It is 3 a.m.
On a Wednesday.
And I am over 600 miles away from home.
In this business, when a client has an emergency and requires you to get to the airport and board a plane, you do it. Now here I am in a hotel room monitoring social channels and media outlets for mentions of my client while wondering when I’ll be able to get some sleep.
So you would think, to borrow a line from perhaps the most famous song from the Goo Goo Dolls (3 a.m.), that it’s 3 a.m. – I must be lonely. Well, no, I am not. I am networking.
You see, I learned from firm friend (and personal friend) Steve Beecham, a talented Atlanta-based speaker who preaches the gospel of constant networking, that you should never let an opportunity pass you by to grow your network. Even if that opportunity is in the wee hours of the morning.
Here with me are team members from Padilla CRT, an independent PR agency with six offices across the country. Padilla also happens to be partners of ours in the Worldcom Public Relations Group, and our two firms have worked together in the past on new business opportunities and now, with this incident, client work.
In between the Twitter and Facebook checks for negative comments — and the really bad reality TV shows that flood overnight television — we shared some best practices, helpful tips and a few great stories from our pasts. I even got the name/contact info for a key member of the media that I needed for another client.
I have to admit, when I got assigned the overnight shift I wasn’t excited about pulling an all-nighter. But it turned out to be a good, productive night (I even wrote a blog!). And best of all, I wasn’t lonely.
Keith Bowermaster is a senior vice president at Cookerly PR.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.