Team Topaz Spotlight
In the following Q&A Kevin talks about how through his work in PR, blogs and his radio show he’s connecting old media with the new.
Q. As an avid blogger – contributing to your own blog and Topaz’s Tech PR Gems – how did you become interested in this new media?
A. My interest in blogging stems from my interest in politics and political issues. I am a voracious reader of political commentary, and blogs are a great place to find fresh original content. Blogs have exploded on the scene in recent years and have become an important tool for PR, so my professional career has benefited from my personal interest.
Q. What are some of your other interests?
A. The number one thing I love to do when not working is spending time with my kids, ages three and two. They are at such an awesome age that I want to enjoy every possible moment with them, because before I know they will be teenagers and I’ll be looking back at these years with fond memories, and hopefully, no regrets.
I’m also really passionate about developing the radio show I co-founded about a year and a half ago, “Pundit Review Radio.” It’s heard every Sunday on Boston’s talk station WRKO from 8-10p.m. – it can also be downloaded as a podcast at iTunes or Podcast Alley.
The premise of the show was to bring the best of the blogs to the radio. Each week we highlight the work of the most influential thought leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. When we started the show, few people knew what a blog was. Of course, that is no longer the case today.
Q. Who are some of the influential people Pundit Review Radio has spotlighted?
A. On the show we’ve tried to feature a mix of guests from the left and right of the political spectrum, but also people who understand this technology and the impact it has on people's lives. For example, we spoke to Jeff Javis of the blog “Buzz Machine.” Jeff is a former TV critic for TV Guide and People magazine, creator of Entertainment Weekly, Sunday editor and associate publisher of the NY Daily News, and a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. He is one of the sharpest people out there on new media and how it is impacting not just traditional journalism, but our way of life. We've had highly respected IT journalist Paul Gillin on to discuss where corporate America is succeeding or failing at utilizing blogs and podcasts. We've had author Glenn Reynolds, who writes the single most influential political blog, “Instapundit.” Glenn has a new book out titled “An Army of Davids” - it’s about how technology is empowering the little guy against big media, big government and big business.
Q. What do you like most about PR?
A. I like the diversity that PR can bring - whether you are talking about working across several industries, learning new technologies or the diversity of tasks like pitching, writing, editing, blogging or podcasting. I also enjoy the creativity involved in developing interesting pitches that will break through the clutter and grab hold of their intended target. Too much of PR today is done in a formulaic manner.
Q. What changes have you seen in PR?
A. Every reporter I speak with says they barely have time to scan the emails they receive, let alone digest them. Looking at things from the media’s perspective, they are stretched pretty thin, being asked to cover several technology beats that encompass dozens, if not more, companies.
Q. How then do you break through that clutter?
A. It certainly isn’t with an email. PR people need to read the publications they pitch and save their bullets for those opportunities where you have something truly relevant to the reporter and editor. Spamming the universe with generalized emails does nothing for you or your client – and it is no way to build a relationship with the reporter. At its core, that is really what media relations is: a relationship building business. I think that has largely been forgotten.
Q. What does a blogging PR/politics/talk-radio guy do in his spare time? Where’s the most interesting you’ve been?
A. For a political junkie and history buff like myself, I’d have to say the most interesting place I’ve ever been was to the west wing of the White House. A college friend of mine worked for eight years in the communications office at the White House. I was in Washington for a weekend visiting friends and contacted him. He invited me to the White House and I spent a Saturday and Sunday afternoon with him in the west wing. I went with him into the oval office - where I met the current president at that time, Bill Clinton; attended a ceremony in the Rose Garden; and, visited the Cabinet room and the Roosevelt Room - where I watched Clinton deliver a weekly radio address. I also was able to go into White House briefing room and the offices of the communications staff. In addition to President Clinton, I also met numerous media and political figures including Dee Dee Myers, Clinton’s press secretary; longtime Washington correspondent Roland Evans; NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, CBS’ John Roberts; and several others.
Recently Kevin and his endeavors have been featured twice in the Boston Herald (http://www.topazpartners.com/topaz/pdf/boston_herald_1-19-06.pdf, http://www.topazpartners.com/topaz/pdf/boston_herald_2-5-06.pdf) and in Colby Magazine.
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