Speakeasy Archives - Page 2 of 3

Mike Rogoway Covers Oregon’s Growing Game Industry [Next Speakeasy]

January 27, 2016/in AM:PM PR, News, Speakeasy /by Mike Phillips

Next Speakeasy – February 3, 2016 – 4pm

A February 2015 Fortune article listed Oregon as the 8^th most successful state for video game development, based upon jobs and revenues. A November 2014 report released by the Entertainment Software Association showed Oregon’s game industry added $111 million dollars to the state economy and ranks 9th in the nation for video game industry employment.

Tech reporter, Mike Rogoway, discusses the Apple Watch launch with broadcast reporter, Jessica Greif, for the Oregonian.

What you’ll learn

The Oregonian’s Pulitzer-nominated reporter, Mike Rogoway, has been writing about the business of technology in the Portland area since 1998. He’ll offer his perspective on where Oregon’s video game industry is going and what role it plays in the Silicon Forest. He’ll also share what intrigues and what makes a compelling story as the Oregonian evolves into a more digital and interactive news source.

A quick primer before our event

Gamescom.

Our collective interest in gaming was piqued when AM:PM PR’s Mike Phillips attended gamescom in August of 2015. gamescom is a video game industry convention in Cologne, Germany that had 345,000 attendees during a four-day stretch. Mike wrote about it here and has since created a Meetup group to explore unique marketing and communications opportunities and challenges in the industry.

Seeing Stars.

At gamescom, Mike learned startling facts about the size of the booming industry. Did you know it is bigger than Hollywood? Even more surprising, there are people with Cheetos-stained fingertips making hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, playing video games and narrating them on YouTube. In an earlier blog he noted YouTube’s prominent stature in the industry.

Gaming Celebrities.

Check out this interview with YouTube gaming star PewDiePie who recently appeared on Stephen Colbert. Or don’t. He’s obnoxious to most people over the age of 12, but intriguing because he has 42 million followers on the platform and his videos have had 11,035,674,427 views. That’s a lot of advertising revenue.

Considering a career shift?

Here’s a YouTube video featuring some of the richest video gamers.

Including Gamers in you Marketing Strategy.

New marketing research from Google demonstrates why gamers should be a part of your audience strategy.

Keeping It Local.

Local gaming industry groups exist to support developers, artists, small businesses and discuss marketing strategy. One of the more active groups is the Portland Indie Gaming Squad (or PIGsquad). This weekend Portland hosts the Cartoon Network Indie Game Jam.

Game On.

Game On is the Oregon Game Organization’s annual celebration of games and new technology. This year, OGO and TAO have teamed up to offer an exclusive, curated discussion of gamification, virtual, and mixed reality. Their next event is Thursday, February 11th.

Please join us Wednesday, February 3rd at 4 p.m. at AM:PM PR, located at 2006 SE Clinton Street. Mike Rogoway has a hard stop at 5:00 p.m., so you’ll want to arrive on time to catch it all. Email mike(at)ampmpr(dot)com if you’d like to attend.

RSVP

Jerry Casey on The Oregonian and the State of the Newspaper Industry [PODCAST]

September 11, 2015/in AM:PM PR, News, Speakeasy, Tips /by Mike Phillips

The Oregonian’s Breaking News Manager on the Evolving Newsroom

The Oregonian’s manager of breaking news, Jerry Casey (@jjeremiahcasey), was our latest featured guest at AM:PM PR’s Speakeasy. Jerry provided some interesting insights from inside today’s newsroom and The Oregonian’s historic transformation. He correlated the evolution of news consumption with the shift in staff needs and pace of story production. Jerry recognized the impacts on the public relations industry and offered tips for pitching journalists with the new newsroom in mind. Hear Jerry’s observations from inside the The Oregonian newsroom and his take on the state of news media today on our first-ever Speakeasy with AM:PM PR podcast.

The Oregonian Today

Changes at the Oregonian have been a hot topic among journalists, ex-journalists and PR professionals over the past several years. Most recently, the paper announced the closure of its printing plant and plan to outsource. Over the last five years hundreds of Oregonian staff have been laid off leading people to wonder, what’s going on around there?

Without much context the layoffs can seem quite callous, but are these changes simply the result of new technologies and how today’s reader consumes news? Understanding how readers consume the news is another way that technology has altered the newspaper business – and new technologies give greater insight than ever before.

Clickbait, Quotas and Millennials

News site analytics show an increasing number of readers attracted by clickbait over hard-hitting reporting. This data effects the types of stories news organizations invest in.

How is The Oregonian adapting? Last year Willamette Week published a leaked email about new guidelines for Oregonian reporters that included rules for social media usage; how frequently they should be posting and how compensation will be related to readers.

That story fascinated us so we asked Jerry how it reflected changes in the newspaper business what the resulting cultural impact has had on older reporters in the newsroom. We also wondered how much the new guidelines were influenced by millennials joining the workforce.

Jerry differentiated between producing narratives and, simply, relaying information. In fact, he explained many stories “don’t need a narrative.” This is a useful point for those hoping to pitch stories to the media.

Pitching The Oregonian

Staff reductions, evolving reader interests and managements expectations of reporters have made pitching more difficult for public relations professionals. Jerry offered suggestions for pitching Oregonian staff, including starting with reporters you know, how to think about the story your pitching and what tactics to avoid.

About Jerry Casey

Jerry has worked as an editor in Portland since 1999. His diverse newspaper career includes stints in Virginia and Florida, in addition to Oregon. He’s been a copyeditor, business editor, city editor, bureau chief and The Oregonian‘s first online editor.

We hope you enjoy our inaugural Speakeasy with AM:PM PR podcast. In the future we hope to tap into our team of experts to discuss crisis communication, media relations, strategic communication and share more from our Speakeasy guests.

FORMER FEATURED GUESTS:

To join our Speakeasy group, click on the following Facebook hyperlink.

KGW’s Pat Dooris at AM:PM PR’s Speakeasy

Thanks for listening!

Next Speakeasy: Adapting to a 21st Century Newsroom

July 1, 2015/in AM:PM PR, Influence, News, Speakeasy, Tips /by Mike Phillips

What is it like to be a breaking news reporter in today’s fast-paced 24/7 news cycle? What draws their attention? Join us July 15th at 4 p.m. at AM:PM PR to get these questions answered by our next Speakeasy host — Jerry Casey — breaking news manager for The Oregonian. Changes to The Oregonian’s newsroom have been widely discussed. These major shifts have changed how Jerry reports and he’ll share what that means for those who work with media.

Jerry has worked as an editor in Portland since 1999. His diverse newspaper career includes stints in Virginia and Florida, in addition to Oregon. Jerry says that in his 25 year career as a journalist he’s been unable to hold one job without coveting another. He’s been a copyeditor, business editor, city editor, bureau chief and The Oregonian‘s first online editor — a role that shapes how stories are produced and consumed.

Most importantly, Jerry is the husband of another journalist and the father of two kids: Rosencrantz from the Jesuit High School production of “Hamlet” and the only left-handed pitcher/first baseman playing for the Padres in the Cedar Mill Little League.

We hope to see you for what will be a compelling and enjoyable Speakeasy featuring a remarkable journalist. Please RSVP with Mike if you plan to attend.

Beyond Pavlovian Behaviors: Social media Owns You

May 21, 2015/in AM:PM PR, Speakeasy /by Mike Phillips

What if you spent hours, days, weeks, months curating a perfectly branded social media profile, and one day it just disappeared with no explanation?

That was an intriguing story shared earlier this month at our Speakeasy event with Portland entrepreneur Marcus Harvey.

You may recognize Harvey as the successful entrepreneur behind Portland Gear and Creative|35 and curator of the @Portland Instagram handle. His fascinating story was first reported in detail at The Oregonian and the article inspired us to invite him in for the Speakeasy event.

Weeks after the event our team found we were still discussing the one story he shared that wasn’t an example of his remarkable success – his acquisition of the @LasVegas Instagram handle.

Harvey said that he followed the same strategy curating the Las Vegas account that he did in growing the @Portland handle (now with 102k followers). Once he identified and acquired @LasVegas, he began a regimented effort populating the account with carefully curated, branded content – exactly as he’d done with the Portland account.

Then one day he woke up and the @LasVegas account was gone.

He tried contacting customer service at Instagram, of which there is none. After various creative attempts to reclaim the account, including the use of an attorney, he gave up and resigned himself to the reality that @LasVegas was gone. He still doesn’t know exactly what happened, but surmised that it may have resulted from his effort to operate the account from a Portland IP address.

Regardless, it was a startling reminder that when it comes to social media, as professional content curators, we own nothing.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – all of them. They brought our social profiles into this world, and they can take us out of it.

Have you, dear reader, had any similar experiences with social media?

Marcus Harvey wearing Portland hat on bridge

Brilliance, luck, or both? Meet Portland clothing designer, entrepreneur and … genius?

April 28, 2015/in AM:PM PR, Cultivation, Frontpage Article, Speakeasy /by Mike Phillips

May 6th Speakeasy to Feature Marcus Harvey

Marcus Harvey surely hit a stroke of social media marketing genius when he snagged the @Portland handle on Instagram from its original owner, a man on the East Coast who used it to share the occasional photo of his daughter.

Recognizing Instagram’s increasing popularity among the millennial generation, Marcus then began systematically populating the account with popular imagery of Portland. He grew its following to 60,000 people before using it to launch his own Portland-themed clothing brand, Portland Gear. He generated $5,000 in sales from the account on its first day.

Please join us Wednesday, May 6th at 4 p.m. for our next Speakeasy featuring local Portland entrepreneur and clothing designer, Marcus Harvey.

RSVP

Marcus will share tales from his experience developing a social media-based community centered around Portland, plus how he recognized the opportunity with Instagram and how he’s continued to use the account to successfully promote Portland Gear.

Marcus’s other project is Creative|35, a Portland apparel business offering private labeling for clothing brands and related creative services including design, production and marketing. Marcus graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 with a degree in Digital Arts and Business, and is a 2008 graduate of Century High School in Hillsboro. Marcus’s story was featured by The Oregonian earlier this month.

Award-winning reporter Chris McGreal of The Guardian

Reporting Controversy and Creating It – Chris McGreal

March 4, 2015/in AM:PM PR, News, Speakeasy /by Mike Phillips

Guardian’s Chris McGreal Featured Guest at AM:PM PR’s Speakeasy

From Rwanda to Ferguson, The Guardian’s Chris McGreal, has been covering many of the world’s historic events for the past three decades. He’s won a series of awards for his coverage of Africa, Israel and the US and even published a book about the complicity of the Catholic Church in Rwanda’s genocide – Chaplains of the Militia. McGreal agreed to come share some is harrowing stories with the AM:PM PR Speakeasy guests and it was a hit.

McGreal is a member of the WARM Foundation – an organization “dedicated to war reporting and war art, as well as history and memories of war, and dedicated to the promotion of emerging talents and to education.”

Currently, McGreal is writing about the US from the Pacific NW for The Guardian. He is a former Washington correspondent and was previously posted in Johannesburg and in Jerusalem. Before joining The Guardian, McGreal was a BBC journalist in Central America and merchant seaman.

Racism, Government Secrets and Drugs – Stories with Impact

As part of the team reporting on WikiLeaks, McGreal’s work has been shared on sites across the world. In 2014, McGreal covered the Ferguson riots and tweeted the experience sharing gripping images from within the protests. This past December he wrote an analysis of the behind-the-scenes secrets of the US-Cuba deal. He has covered Oregon’s marijuana legalization and Portland’s own issue with police racism and this week wrote about Netanyahu’s speech to congress, calling it: “long on speech, short on terror.”

Many More Compelling Stories

McGreal wowed the Speakeasy crowd with stories about what he saw and learned covering violent political situations and the fallout he’s seen from his award-winning reports on volatile political issues. If you’re not already a regular reader of his articles, start now. You won’t be disappointed.

How to Successfully Pitch Media

November 19, 2014/in AM:PM PR, News, Speakeasy, Tips /by Allison McCormick

Media pitch tips from a veteran-TV reporter

KGW’s Pat Dooris spoke at AM:PM PR’s Speakeasy about what to expect if you have a story to pitch. These were his tips.

Only Pitch What’s Current.

“I don’t care about something happening in August when it’s February,” Pat says. “I need to fill a news hole today and tomorrow. Much farther out and it better be really good.”

Be Available Now.

“If you pitch me and I bite, you’d better be ready to go in 30 minutes,” Pat warns. “I’m not kidding. You have a short shelf life. If I can’t lock you in with that time amount I’m moving on to the next potential source or story. I have no time to waste and no option for no story tonight.”

Offer Compelling Humans.

“Every story needs real people that are affected by the issue we’re talking about. Whether it’s sewers or acupuncture or taxes or a mission to Mars, we need real people that will talk with us for our story – and yes, that means on camera!”

Make the Humans Available!

“I once had someone pitch me a ‘C’ level story. But on this particular day we were short of story ideas so a ‘C’ looked like an ‘A.’ I called back quickly, but they didn’t have anyone…not ANYONE who would go on camera,” Pat shared. “Not only did we dump that story and move to the next – I was pissed and never took another pitch from that person.”

What Gets Through

The number of people affected – Is it significant?
New news – Is this the first we’ve heard about it?
Stories with people willing to talk openly.
Good visuals i.e. video, compelling photos, infographics.
Compelling sounds.
Media trained experts.
The “What’s In It For Me?” (WIIFM) translation.
Something that runs counter to prevailing conceptions.
Something that reveals truth about ourselves.
Stories that involve emotion.
Stories that involve animals.

The 5 Biggest Influences.

Emotion
Number of people affected
Visuals
Sources available to go on camera
Good talkers

About Pat Dooris

Pat Dooris has worked in TV News for 29 years. He’s interviewed more than 29,000 people and done at least 17,000 live shots. He’s won awards including two Northwest Emmys along with awards from the Oregon Association of Broadcasters and even a National UPI award. Yep, United Press International. He’s been reporting that long. Pat is a reporter at KGW TV and a media coach who trains people and companies on how to respond to the press. Rather than ducking the media, he believes people and companies should embrace the chance to tell their story in powerful ways. Find out more about his services at PatDoorisMedia.com

Editor’s Note: While Pat’s tips are focused on pitching TV media, much of his advice works well for pitching any kind of media. So be wise, think ahead, and put yourself in the reporter’s shoes.

Whether as a speaker at a big event or a participant in a small meeting, we all have an audience.

Everyone Has an Audience

November 11, 2014/in AM:PM PR, Influence, Speakeasy, Tips /by ampmpr

How do you want your audience to perceive you?

Everyone has an audience. Do you know who your audiences are? What do you want them to learn from you? How can you influence them?

On Your Feet co-founder, artist and accidental movement starter, Gary Hirsch, got AM:PM PR’s Speakeasy guests pondering these questions and shared some ideas for influencing our most important audiences.

Gary and his partners have been hired by Intel, Disney, Nike, Apple, P&G, The British Ministry of Defense, a small band of Northern Californian Buddhist monks and so many other organizations to use improv to improve communication, leadership, idea generation, brand building, organizational development, and collaboration. He shared some of what he’s learned from these enviable experiences.

Learn by observing

You can learn a lot by observing audiences.

“I often go to plays and sit where I can inconspicuously see the audience’s reactions,” Gary said. “People behave completely differently than they would on their own. Audiences are an interesting and unique organism.”

Start paying attention to audiences of any size and try to understand what influences them. What catches and keeps their attention? What do they seem to want? Try shifting your perception away from the traditional audience/speaker relationship and to make the audience the focal point.

We’re all creators of content. We all have audiences. How can we make the most of those interactions? How can we ensure the impact we hope for?

Let go

Don’t be afraid others will steal your great ideas. Openly sharing your ideas and expertise can give you credibility and build your reputation.

“Letting go” helped shape Gary’s philosophy as an artist and professional communicator.

“It’s so easy for us to hoard information and ideas. We grasp on to the idea of intellectual property,” he said.

Gary had an epiphany with his Bot Joy, business. What started as a small totemic art project for On Your Feet clients grew into little bot armies hidden around cities across North America and Europe. Demand for these little bots grew with orders from fans and from more cities who wanted a little joy spread in their own region.

In order to grow and feed the demand he needed help. He decided to invite others to build their bot armies. He realized by letting go, the importance and impact of the Bots could outlive him.

Applying the creative principle of ‘letting go’ to the professional world your work can have greater impact, too.

More lessons from Gary and On Your Feet:

Inspiration can come from anywhere
Listening is hard work
Things almost never go (or feel) like you think they will, and this is (almost always) a good thing
Trying something different can be better than trying harder
Stories help create meaning
T-shirts can make good uniforms

Learn more about Gary and how you can steal some of his ideas at BotJoy.com.

Make sure you get invited to our next event by joining the Speakeasy Facebook Group page.

Catch attention and have a ridiculously good time

October 15, 2014/in AM:PM PR, Speakeasy /by Allison McCormick

TEDx speaker, artist and corporate coach, Gary Hirsch, at AM:PM PR’s Speakeasy on involving your audience in what you do and make

For the past 16 years Gary Hirsch has worked with some of the world’s most innovative organizations exploring how improv impacts communication, leadership, idea generation, brand building, organizational development, and collaboration. OYF’s global clients include Intel, Disney, Nike, Apple, P&G, Daimler, The British Ministry of Defense, a small band of Northern Californian Buddhist monks (really) and many more.

He talked about his work and the inspiration behind it at a very popular TEDx talk last April.

The OYF network includes improvisers, filmmakers, anthropologists, advertising, marketing and research folks, and the former snow cone king of Portland, Oregon. Core beliefs listed on the website include:

You can only get so far sitting down.
Learning is often emotional and experiential before it is intellectual.
You shouldn’t have to pay extra for the emergency-exit row.
More heads are better than one (under the right conditions).
Actions speak louder than mission statements.
Giant Post-It sticky-backed notes are the greatest invention in world.

Gary has created his own pet project and creative outlet – Bot Joy. What started as hand painted bots on the backs of dominos to inspire his clients at Pixar and others has grown to an army of more than 23,000 little robots and several bots as big as the side of a building inspiring bravery of patients at children’s hospitals, cities that need encouragement and beneficiaries of gifts from friends or family who want to offer support in a lasting way.

OPB’s Oregon Art Beat featured Gary’s work when they joined him at Randall Children’s Hospital last year and his work has been exhibited at The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and in galleries in Portland, Seattle and Las Vegas.

His Bot Joy project has inspired others to “steal his idea”, with hundreds of students and artists making their own bots around the world.

Speakeasy Guest – KGW’s Pat Dooris on Pitching TV Media

October 3, 2014/in AM:PM PR, News, Speakeasy /by Allison McCormick

Modern media may require you or a client to be on TV. In most cases you only have a few minutes, or even a few seconds to make an impression and you don’t want to say the wrong thing.

Veteran TV reporter Pat Dooris, October’s Speakeasy featured guest, shares what the media wants from an interview. How can you prepare? What should you expect? What should you look forward to and what should you fear?

Dooris shares what it’s like on his side of the news and what kind of pitches pique his interest. What kinds of stories get through at KGW? How should you focus your pitch?

Pat Dooris has worked in TV News for 29 years. He’s interviewed more than 29,000 people and done at least 17,000 live shots. If there’s a mistake to be made he’s probably done it. But he’s also won awards including two Northwest Emmies along with awards from the Oregon Association of Broadcasters and even a National UPI award.

Yep, United Press International. He’s been reporting that long.

Pat is a reporter at KGW TV. He’s married with two sons and two cats and lives in Northeast Portland.

Speakeasy is a group of PR professionals, business owners, college students and anyone else interested in trends affecting culture and communications. We share news and opinions on our Facebook Group page and every so often we invite interesting special guests to share inside scoops and tips to a casual gathering at AM:PM PR to drink adult beverages, enjoy a few snacks and chat.