Spin Sucks » Fads

Arment Dietrich Accomplishments

Molli Megasko — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:00:27 +0000

Today’s guest post is by Molli Megasko.

It’s Facebook question of the week time.

I hope I don’t disappoint anyone, but I’m replacing Gini Dietrich this week. She asked me to help her out as she actually is taking some vacation days, believe it or not.

Her question to me was…

“Molli, you’ve worked at Arment Dietrich for nearly six years. During those six years, what are the top three accomplishments you’ve seen the firm achieve?”

Now, I could have taken a funny angle on this (getting a security camera after we were robbed in 2006, allowing Jack Bauer in the office on days of interviews so we can laugh and watch people squirm, or maybe I’d just name the year 2008 because that is the time when Peapod delivered all our favorite cereals), but given the holidays I decided to take it seriously.

We’ve been through a lot, as I’m sure most start-ups have. I think between all our moves, I’ve sat at six desks, gone through one too many computers, and have made some long-term friends. Six years does not seem like a long time, but in terms of small businesses it’s like dog years.

The video below shows what I think our best accomplishments have been since I started here. I tried to make them as least cheesy as possible, but you might want to break out the wine.

Also, please note that I am more of a behind-the-scenes-kind-of-girl, so no making fun of my nervousness in the video, deal? (And sorry Gini, Lucy was sleeping and as you know she’s like a child. And you never wake a sleeping baby. I let her sleep so there is no appearance of my beautiful, destructive beagle in the video.)

Have a great New Year’s and we’ll see you next week when we go back to the normal Facebook question of the week with Gini.

And don’t forget…if you have a question for us, head over to our Facebook wall and leave it on the wall there.

In the Midwest? Get Involved Locally with HAPPO

Gini Dietrich — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:50:29 +0000

Last January I had to make a really tough decision – keep people employed for a few more months and close the business or lay them off right then and save the business. Then (last year sucked), when we realized the business model was completely changing, I had to make another hard decision: Keep people who I really liked having around or let them go so we could hire experts in digital communication.

For those of you who’ve been laid off, you likely don’t care what your boss went through before he or she made the decision to let you go, so I won’t belabor the point, but it’s not an easy thing to do.

I am much too emotionally involved with my colleagues. My Vistage group always tells me it’s business, not personal, and I have to distance myself so I can make the hard decisions without emotion. That’s like them telling me I can’t eat gelato anymore because it’s bad for me (so what if it is – it’s good!). It’s not in my DNA to not get emotionally attached so I make decisions that affect people much later than I should.

That’s why, when Arik and Valerie asked if I wanted to help with Help A PR Pro Out, or HAPPO, I jumped at the opportunity. Now I can help some of those I had to lay off last year, the pros I’ve met online who need jobs, and even strangers.

If you’ve missed the hub-bub around HAPPO, click on the link above, or visit last Friday’s FADS post about it. You can also fan HAPPO on Facebook and/or follow on Twitter.

I have heard from A LOT of companies and agencies already and I’ve heard from some of you who are looking for jobs, or looking to move to Chicago.

Let’s keep the momentum going.

* If you have job openings, comment here with a way for me to reach you before next Friday.

* If you are looking for a job, write a creative blog post about why you should be hired and post the link in the comments section here.

* If you are neither but want to spread the message, please let your communities know about this blog post, the HAPPO blog, and the champions below so we can all help.

* If you work for a company that provides services to communication professionals (i.e. Cision, Vocus, PCC, IABC, PRSA, Radian6, Alterian, Spiral16, MatchPoint, etc.) and you want to donate something to the cause, comment below and let me know how I can reach you in the next week.

* And, if you’re not in the Midwest, make sure to connect with a HAPPO champion in your area…or let me know if you’d like an introduction:

Jeremy Porter (Atlanta)
Kellye Crane (Atlanta)
Doug Haslam (Boston)
Jennifer Wilbur (Southern CA)
Lauren Fernandez (Dallas/Fort Worth)
Richie Escovedo (Dallas/Fort Worth)
Justin Goldsborough (Kansas City)
Arik Hanson (Minneapolis/ St. Paul)
PR Cog (New York Metro)
Deidre Breakenridge (New York Metro)
Valerie Simon (New York Metro)
Heather Whaling (Ohio)
Adrienne Biggs (San Francisco)
Danny Brown (Toronto)
Mike Schaffer (Washington, DC)

Crowdsourcing the FADS Blog Content

Gini Dietrich — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:06:50 +0000

Last night I went to write today’s blog post and ended up with writer’s block. As I told Nancy Myrland, the only thing I really wanted to do is snuggle in my flannel sheets with the down comforter and the remote control.

Instead, however, I asked my Twitter friends what they would like me to write about and I got some great ideas!

* Brad Farris suggested how to feel like you’re in control of the business while traveling.

* From Bruce Smith: Trust.

* Scott Yurashek had an attention-grabbing idea: How the lack of public commentary has been lacking and how social media has made it interesting again.

* Troy Costlowhttp recommended how the intended message can’t be directly stated modestly.

* Several people suggested I write about how to get past writer’s block, which I guess I’m kind of doing by writing this blog post, even though I called them all smarty pants.

* And, God love her, Nancy tried to create a topic out of my wanting to veg out.

All of these are great ideas and you’ll see them as blog posts in the next few days. But this made me think…what would YOU like to see me write about?

* What kinds of conversations do you want to join?
* Is there someone you’d like me to interview?
* Is there anything you’ve always wanted to ask a CEO?
* Is there anything you’ve always wanted to ask a business owner?
* Is there anything you don’t understand about social media and need help?

The parameters are to stay within the PR industry, social media, or what it’s like to run a business.

If your idea is chosen as one of the blog posts, you’ll receive about 30 seconds of fame. And a fun surprise (which means I haven’t yet figured out what it is).

The September 25 #FollowFriday

Gini Dietrich — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:50:08 +0000

I’ve been a bit lazy on the #FollowFriday blogs the past couple of weeks…mostly because my travel schedule is insane and it’s usually mid-afternoon (like it is now) before I’ve been able to get to it. BUT…enough excuses! I have some new and old Twitter friends to introduce you to today.

@3HatsComm I actually met Davina first when she commented on FADS, which drove me to her Web site and to find her on Twitter. She’s a PR pro in Atlanta and writes a really smart blog about the industry and the changes social media is forcing. She recently talked about trying to ride the coattails of social media giants and link bait, and what it means to our industry. She’s a smart one!

@Kuru_Footwear I don’t remember how I initially came across Nate on Twitter, but we quickly became friends because he lives in my homestate of Utah. He helps run an active shoe company, which was founded by his college buddy. We have great discussions about running a business because he experiences a lot of the growing pains we go through. If you follow him, offer a congrats – he and his wife are expecting their first baby!

@nicklucido I met Nick through PRSA, when he was in Chicago doing a tour of agencies. He’s a senior at Michigan State, but did his internship at Edelman this summer. The thing I like most about him is he’s not afraid to connect with PR leaders and he’s a great networker. He once asked me how PR students can get ahead and I told him to use social media to connect with the right people. He said, “I’m going to tell our PRSSA chapter!” I have no doubt he did.

@jennifervides I recently met Jennifer and quickly connected with her because she’s as crazy about football as me (though she’s college and I’m NFL). She told me she didn’t really have a NFL team so I’ve recruited a new Bears fan! She even sent me a TwitPic of her son wearing a Bears shirt. YAY! After I met her, I was stalking her online, reading her blog. She has this amazing post about how much she loves her kid. Check it out here. I dare you not to be inspired by it.

@zoeyjordan My recommendation for Zoey is long overdue. I met her through @jeffmello because she and @shandrab were calling him the Lemon and I thought that was really funny! Since then I’ve learned that Zoey is an amazing writer who gives of her talent willingly and graciously. Everytime I hear her name it’s because someone is singing her praises.

@shandrab Shandra is the founder of Shea-Noel, THE interior design firm in the South. She is wicked creative and her mantra is to give people a better place to live because of both her humor and her design work. You have to check out her Web site to discover where the name of the company originated.

@Ted_Striker32 I met Ted because he, too, is a Bears fan! He helped support me on NFL opening day when the Bears lost and I lost $50 to the Vegas line. Don’t let his enthusiasm for the Bears and Cubs fool you though. This man is going to change the world…literally all by himself.

@GRIPCOMMPR My first recollection of Greg is when his dad fell ill and he went to spend many weeks in Florida with him, until he was well enough to take care of himself. Since then I’ve learned that he is strong in the franchise PR world and that he thinks about new business the same way as me. What I like most about him, though, is his self-depracating humor.

Past #FollowFriday recommendations:

July 3 (which is a culmination of the previous five weeks)

For an easy way to follow everyone here, plus those on earlier lists, you can copy and paste the Twitter handles into NinjaFollow.