A Slice of SHIFT – Suzanne Chan

Who knew motivation came from leftover pastries and cookies?  This week’s Slice of SHIFT features San Francisco SHIFTer Suzanne Chan.

Name: Suzanne Chan

Twitter: @Suzanne_Chan

SHIFT office: SF

Client focus/title:
I work on the B2B team with a current focus on storage, data governance, security and CRM/marketing. I heart technology. J

Hometown: I grew up in a little town called Alameda in Cali. No longer living there, but you can find me there every month visiting my hairdresser on Park Street. He’s the best. (Off topic, I know)

What is the best part of your job?
When there are leftover pastries or cookies from client meetings. What can I say, I love to eat! Just kidding, all jokes aside, I love getting results for clients – whether it’s coverage, fostering analyst relations or beefing up a customer reference program. There’s really nothing better than setting metrics with a client and working with the team to go above and beyond to knock it out of the park.

What is your PR shining moment?
Receiving positive feedback from clients and seeing measurable ROI on PR programs are two of the most rewarding parts of the job.

What brought you to SHIFT?
Craigslist! But of course, it was the wonderful team that I interviewed with that ultimately kept me here.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without?
I read the Jennifer Beautiful Me Show religiously (I’m easily swayed. She bought me pizza for lunch and bribed me to continue her shameless blog plug on Slice, so I ate it and said OK). Anyhow, aside from her blog (which I read probably once every other month), I have Google alerts and TweetBeep set up for all of my clients so I can stay on top of their industry news. I’m their number one fan. J

A Slice of SHIFT – Cara Foley

Think you know Cara Ambrose Foley?  Think again.  Read on to learn a little more about this BC Grad, Kennedy enthusiast and Chinese food lover.

Name:

Cara Foley

Title:

Senior Account Executive

Twitter:

@CARAFOLEY

SHIFT office:

Boston

Client focus/title: Consumer, Security, B2B or Admin:

B2B! Currently, my clients focus on engineering, healthcare IT, and security.

Hometown:

Cohasset, Massachusetts

What is the best part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is meeting face-to-face with clients. In the day-to-day craziness of updating the weekly, pitching reporters, drafting a byline, etc., etc., etc., it can sometimes be challenging to keep the bigger picture at the forefront.

I love to be able to hear straight from the executive team, the sales force, the office manger, whoever, how they see, in ways large and small, the impact of the SHIFT’s hard work.

In my last role at a consulting company, I was constantly exposed to different types of companies – in various industries, of all sizes, and each with their own separate culture – and that’s something I continue to enjoy in my current role at SHIFT.

What is your PR shining moment?

I’ve been lucky enough to be on one of my current accounts since day one of my SHIFT career. Less than two years ago, the team was brokering introductions for the Company with the security trades, and, in the last couple of months alone, they’ve received a number of top-tier inbound inquiries from business publications. It’s rewarding to know that you had a direct hand in helping a Company take their awareness to the next level.

What brought you to SHIFT?

Mary Sullivan! In early 2008, I had decided I wanted to make a career change and Mary and I had a mutual friend who put us in touch. I sent Mary my resume to pass along, and, within a few weeks, I was sitting in the cube across from her.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without?

@ariannahuff for entertainment and politics updates. I also love mrs-o.org, a blog started by a BC grad that follows Michelle Obama’s fashion choices.

A Slice of SHIFT – Reshma Fernandes

From Bombay to Boston to NYC! Check out how Reshma made the journey from India to SHIFT.

Name: Reshma Fernandes

Twitter: @reshma

SHIFT office: NYC

Client focus/title: Consumer, Senior Account Executive

I’m part of the consumer team and my clients are pretty diverse, ranging from consumer tech software and gadgets to an upscale travel resort.

Hometown:

I was born in Bombay, India but for now I call NYC home.

What is the best part of your job?

Being surrounded by sma–ht people [I lived in Boston for 4 years!]. From the clients I interact with on a daily basis to colleagues, reporters, bloggers, it’s great to work with a smart, challenging, fun bunch of people that push you to do your best. No day is ever the same and I can honestly say I learn something new everyday.

What is your PR shining moment?

I’ve made the transition from doing PR in Bombay and Dubai to B2B and now consumer tech at SHIFT, so it’s hard to find a shining moment! I’d say predicting what your client wants and delivering it before you’re asked – every time that happens it’s the best day of my week.

What brought you to SHIFT?

I was newly minted from grad school, had just arrived in Boston and eager to get started on my PR career. Sure I spent my time networking and doing research online but it was actually Todd’s blog that brought me to SHIFT’s Web site. It was great to get a feel for the agency through Todd’s voice on PR-Squared, so I decided to apply.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without?

The best part of my day is I get to read blogs and follow Tweeps whose work I have a natural interest in. So anything travel related from the Practical Traveler blog on the New York Times to Walletpop.com for anything personal finance is interesting and fun. I use Twitter to stay in the know, keep up with the industry and to stay alert for developing stories that can impact my clients. I’m by no means a Twitter addict but for anything PR or marketing related, I usually check out the latest tweets from @briansolis, @sgetgood, @skydiver and of course @badpitch!

A Slice of SHIFT – Jennifer Usher

Ready for another Slice?  This week we chat to San Francisco SHIFTer and blogger Jennifer Usher.

Name: Jennifer Usher

Title: Account Executive

Twitter: @jmanos

SHIFT office:  SF

Client focus/title: Consumer, Security, B2B or Admin:

I’m on the B2B side of the house.  My clients mainly focus on mobility/wireless, GreenIT and Security (I’m a security geek at heart!)

Hometown: I grew up in oh-so-lovely Sacramento, CA, however few know that I was born in Portland, Oregon.

What is the best part of your job?

I truly enjoy meeting people and developing lasting relationships. I love grabbing drinks with reporters outside of work – it provides a fantastic opportunity to get to know each other better.

What is your PR shining moment?

A client’s positive feedback is the ultimate barometer of success in my book.  When a client shares that a recent launch brought in several great leads, that lets me know that I’ve done a great job.

What brought you to SHIFT?

A few years ago I was working at a small Investor Relations company but I was actively looking to break into the PR industry.  Like my friend Alex, I consulted Craigslist to see which companies were hiring, saw SHIFT and immediately applied.

Though the company had a great reputation and had a solid client roster, the interview sealed the deal for me.  I loved every single person that I interviewed with. When I began talking with my potential new manager about clubs and our favorite radio stations, I knew I had found my match.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without?

Honestly, there are too many to name, so I will go the shameless plug route and say my own – The Jennifer Beautiful Me Show.  Please note: the name is a joke from my childhood. J

A Slice of SHIFT – Mimi Jonas

Time for New York to shine this week as we profile NYC Account Manager Mimi.

Mimi Jonas (@MimiJ)

Title: Account Manager

SHIFT office: NYC

Client focus/title: Consumer – everything from booze to online video!

Hometown: Wilmington, DE but haven’t been back since I was 18…Always considered NYC my home…even when I lived in SF and Boston. No disrespect.

What is the best part of your job? That’s a toughie…the best? Just one thing? Besides my kick-ass, rock star team (yeah that’s you TeamCarter)? I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people – professional, hilarious, unbelievably smart and creative…they set such a high bar, I try really hard to fit in with them! The rest of the SHIFTers aren’t shabby either, but I don’t discuss orange food products, ancient nicknames or obscure movie references with all of them!

So the second best part of my job – have to say I love calling reporters. Call me a glutton for punishment, but I like the challenge of turning a PR pessimist into a PR enthusiast. I find that building the best media relationship starts by picking up the phone. No matter how witty and well crafted an email pitch may be, nothing is more personable and sincere than the sound of your voice.

What is your PR shining moment? Let’s see, well, in my pre-SHIFT days I worked in entertainment PR (traveling the globe, dealing with unbelievable personalities (not only talking ‘bout divas here) and working on some top-notch events – I came out unscathed and still loving PR) and like any good publicist you stay in the background and let reporters, bloggers and photographers tell their stories. But it was always fun to open Variety or the San Francisco Chronicle and catch a glimpse of myself smiling back from the red carpet. Everyone must have been dying to know who that girl behind Renee Zellwegger was…

What brought you to SHIFT? Their reputation. A former SF SHIFTer, Julia Stemerman, wouldn’t stop raving about the place, the people and the clients. When I moved to Boston I had to see what all the fuss was about. I’m happy to report that everything was true, and even two years later, I’m still just as happy as when I started.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without? I used to be a real WhatWouldTylerDurdenDo junkie, but the RSS feed doesn’t come through cleanly in my google reader, so now my free time is filled with http://cargocollective.com/learnsomethingeveryday, http://www.howtoeatacupcake.net/, http://newyork.timeout.com/section/own-this-city, Groupons and following – @JoshMalina, @MartinStarr, @rainnwilson, @robcorddry and @michaelianblack, @wwtdd – if you can make me laugh using 140 characters you make my top 5

A Slice of SHIFT – Amy Lyons

On a Slice of SHIFT this week, we chat with Boston Managing Director Amy Lyons.

Name: Amy Lyons

SHIFT office: Boston

Client focus/title: Managing Director

Hometown: Charlestown

What is the best part of your job? As the Managing Director of the Boston office, I get to work very close with our amazing staff and I’m continually blown away by how creative, talented and committed everyone is.  From our Account Coordinators all the way up to our Vice Presidents, there’s just a sincerity in the work everyone is doing and a real desire to knock it out of the park for our clients and our team.

What is your PR shining moment? When a client reaches out to me to give kudos to someone on their team. Whether it’s for a great hit or a stellar press release, there’s nothing like getting that email from a happy client – it’s truly the best feeling.  Everyone works so hard and sometimes in the grind of the day, you can lose sight of what you’re working towards.  Having a client send a personal note just to let me know that someone on their team did a great job – that’s the best!

What brought you to SHIFT? After 6+ years working in politics down South, I decided it was not only time to return home, but it was also time to take the skills I had learned working with press secretaries, politicians and constituent lobby groups to a new arena.  Truthfully, I fell into technology as a PR focus, but SHIFT just felt like a great place to build a career.  I was impressed that at the time I applied, many of the senior managers had started out where I was starting, and I’m proud to look around now and see that’s still the case.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without? Well, besides Todd Defren’s PRSquared of course (wink, wink ;-)), I’m a fan of Seth Godin and each week I find myself checking stuff out on Mashable and TechCrunch. On the personal side, I am addicted to Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and his Crew Blog is a great read – the behind the scenes look at all the great places they visit and food they eat, not to mention the quirks of Bourdain himself, is a trip. If you love to travel, you should definitely check it out!

A Slice of SHIFT – Alex Kirschner

This week on a slice of SHIFT, we talk to SF Sr. Account Executive & Operations Manager Alex.

Alex Kirschner (@AKirschner)

SHIFT office: Boston, NYC, or San Fran:

San Francisco

Client focus/title: Consumer, Security, B2B or Admin

My focus has been in B2B technology, particularly security, storage, email marketing and events/conferences. I’ve also had the opportunity to pitch cheese that was shaped in interesting forms – thrilling stuff. But I have a hybrid role here in SF, where half my time is spent on PR and the other half as the office manager. This allows me to have flexibility with my schedule so I can focus on my passion: acting! I’m pretty lucky to get to do both.

Hometown:

Seattle, which I think is way cooler than wherever you grew up 😉

What is the best part of your job?

I thrive on media relations, so the best part of my job is having a good story to pitch, going out with it, getting results and fortifying relationships with journalists in the process. But then again, it’s also gratifying when the story isn’t so good, but the team still gets results! Seeing something go from a pitch, to an interview, to coverage is addictive (okay, now I sound like a dork).

What is your PR shining moment?

This summer I was named to PRSourceCode’s Top Tech Communicators list based on a survey of 800 journalists from the IT and business press – the people I’m paid to pitch every day. Getting that kind of validation was the tops, and without a doubt the best day of my career thus far. Shameless plug: read about it here.

What brought you to SHIFT?

My friend Craig – his last name is “List” in case you haven’t heard of him. No…really! My road in finding PR was a little bumpy, with stops in the restaurant industry and recruiting along the way. But I knew from my college studies that PR was an interesting field that could keep me on my toes, so when I saw an ad for an internship at SHIFT, I crossed my fingers and hit “send.” Its reputation in the field was very attractive, and the staff I met while interviewing sold me. It has seriously been rainbows and butterflies since then and I couldn’t be happier.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without?

I guess you can call me a headline chaser, so I don’t tend to read one particular blog or Twitter feed with any type of religious fervor, but instead read stories that have interesting topics. Three of my morning newsletters that I can’t live without, however, are the CNET News Daily Dispatch, eWEEK.com Securing the Enterprise and Network World Security Alert. The exception, of course, is PR Squared.

A Slice of SHIFT – Ariel Sasso

You might know SHIFT as a Company, but what about the faces behind the scenes?  Join us Fridays as we give you a candid profile of one of our PR stars.  This week, we talk to SHIFT Boston Account Executive Ariel Sasso.

Ariel Sasso (@aksasso)

SHIFT office:

Boston

Client focus/Area:

Everything! – B2B, B2C, start-ups, e-commerce, mobile apps, online video, social media, security; you name it, I’ve done it!

What is the best part of your job?

Meeting and working with so many smart people.  Not just my coworkers, but all the client companies creating innovative and unique products and services.  And the reporters and bloggers that work so diligently to understand their industry and its key players and then spend the time to dig into each individual trend and news story.  It really makes you want to do your job that much better when you are surrounded with so many driven and dedicated people.

What is your PR shining moment?

When a friend or family member tells me that they read about, heard or saw a clip about one of my clients in the news.  It’s great to be able to prove that what you do is real!

What brought you to SHIFT?

I grew up north of Boston, but went to college to in Virginia.  I always knew I wanted to go back to New England, the land of Dunkin Donuts.

As I was wrapping up my senior year and starting to look for PR jobs in the Boston area, I realized that none of my professors were in any way connected to the PR scene in Boston.  They had connections in VA, DC, MD, but nothing in Boston.  So I dug up the Boston Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” issue and went through the list for PR firms, researching each firm and figuring out what I liked.  I think SHIFT was 11 on the list of 20, 11 is my lucky number.

Whose Tweets/Blog could you not do without?

I’m not sure if I couldn’t do without these, I probably could, but I’m going to take this opportunity to pimp them out…In terms of celebrity tweeters, I can’t get enough of Questlove (@questlove) from The Roots.  He’s a smart guy and it’s just so cool to get a glimpse into a world that you would not otherwise be able to see.  For example, when he was tweeting from the Grammys and I was watching the show live, it was interesting to be getting his real-time/real-life commentary while watching the shiny broadcast version. I also love the Amazon MP3 daily deals (@amazonmp3).  I’m proud to say that I buy all of my music and thus getting those daily deals is HUGE for my wallet.

SHIFTers Share in Excitement with Latest ESOP News

By Rachel Huxley-Cohen

Todd couldn’t have said it better. SHIFT Communications has just been acquired by… its employees. By me. By my coworkers. We are all business owners and are sharing in a slice of SHIFT. The ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program) was announced this morning and it proves that SHIFT will always be pushing the boundaries of traditional agency life. SHIFT continues to prove that, at the core, it’s an agency that values all of its employees – not just the senior management team. And that fact alone truly makes SHIFT a unique place to work. It is this values-based attitude that makes employees proud to be a part of the SHIFT family and we could not be more excited for this new chapter in the Company’s history. THANK YOU Jim and Todd – we couldn’t be happier to be in business with you both.

Below are some thoughts from SHIFT employees about the new ESOP and why agencies should be employee owned:

“Clients crave consistent and excellent performance, and that starts and ends with their individual teams. An employee-owned agency provides teams a larger sense of purpose and desire to stay long term, giving them even more incentive to excel and retain clients in year two and beyond. The client in turn can only feel more value coming from that commitment. It’s a virtuous cycle that becomes a win-win for everyone involved.” – Derek Lyons, Vice President

“The same reason any business should be employee-owned: you want those most passionate about the business to own a piece. Who personifies your business more than the hard working men and women coming in early and staying late each day? That said, this sort of program should never be expected – it needs to be earned.  Once an honor like this is placed on the staff, that same passion and hard work will come even further into play. Why? Because those employees are no longer just representing a brand they care about, they are owners representing THEIR Company. I’d say that is a pretty strong motivator.” – Matt Trocchio, Account Director

“Employees seem to be more invested in the company and therefore feel accountable and excited to do their part to better the firm and make it a great place to work.” – Courtney Mead, Account Director

“Employees are a reflection of their company, and in SHIFT’s case, the company is also a reflection of its employees – who are all such a key part of the personality it displays in everything it does. Letting those employees take an ACTUAL ownership stake in the place they’re already so proud of is a natural next step for SHIFT, and a unique display of loyalty and appreciation. Now, when thinking about the company, it’s even more obvious just how much you’re a part of that brand and strategy, and it pushes you to do everything in your power to help in succeed.” – John Cassillo, Account Executive

“Sometimes it can be difficult for junior members of a company to see the impact that their work has on an organization as a whole. With the ESOP, I think it’s clear to everyone how their work affects SHIFT, for better or worse, and that’s a great motivator.” – Alexandra Brooks, Account Executive

“It’s such a great feeling to work for a company that truly values the hard work its employees put in everyday, and the ESOP further demonstrates the confidence our employers have in each and every one of us to continue building upon the success SHIFT has achieved thus far. Talk about motivating!” – Leslie Grant, Account Executive

“Working for a PR firm that is privately owned, and now EMPLOYEE owned is empowering; it also means we can stay ballsy and creative.” – Karen DeVincent, Account Coordinator

“SHIFTers are very lucky to be a part of an agency that truly cares about its employees—so much so that we’ve all been made part owners of the company. This gives everyone a sense of ownership and I can see this helping with employee retention as well as a closer-knit culture. We’re already known as an agency with a kick-ass culture, and this will only better it and make us all more conscious of all aspects of the business.” – Berenise Solorio, Account Coordinator