Oklahoma State graduate Darcy Koch has joined J.O. as a public relations account
executive. She comes to the marketing agency from Casa Mañana, where for the last four years as PR/marketing director she developed and
implemented concepts for both the Broadway and Children’s Theatre seasons. Before Casa Mañana, Koch interned at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and at American
Airlines.
Dan Halyburton, above, vice president of innovation at McVay New Media, and Phil Beckman, partners in
education specialist at Northwest ISD, spoke at the January PRSA meeting about
their experiences as public affairs volunteers with the Red Cross while
deployed in support of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Also at the meeting were
chapter president Chris Smith, far left, and programs VP Michelle Clark.
Malinda Mason Miller will address thriving in a work environment that is anything but inviting at
the Thursday, Feb. 26, DFW Freelance Alliance brown bag lunch: “How to Deal with a Toxic Workplace.” Miller is president of EmCubed, where she assists nonprofit and socially
conscious for-profit organizations. Cost is free to AWC, IABC and PRSA members,
$10 otherwise. Registration begins at 11:30, with the program from noon to 1
p.m. at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, 10707 Preston Road. More from Richard Buse, busewrites@sbcglobal.net.
IABC local update: Dallas-based social media authority Eve Mayer, CEO of Social Media Delivered, will discuss her specialty (social media!) at
the IABC Dallas meeting Tuesday, Feb. 12. Info here.
PRSA local update: TCU Career Services adviser Mary Beth Grayson will offer an overview of the value of networking at the first installment in
the 2013 PRSA After Hours series, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the
unforgettably named Rodeo Goat at Bledsoe and Currie streets in Fort Worth.
After her talk, you get to practice those new networking skills. Five dollars
at the door (no credit cards) covers appetizers and snacks, and it’s happy hour at the cash bar until 7. RSVP by Feb. 18 to l.albert@tcu.edu.
PRSA local update II: The Greater Fort Worth PRSA board wants to hear from you. Chapter members should
send news items to Rebekah Moore at rebekah@gfwar.org and Chip Hanna, chip@balcomagency.com, for inclusion on the website and social media sites. At least a two-week
notice is preferred. Even if the event is a month away and the particulars have
yet to be determined, still send it. Details can be added as the date draws
nigh.
PRSA local update III: This Month in PR/Marketing History (by Jeff Rodriguez). Now that's verbosity. On Feb. 1, 1884, the Oxford English Dictionary debuted. After nearly 30 years of work, the OED
was an attempt to contain every English word from the second century on. Punk’d, synergy, Googled and LOL did not exist, which would have made for better
reading, and a briefing was neither done nor worn. The dictionary today
contains some 59 million words, roughly the same number as the typical American
teen texts each week. • Blame it on the publicist. On Feb. 22, 1990, the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded the Grammy for Best New
Artist to, um, Milli Vanilli. The Vanillies (Rob Pilatus, Fab Morvan) topped a strong field, including Neneh Cherry, the Indigo Girls, Soul II Soul and the monster talent Tone Lōc. (Anyone for some funky cold Medina?) Alas, their producer revealed a few months later that Pilatus and Morvan were
just two pretty faces and that their Grammy-caressed songs had been sung by
other performers. The academy withdrew the Grammy and a few days later launched
an investigation into the Archies. • Now in syndication only: He was a pioneer in the culture of celebrity, an
enormously influential radio host and every celebrity's worst nightmare. Walter Winchell, the inventor of the modern gossip column, died Feb. 20, 1972. His career began by his posting notes about his acting troupe on backstage
bulletin boards, but he would take celebrity reporting to new heights (depths).
He often wrote embarrassing news about people in entertainment, society and the
government, in the process making (breaking) more than one person's career. He
also was a one-man do-it-yourself urban dictionary, incessantly creating
catchphrases. To "sizzle for" meant to be romantically involved, while to
"middle aisle it" meant to get married. A "Winchellism" came to be either a new
slang term or an attack on someone's character. Despite his prominence,
Winchell’s later years were marked by professional and personal setbacks, and he died a
recluse. Not a single celebrity attended his funeral. The publicists all had
something to do that day, too.
PRSA local update IV: Standing reminders. Note several improved features on the DFW Communicators Job Bank. A job listing can now be created, edited and removed directly on the site, and
page view counts show the level of interest. And job seekers can now push
alerts for specific keywords to their personal e-mails. The job bank lists
full-time, part-time and internship positions in PR, media affairs,
advertising/sales, event planning, graphic design, marketing, and corporate and
employee communications throughout North Texas. Employers who are members of
the participating organizations may post a job for $75; the cost for nonmembers
is $100, for nonprofits $50. Each posting runs a month. Greater Fort Worth PRSA
receives a portion of the proceeds when a member marks his or her membership
status on the submission form. More from
Jerrod Resweber, GFW PRSA job bank chair, at jresweber@webershandwick.com or 469-375-0216.
PRSA local update V: Huddle Productions CEO Chris Yates has done video campaigns for Budweiser, Verizon, Michaels Stores, Gold's Gym
and local DFW businesses, and he will lead an interactive Dallas PRSA meeting
Thursday, Feb. 14, on what types of video content work best and how to create
media attention for businesses and brands. Info here.
