That’s not what this post is about. It’s about Human Nature.

As you may know, leaving the Biltmore after a big event is a nightmare. You can count on sitting in your car in gridlock for easily 20 mins+. Am I the only one who can’t figure out why in these situations, you sit motionless and then suddenly drive with little interruption?

Anyway, we reach the bottom of the sixth floor where we could exit to the left or right. Two cars were backed up around the curve, to the right. To the left there were no cars and one of the attendants was aggressively waiving for us to follow his lead. Want to guess what two of the next people did?  The safe and familiar thing, turning right, because that’s where you’re “supposed” to turn. Sure enough, the next car and I dashed to the left and we scooped past four floors of traffic.

Seth Godin has been writing a lot lately about the fact that with “the new normal” comes some painful realities. The model we were taught in school and early in our career was to keep our heads down and do what the others do.  That model has been smashed beyond repair by the technology age.  Great lives and careers are now based on having the courage to think independently, make your own decisions and not be a sheep.

If you don’t want to start your own company then go work for one that just started. Isn’t that more risk?  Not really.  There’s infinitely more opportunity and reward . Deluding yourself into thinking you have security at one of the bigger agencies is just that, delusional. The way those bigger companies got to be big was by putting money before people, and not batting an eyelash at triggering layoffs when an account walks out the door. This doesn’t only apply to our industry. The concept of the 25 year employee getting the gold watch is like a scene out of Happy Days. Be cool, don’t always follow and you won’t jump the shark.

Mark Burnett – Creator – Survivor

Simon Fuller – Creator – American Idol

Bertram van Munster – Creator – Amazing Race

CEO and CMO’s of Inc. 5000

Valley (Phoenix) PR Tribe

Here’s an idea for the next great reality show. Formatting (sic).

FADE IN:

Exterior – Corporate HQ – Day

The freshly graduated job APPLICANT waits nervously in the lobby. He mumbles to himself, looking down at his worn shoes.

The hiring MANAGER leads him back to her plush office. The desk is littered with RESUMES.

MANAGER:

(motioning for him to take a seat)

You know there is a 2% chance you will get this job, yes?

The applicant’s shoulders sag – defeated before he even got to utter a word.

MANAGER:

But if you agree to let me broadcast this interview, your chances go up to 20%.

She smiles, pointing up to the ceiling at the VIDEO CAMERA, red light blinking.

FADE TO BLACK

Any guesses on what the vast majority of 2011 job seekers would say?

Imagine the footage that would emerge from that room. It would be like Survivor meets Office Space meets The Apprentice meets America’s Funniest Videos meets Amazing Race meets American Idol meets Chatroulette meets Taxi Cab Confessions. (Am I the only one who misses that show?)

Imagine the pressure, sitting in that chair, knowing millions of people are glued to their screens, laughing their asses off at your first, next and last pathetic answer. It would be like your own personal Super Bowl — circa 1991 Buffalo Bills.

Real life job seekers would get a treasure trove of tips on what not to do in an interview. Hiring Managers would learn to listen more than talk. Ok, probably not.

Countless companies would scratch and claw to be included each season. They would find some great employees. Their new pr agency would secure millions of dollars in coverage for them — while working on a 10% commission like an “unpaid media” buyer.

This is an open source idea like Wikipedia and Mozilla.  I just wanted to share it with everyone and see where it goes. If any of the potential defendants named above try to profit illicitly from the idea, the media firestorm will cost them plenty. Yes, Bobby, contrary to antiquated belief, there is such a thing as bad pr. Not to mention, karma is a bitch.

What do you think? Have any ideas to make it better, just for kicks?

Now he’s looking for an intern. PR pros, including our very own Len Gutman, emphatically say no. He and Peter Shankman both explain that trusting social media to an intern is a terrible idea in nearly every case and that even if intern does a good job, Gutman says they’ll still be working for “a drug addict and a psychopath.”

Had I read their article yesterday, I may have hesitated another second before applying to be on the Sheen Team. This marks the second social media contest I’ve entered this week (vote me for VP!) and I have the feeling that these type of contests do absolutely nothing for anyone anywhere. But I digress.

I’m not sure I see the issue in Gutman and Shankman’s warnings about working for Sheen. Compared to most driven PR firm owners, there’s no way, even in his drug-induced craziness, Sheen is THAT much worse than many of the people I’ve worked with or heard about. Hell, we all know about the intern who didn’t want to do intern work, but what we seldom hear about is the long, tedious hours and menial work given to nearly every intern everywhere, none of which guarantees any national TV/radio/internet exposure.

I certainly don’t agree that social media, or anything important, should be left for an intern to handle, but if the PR/Marketing/Advertising/Social Media industry took an honest look at what they’re REALLY offering interns, you could do a lot worse than working for Sheen.

And I bet he won’t ask you to sort pens.

Arizona, we live online with virtual walls, and those walls need to be maintained by workers with knowledge. Who’s gonna do it? You? A social media expert? Companies like Bulbstorm have a greater responsibility than most could possibly fathom.

You weep for your privacy, and you curse Facebook. You have that luxury. You have that luxury as a user, not a creator. That privacy’s death, while tragic, will enhance lives. And Bulbstorm’s existence, while seemingly gratuitous to those who don’t get it, makes lives better.

You don’t want the truth because deep in your chats and texts, you want people like Bulbstorm manning that wall. We use words like tweet, direct message, status update. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent communicating. You use them as a punchline.

Companies like Bulbstorm have neither the manpower or time to waste on anyone who doesn’t have marketing AND social media skills, and applying without both is an insult to those who’ve trained for this. They would rather you just said thank you, and went back to your oversharing. Otherwise, we all suggest you (wo)man up and make an app. Either way, none of us give a damn about how entitled people are.

Bulbstorm Open Positions
User Interface Designer
PHP/JQuery/AJAX/Zend Engineers (2+)
System Administrator
Project Manager (IT)
Marketing Manager
Account Development Representative
Account Executive – Agency Sales (NY or San Fran)
VP of Sales
Project Manager (Client Event)

More information for each position available at Bulbstorm’s career page.

This paid internship is an entry level position that reports and works closely with the CEO & Owner of the firm. The Marketing Assistant will lead the public relations team to ensure smooth running of the division in daily tasks and as it relates to the entire firm. An ideal candidate is a recent graduate of an accredited university program with scholastic emphasis in: public relations, communications, marketing, advertising or related program.

Candidates must be organized and deadline oriented, possessing strong editing skills with regard to grammar, punctuation and familiarity with the MLA writing format. Candidates must also be proficient in MS Office products. Knowledge of formula creation in MS Excel a plus. The individual must be professional and well spoken in regards to telephone etiquette and willing to adjust to a variety of client temperaments and personalities and be willing to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to complete a project accurately and on time.

Send resume and letter of recommendation via email to chas@paisley-consulting.com.

Phoenix Startup Digest is here to solve that very problem, dubbing itself the “insider’s guide to the startup world.”

Curated by Francine Hardaway, the Phoenix Startup Digest is a curated email detailing new companies, events and the people behind them. For those who don’t hang out in the tech circles, it’s a fantastic resource to keep up to date with what’s going on, and an even better opportunity to pitch stories and gain new clients.

The sign up process allows you to choose different US cities, international cities, universities, and tech verticals to receive information about, so if you’re interested in China, Berkeley and Phoenix, personalizing your newsletter is a few clicks away.

What makes Startup Digest different from most newsletters of its type is the cultivation aspect, as area leaders and experts are in charge of each bit of info that goes out. Blanket releases submitted by form won’t make it onto a list like this, as local rep Francine makes sure of that.

Jobs by location are also an option, so PR pros looking to be information sources for their clients can help keep up to date with just about any openings around the US.

Oh, and it’s free.

The ACLU of Arizona seeks a dynamic full-time Communications Manager to develop and lead an ambitious communications strategy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. The Communications Manager is responsible for leading and managing all internal and external communications for the ACLU of Arizona, including communicating with the media, the public and our members and supporters on a wide variety of civil liberties issues, and writing and editing content for ACLU print and online communications.  The ACLU of Arizona uses communications as a tool to directly impact our legal and policy work, to strengthen the ACLU’s profile and to support our fund-raising efforts. The Communications Manager works in close collaboration with ACLU of Arizona’s legal, legislative, field and development departments, as well as with chapter volunteers in Phoenix and Tucson. The Communications Manager reports directly to the Deputy/Program Director and will be responsible for supervising social media interns, communications volunteers, and contractors such as designers or printers.

To apply send a cover letter, resume, three professional references and a writing sample to: Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director, ACLU Foundation of Arizona, Re: Communications Manager, P.O. Box 17148, Phoenix, AZ 85011 or email to: ameetze@acluaz.org. Please put “Communications Manager” in the subject line. Applications accepted until position is filled. Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this listing.

The full job description is available here.

Canyon Communications Inc.

“This isn’t a traditional PR position, so if you’re a motivated, strategic thinker with agency experience who is willing to bend-over-backwards to help our clients achieve their goals, please get in touch with us. You’ll find the work interesting and energizing.”

Position Description & Requirements:

• Works with account team(s) to provide PR strategy and direction for integrating public relations into overall marketing communications plans for primary client(s) (clients assigned to position)
• Develops and executes public relations campaigns with the client and Canyon team.
• Possesses demonstrated understanding of social media strategy, planning and execution.
• Writes PR plans, news releases, white papers, case studies, articles, newsletters, blog posts, websites, e-books, e-newsletters and other copy as needed.
• Develops content for the Web that is optimized for search engines.
• Has working knowledge of best practices for SEO.
• Develops and maintains media and blogger relationships on behalf of clients.
• Provides ongoing PR ROI Analysis for clients.
• Proofs and edits all PR copy, including news releases, content, newsletters, e-newsletters before they are sent to clients and editors.
• Plans events, promotions and media conferences/briefings.
• Creates new business opportunities with current clients and other businesses.
• Attends client meetings as requested.
• Assists with other client marketing programs as needed.
• Manages and mentors junior PR team members.
• Directs PR relevant photo shoots and video shoots as requested.
• Works with Canyon traffic/production manager and art staff to execute projects.

Degree in journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing or related field. 7-10 year’s of PR agency experience. Ideal candidate will have an outgoing personality, leadership qualities and outstanding time-management skills with ability to handle multiple projects from start to finish. Must have good organizational skills and be able to see the big picture but pay close attention to detail. Must also have the ability to professionally represent Canyon Communications with clients and represent the client with media and outside vendors. PC proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is necessary. Working knowledge of Vocus and social media applications is desirable. Background experience in B2B industries such as technology, construction, golf, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, professional services is a BIG plus.

To apply please send resume in MS Word or PDF format to nlandl@canyoncomm.com and copy asmith@canyoncomm.com. Please list “Director of PR” in the subject line.

“The GCR Communication Division was established to proactively inform the public, thought leaders and all other stake holders regarding GCR’s clean-up and remediation efforts along the Gulf Coast. The core functions include national and regional media relations and proactive issues management. Both of these areas are essential to the success of our overall communications strategy and as such, they will report to GCR’s VP, Communications and External Affairs.”

Anyone willing to apply? Forget for a minute that you have to relocate to Houston, which in and of itself may be cause to decline this great gig. Seriously, can you think of a worse job for a PR pro? I’d rather handle reputation management for Lindsay Lohan.

Oh, and thanks as well to Rebecca Clyde of local marketing firm Ideas Collide for passing this job description along as well, and for noting that the job requires a mere five years of experience! Right in the fine print it says minimum requirements include a “bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and a minimum of 5 years prior experience with media and/or press relations.” What kind of dolt thinks someone with such little experience can handle a job this big (insert Dana Perino joke here).

Here is the job description.  Have the right background?  Send your resume to Human Resources at jobsphx@swlaw.com

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This individual will support the communications manager in all aspects of the firm’s public relations activities, including strategic planning, media relations, recognition/award programs, community relations, event support, web site content development/management, and various internal communications projects.

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Oversee all facets (press releases, story development/pitching, key message creation, etc.) of local and national media relations efforts for the firm’s Phoenix office
• Meet with individual attorneys and practice groups on a regular basis and, on occasion, with other offices to understand and uncover potential newsworthy content
• Identify and manage key award opportunities and ensure timely completion of all submission materials
• Maintain consistent firm-wide public relations guidelines
• Manage day-to-day activities related to web site news-related content
• Conduct and/or oversee all internally-focused online surveys
• Support local and firm-wide community relations programs/activities
• Perform various administrative functions supporting firm-wide public relations efforts (cross-agency communications, press clip management/distribution, vendor invoices, etc.)
• Assist, as needed, with marketing department events and tasks

The successful candidate must possess strong written / verbal communication and project management skills, enjoy taking initiative with internal clients and working in a fast-paced team environment, and be able to manage multiple demands and priorities. Specific project demands or deadlines require work-hour flexibility on an as-needed basis. A bachelor’s degree in public relations / communications or related field is required, along with three to five years of front-line corporate or public relations agency experience. A background in legal marketing is preferred. A basic understanding of corporate-based social networking campaigns is a plus. Candidates must present a professional and polished image. Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel is expected.

Snell & Wilmer offers a competitive performance-based compensation and benefits package, including health and life insurance, 401K, profit sharing, tuition reimbursement, and an employee assistance program. Snell & Wilmer is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.