it has, in this office at least, spawned several new catchphrases to indicate impending wrath such as “I’m about to go Kelly Cutrone!” and my personal favorite for giving sage advice or assessing a problem, “What would Kelly Cutrone do (aka WWKCD)?”

It was a sad night last night without my fix of Kelly Cutrone (WTF Bravo?) but I’m already looking forward to next week’s episode. Is that so wrong?

Think Pink! Kim

Lately (and fortunately!) we have been spending a lot of time writing proposals and responding to RFPs. Our team always enjoys the process of brainstorming, researching and talking about potential new pieces of business and how we might be able to help them attain that next level of visibility and consumer awareness through media presence. Once we have a general game plan in place, it’s time to put pen to paper so to speak, and get our thoughts and ideas arranged in a proposal designed to showcase our  creative thinking in such a way that it screams, how can you NOT hire us?

But sometimes, despite our best efforts or how much we think we’d be the perfect fit for a piece of business, the prospective client chooses to go a different direction. This has recently gotten me thinking about how much is too much or too little information to include in proposals. How do you strike the elusive balance that gives the reader/decision maker enough insight into who you are, your experience, your track record and perhaps most importantly, your creative approach to their specific circumstances without giving away the farm?

It’s an ongoing challenge in an increasingly competitive landscape, so below we’ve outlined a few key things to keep in mind  to help find a happy medium between over and under sharing:

• Pay Attention to Detail – whether responding to an RFP issued by a company or meeting with a potential new client prior to delivering a proposal for consideration, pay close attention to the details they call out as most important to them in their selection criteria. Do they want to be able to speak to each and every media contact you have available as a reference? Ok, be sure to put in the contact information for those people.  Or is their primary concern knowing the specific backgrounds of each person who will be a part of their team? Well then, detailed team member bios are a must. Listen to them, read the RFP closely and include the information they want to know.

• Knowing is Half the Battle - when in doubt, ask the question. If you are not clear on something and have the ability to contact a representative of the business you are pitching to clarify a specific point, then DO SO. Taking an extra 5 minutes to craft an email or pick up the phone can save you and your team significant time and headache wondering if you “woulda-coulda-shoulda” included or omitted content and demonstrates to the potential client that you are thorough.

• Go with Your Gut – a proposal by nature is designed to give someone insight about your team’s ability to get the job done. With that comes the need to provide examples of past successes and display creative thinking in relation to their specific needs/sets of challenges. It’s not about outlining an entire PR plan and strategy for them (at least it shouldn’t be at the proposal stage). Assess the need for in depth “intellectual property” on a case by case basis and provide as you feel is appropriate.

• Be Succinct – regardless of how much or how little information you deem important to include, each of the points, paragraphs, sections, etc. should be presented in an easy to read, succinct fashion. Let’s face it, as interesting as I’m sure you and your company are, very few people take the time to comb through a 30-page document these days and including a lot of “filler” information can easily dilute the most important points in your proposal.

• Two Sets of Eyes - always have another person read your proposal before sending it out to the potential client. It’s just a good rule of life. Often, when you’ve been staring cross-eyed at a computer screen for hours on end trying to find that perfect balance of information, being “so close” to the document inevitably means you’ve missed a spelling error or inadvertently left out an important point that is imperative to include. Do yourself a favor and have someone you trust edit the document for you.

• Communicate – lastly, if the potential client does decide to “go another direction,” and you feel that the rapport you initially established with your contact is solid, ask for feedback on why they made the decision they did. In polite conversation or in a follow up “thank you for considering us” email, asking them for brief insight into what may have been missing can be an excellent tool to help improve your proposal game with future opportunities.

The new business “dance” is always exciting, frustrating and gratifying at the same time. Fine tuning your proposal writing skills is a crucial step towards setting yourself apart from the pack by delivering insightful, creative and thoughtful suggestions that represent your team’s experience, passion and personality.

Think Pink! - Kim

Ahhh the glamorous life of a PR person (insert sarcasm)…

It’s true, sometimes doing our job means attending amazing parties, dining at fabulous restaurants and occasionally even rubbing shoulders with celebrities.

Often times, our JPR team has been responsible for planning these high profile events, not only working closely with our clients to make sure everything is seamless, but with the talent as well to negotiate typical PR-ish logistics including photos, interviews, etc. Because of the types of clients we serve, our team has become quite adept at dealing with the various challenges associated with Hollywood-types. Not much surprises us anymore, however, as many times as we do celebrity-driven events, seeing the fruits of our labor result in fantastic media placements for our clients is ALWAYS a thrill.

But truly, nothing could have had prepared us for this.

Perhaps you’ve heard of a little MTV show that has become quite popular these days called Jersey Shore?

Or maybe you’re even guilty of a FIST PUMP! or two while dancing at a club or using Bumpits! to get that poof picture perfect? Come on. You KNOW it’s your guilty pleasure.

I digress.

Last weekend, Mike “The Situation” from the wildly popular show paid a visit to our client Stingaree. And WOW. Just WOW.

Jessica and Lauren took one for the team and took Mr. Situation and his manager to dinner at Ra and then on to Stingaree where he danced in the go-go cage, drank and seemed to have a good time. He dutifully posed for pictures. And, strangely enough, was approached by more guys than girls – throwing “high fives” and FIST PUMPS! aplenty. It was a good night and fun was had by all.

Seasoned as we are in dealing with “15 Minutes of Fame-types,” even we were shocked at the fascination the press has with this kid. And vice versa. It honestly blew our minds. Don’t get me wrong. He was a decent guy. Affected? Yes. Punch-drunk with the taste of fame? Absolutely. But nice enough. And most importantly to us, he honored his appearance contract with minimal gripe, unlike past celeb visitors we have encountered (cough* cough* Jamie Foxx). Don’t even get Jessica started – we have photo evidence.

And as the post-party hits kept rolling in on Monday morning – People Magazine, Us Magazine, Star Magazine – we all sat in the office, looked at each other and giggled.

We knew we had done a great job for our client, but had to laugh at the absurdity that is the job we love sometimes.

“As JPR continues to expand nationally, it’s essential to have a core team of talented PR professionals with an in depth understanding of the hospitality and lifestyle arenas,” said Founding Partner Kim Julin Guyader.  “Both Katherine and Lauren possess the leadership skills necessary to implement buzz-worthy local, regional and national public relations campaigns that will ultimately effect our client’s bottom line by securing the top tier media placements that most important to their growth.”

As PR Manager, Randall brings more than eight years of agency, in-house, and start-up experience in strategic positioning and branding for companies across the lifestyle industry spectrum. At JPR, she will work with each team member to manage day-to-day account activities, oversee publicity campaigns on all accounts and collaborate with the founding and managing partners to support the growth of JPR. Randall will also direct campaigns for a variety of clients, including Davis Ink, 5^th and Market Restaurant Project, celebrity Chef Brian Malarkey, Stingaree, Hold it Contemporary Home, Evofem Inc, formerly Instead Inc., and Cosmoderm Technologies.

Newly appointed as Account Supervisor, Clifford’s role within the agency will expand to include enhanced strategic leadership and management functions, including mentorship for JPR’s publicist. In her day-to-day client work, her focus remains on JPR’s nightlife clients such as Fluxx, Side Bar, W Hotel San Diego, Voyeur, and Eclipse at Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort. Clifford has been with JPR for nearly three years.

This year, Jamie and I really wanted to do something as a company to help make some else’s holidays special. We decided to adopt a family and give them the wonderful Christmas they may otherwise not be able to enjoy.

We worked with a lovely woman named Syliva at Dress For Success here in San Diego and were assigned a family of six. Single mother, 5 kids. But this family had an especially heartbreaking story. Earlier in the year, the mother and her youngest child, a sweet one year old little boy, underwent an extremely risky surgery wherein the mother donated a portion of her liver to her little baby in order to save him from a rare, life-threatening condition he was born with.

Fortunately, the surgery was successful, but for this loving mother of 5, the intensive recovery period kept her from working for months and although they were able to keep a roof over their heads and she has been able to recently go back to work, they remain in dire financial circumstances.

On Saturday morning, we had the profound privilege of being able to deliver our family’s Christmas to them in person at their home. To say it was a humbling experience is an understatement.

So sweet, loving, grateful and honest they were. As we brought in bag after bag of gifts and household necessities, the mother told us about their year, showing us the matching scars stretching across the abdomens of her and her little boy that will forever remind them of the challenges they faced and survived together. The older kids, ages 18, 12, 5 and 4 playing nearby – so sweet and well behaved. So…happy.

Not just happy because of what they were getting. They were happy with what they already had before we ever showed up. Each other and love. Love you could feel the minute you walked into the tiny apartment they all share.

And boy, did that put things into perspective.

From our JPR family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with moments and experiences to treasure with your loved ones. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year. xoxo

This web site has been a labor of love/hate – a long time in the making fueled by many (so many) discussions about where JPR is going and how we want to look on our way there.

Just like so many PR, marketing and advertising firms do, we have been so busy doing great work promoting our clients that we let ourselves go a bit. We were in desperate need of a facelift, a little “me” time if you will and decided that we had waited long enough.

So now, as summer begins to transition into fall, we are starting off the season refreshed and re-energized from the inside out. Our amazing web team at Digitaria took all of our needs, wants and wishes and combined them into a site that we think looks good on us.

We hope you do too and that you’ll check back regularly for blog postings, client news and JPR updates.

And remember: don’t let the pink fool you…