PR GIRL RANT!

Vanessa Gordon, Founder and Publisher of East End Taste magazine, a source for all things food and drink in the Hamptons and North Fork, and culinary-focused travel. In this episode, we talk to Vanessa Gordon publisher of @eastendtaste magazine about keeping her online publication running during uncertain times, living in the Hamptons, getting through this pandemic and more. About Vanessa Gordon

Vanessa Gordon is the Founder and Publisher of East End Taste Magazine She is also the Founder and Founding Host of 'Taste and Escape: The Hamptons Brunch', formally known as The Hamptons Interactive Brunch. Her writing has appeared in Modern Luxury, Thrillist, Pregnancy & Newborn, Psychology Today, The Independent Newspaper, Sag Harbor Express, and many others. She also has a bi-monthly radio segment with Long Island Radio Broadcasting’s 102.5 WBAZ. 

To find out more about East End Taste magazine or to pitch story ideas, Vanessa can be contacted on social media @EastEndTaste & @HamptonsInteractiveBrunch.

With so many events postponed until further notice, I chat with Cheryl Duncan public relations industry veteran, who agency specializes in PR in the entertainment, arts and culture projects.  We talked about how she's dealing with slow down and trying to figure out what to do next if this is the norm for a couple of months.  

When the coronavirus pandemic hit hard 3 weeks ago in NYC, in the span of a week, the event market took a huge hit with cancellations and postponements. I lost 3 gigs back to back within 3 days of the announcement. With this being a major part of Cheryl's client business, I wanted to talk to her about how this pandemic affecting her business? How is she retaining her clients? and How she plans to pivot?  Cheryl, also shares how she plans to use her social distancing time wisely,  

About Cheryl Duncan

Cheryl L. Duncan is a public relations industry veteran whose passion and expertise have helped her create a firm celebrated for its diverse roster of clients. In 2005, she founded Cheryl Duncan & Company, Inc., a New York City-area boutique PR agency specializing in entertainment and social betterment. Cheryl’s many arts and culture projects run the gamut from stage to film to television to music and fine arts and include event production and management and crisis communications.

She's handled Broadway shows (including The Trip to Bountiful and Holler If Ya Hear Me) and other theater pieces (including Nathaniel Sam Shapiro’s Diaspora). For more than 13 years she has handled the New York African Film Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center. She’s promoted Its Showtime at the Apollo and the Peabody Award-winning 180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School (PBS). In music, she has publicized the Essence Music Festival. She was honored to represent Prince and to help get Miles Davis inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, working with the Terrie Williams Agency, for which she served as lead consultant for many years.

The widespread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the nation has placed uncertainty on us all. We are asked to quarantine ourselves and work from home. For some, the challenge is how do I schedule my work my day, with kids at home. For many, it means canceled events, lost wages and fear of not having jobs to return to once this is all over. Making a living as a freelancer and independent contractor has its rewards, but also has its challenges. When we don't work, we don't get paid. We also don't qualify for unemployment insurance and as of today (3.24.20) freelancers are not included in the COVID-19 aid package. 

Today's guests Rafael Espinal President of the Freelancers Union talks to us about his efforts in making sure that freelancers and gig workers receive unemployment insurance. He's making great strides. Since speaking with him, Sen. Chuck Schumer's office reached out to the freelancers union and is pushing to expand coverage.

How can we push this forward to congress? The Freelancers Union is urging the government to extend relief for freelancers impacted by COVID-19. Click here to learn how you can raise your voice.   To learn more visit www.freelancersunion.org

Took a little hiatus, but now I’m and ready to rant! My first episode is me co-hosting on the season premiere of the @mcs_mancave_show with host Julius DC Bryant. On his show he talks a lot about current affairs, movies and entertainment. You can check out the video of show on YouTube at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2zk7GQZ2uGA&feature=share

When doing what you love takes a toll on your health, you know its time to make some changes. In this episode,  I tell my story and my confession of how being a publicist almost made me sick and what I did to take control of it!

The relationship between journalists/media and Public relations or PR practitioners are to be complementary. Both sides of these relationships have a common goal to reach the public. Through honest and continuous communication, the goals are to educate, entertain and expanding their audience. On today's episode coming from a journalist's perspective my guest is Josh Barker, a staff writer for the New York Amsterdam News, one of the nation's oldest and largest Black newspapers.

Josh and I talked candidly about his experiences and relationships with Publicists and PR reps. He shares his pet peeves, how and when to pitch him, what truly grinds his gears about publicist/ PR reps.  He also peppers in tips on the best ways to make the relation-ship work.

A red carpet kicks off the event, it sets the tone. Running a red carpet starts from the moment a client hires you to execute that part of their event. And, it is an event in of itself. In this episode I will share tips/best practices to ensure a successful red carpet event.

A candid and insightful conversation with my guest Andrea Ferguson who recently  transitioned from being an independent contractor to an in house position. Some of the areas we will talk about are, the challenges of being independent, the decision to go in-house (was it hard for her), tips, must do's, process when she decided to go in house/how did she prepare.

Back to school means a time to continue to learn, grow, and achieve great things. Typically the term is used for those starting back up the school year after summer break. It’s also a season to start anew i.e. new jobs, new careers or learn a new skills to enhance your current potion to make more money. On today's episode PR Girl Rant!  Back-to-School series, I chat with Monique Ruff-Bell, Event Director for Money20/20 USA  & VP of Events, Ascential plc. (public limited company), on the topic of Going Beyond Traditional PR -What Corporations Are Looking For in a PR Professional/Agency".  Monique shares in her professional development, insights and tips on working with public relation agencies.

Today's #minirant advice comes from Dawn Michelle Hardy, founder of Dream Relations PR and literary consultant agency; she is also known as the Literary Lobbyist. She has the ability to help authors reach their readership, win awards, and garner national and local media attention. Dawn is both a publicist and a literary agent. She continues to build her list with memoirs, sports biographies, contemporary fiction for women of color, essay collections by notable figures and non-fiction narratives about race, class, and gender. So on this episode of Mini-Rants, Dawn will share advice to new and self-published authors on getting started.