As the title suggests, that is what four members of the PRSSA chapter at West Virginia University encountered on a recent field trip to Pittsburgh, PA, to visit the Brunner Public Relations agency and the National Aviary.
Nick Morin, Emily Zekonis, Amber Carson, and myself, Philip Johnson, toured these entities on November 10th to observe how they operate from a PR perspective.
First stop on our trip was the Brunner PR Agency. Brunner uses cutting-edge technology along with artistic creativity for its campaigns.
We met with Steve Radick, VP Director of PR and Content Integration, and Jordan Mitrik, Junior Content Creator, at the Brunner Agency. Its most prestigious clients include, 84 Lumber, Mitsubishi Electric, and Huffy.
The meeting was not quite what we expected. Instead of stuffy businessmen dressed -to- the -nines, Radick and Mitrik came to the meeting in casual clothing. Granted, it was Friday, but, Radick was especially casual in a hoodie and jeans.
Radick and Mitrik seemed genuinely glad to meet with us, and answer any questions we had and offer advice about the PR industry. They were very casual and laid back with us and offered snacks from the meeting table.
A job skill that they emphasized was the ability to give a good presentation.
Radick told us to take an improv course if we could. He said that he has noticed that employees who have taken theatre courses, particularly improv, give better presentations.
He said that he has seen situations where employees can’t think fast enough or know how to adapt to a sudden change in a presentation; especially if it does not go according to plan.
Improv teaches how to think fast on your feet, he said.
Not something that, I for one, thought I would hear from a PR professional, nor the rest of us.
It does make sense though. I am not sure that many PR students even consider that they will have to go up in front of several clients and give a speech, or how they would give it.
I am definitely considering an acting course for next semester.
The next stop on our Pitt tour was the National Aviary where we met Robin Weber, Senior Director of Marketing and Community Relations.
An aviary may seem like an odd place for a PR student organization to visit, but, entities such as this need PR too.
As we met with Weber in the “theatre” of the aviary, we were treated to an “improv” show of several birds who were practicing their routines for the shows the aviary puts on.
A few female mallard ducks came out and ran up to us as they were enticed by food from handlers. We also were treated to flight tests of predatory birds including a few owls who were probably not pleased about being awake in the daytime.
Weber told us about the importance of PR to the aviary. It helps in promoting the aviary in general, and the various programs it sponsors, particularly educational programs.
All-in-all a very insightful and interesting trip.
To learn more about Brunner and the National Aviary, visit the websites at brunnerwork.com/brunner, and http://www.aviary.org.