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Fashion PR: PR Couture Seeks Fall Intern

July 29, 2011 0 Comment written by PR Couture

SPFW verão 2010

Desperately Seeking….Digital Maven

Gain experience, grow your network and build a portfolio of articles about fashion PR, marketing and social media! PR Couture seeks a spectacular fall intern to help us manage weekly tasks! Estimated time is about 10 hours a week. College student is ok, though you will have ideally completed 1-2 fashion PR internships. Also a fit for entry-level fashion PR’s looking to gain additional experience outside of work. The position is unpaid but you will receive a 10% commission on any new advertising you secure (that said, this isn’t an advertising internship, persay) and a winning recommendation once you blow my mind toward whatever future employment you seek.

Please note: this is a virtual internship and PR Couture is NOT a PR Agency. Read the FAQ before you go any further.

Responsibilities Include:

  • Sourcing and publishing weekly a round up of related news every Friday
  • Posting agency news stories, new client announcements and other related bits
  • Article research
  • Sourcing and following up with potential advertisers including
    • Sending out media kit
    • Preparing ad invoices
    • Tracking and following up
  • Making updates to the site (training will be provided)
  • Posting new blog posts to Facebook, managing Fan Page
  • Occasional event attendance (yes, with Gift Bags!)
  • Weekly touch base via Skype

Qualifications

  • Comfortable with WordPress, Google Docs and image editing
  • Organized, can work independently, meets ALL deadlines
  • Familiar with Facebook Pages, basic HTML, Twitter etc
  • Excellent writer who wouldn’t be caught using “passion for fashion” or “chic” in forthcoming communication!
  • Ability to respond to emails within 4-6 hours
  • 1-2 years experience min. in related communications field (fashion PR preferred)
  • Passion and demonstrated skill with digital communication & technology
  • NY-based (preferred)
  • Must be able to commit to 10 hours a week for the next 3-4 months

If this sounds like you, please put PR Couture: Internship the title of your email and send over a cover letter, resume,  links to writing samples and 2-3 ways you think PR Couture could be better.

Let’s make some magic! Send that sparkle to crosby[at]prcouture.com

 

Filed Under: Jobs & Internships, PR Couture

Front Row Fashion PR: Q&A with Chandler Poling, White Bear PR

July 29, 2011 3 Comments written by PR Couture

Los Angeles-based Chandler Poling has honed his craft working in the fashion and entertainment business as both a producer and publicist. As Vice President for CW3PR,  Chandler ran two successful Emmy Award campaigns and worked second-in-command under Charley Walters to help expand the company from 3 clients to 11 clients in a matter of months, including Kathy Rose of Roseark Jewelry, couture designer Emil Gampe and Samantha Rei, America’s leading Lolita fashion designer.  About six months ago, Chandler opened up his own shop, White Bear PR, to provide PR in the fashion, entertainment and music industries with a focus on social media marketing.

How did you get started in PR?

I started by promoting a friend’s brand, Blasphemina’s Closet. I felt she had amazing potential and apart from our friendship, I knew her designs were incredible and that I could help her reach her PR goals.

What do you love about your job?

I love working from the ground up. I enjoy spotting raw talent, harnessing it and molding it into a form that is digestible to the public and watching the client excel into a solo-venture career where fashion supports them 100%.

What is your least favorite part?

The amount of time it takes. Typical PR campaigns don’t see high end results until 2-3 years later.

How have you seen fashion PR evolve since you started in the industry?

A lot of power has shifted from major magazines like Vogue to online hits like Women Wear Daily. I think the balance of influence is needed so one company doesn’t control what is chic and what is not.

Who is an ideal White Bear PR client?

An ideal client would be someone who has great designs, is a self-starting work horse and has a modest budget towards PR (p.s. PR is not free)

What attracted you to your current clients?

I only work with people I like. I don’t have time for divas or attitudes. Great clients have goals and stick them out to the end.

What role does product placement play in your work?

I used to work for NBC on the show “Heroes” where I did a lot of product placement. However in that circumstance, I rarely worked with apparel except one deal with Nike in Season 3. Currently, I pair up my fashion clients with my film/tv clients so their designs can be seen in beautiful photoshoots or red carpet events.

How can a designer know when they are ready to hire an agency?

When they start their own trends instead of following what’s hot.

If a client is focused on a particular fashion niche, what is your process to get up to speed on that particular facet of fashion?

I buy every magazine on that niche at the newsstand and devour the subculture so I can better understand what the market is looking for in that niche.

What advice do you provide clients with regard to building their brands through social media?

I always tell them to be proactive and interact with individuals. It’s important as you are starting out to build strong relationships with long term clients. A first time client who buys your designs is someone who could buy items off your next time. Keep in touch with them through Social Media and events and never underestimate them.

Get in touch with Chandler on Twitter.

 

Filed Under: Interviews, PR Couture Tagged With: ,

Uberchic PR Bar Tended by Recent College Grads

July 28, 2011 2 Comments written by Crosby

Ishah (left) and Sharissa Launched Uberchic PR Bar in 2010

If no one else will give you a chance, why not give yourself a chance? – Uberchic PR Bar

When recent college graduates Ishah Bass and Sharissa Fedeé, with Communications degrees from Delaware State and Rutgers, respectively, looked around at the job market, they didn’t find much to inspire a traditional climb up the corporate ladder. Their frustration was compounded was the lack of diversity among agency owners, a topic that has recently popped back up in the news. PR WEEK recently caught flack for not including any African-Americans in their Power List, and in March the trade pub published an article stating that “Women still make up less than half of the executive committee roles at most large PR firms and only four women lead agencies with more than $100 million in global revenue.”

In response, the two friends took a risk and launched a virtual PR agency, Uberchic PR Bar, as a means to both build the kind of agency they wanted while addressing the lack of diversity among PR CEOs. The small NY firm recently celebrated it’s one-year anniversary.

Both owners managed to pack in a substantial amount of industry experience while in college. Ishah interned at a local newspaper and was entertainment editor for the school newspaper at DSU (which comes in handy penning interviews for the agency blog) and Sharissa completed internships at Passion Style PR, Nessa Lee Baby, and Aros Communication. Early on in the process of creating their company, the two business partners worked with a financial adviser who helped them set up the basics of the business. Despite this, both women are keenly aware of the learning process that continues to occur, sharing that “experience has been the best teacher.”

While current clientele remains small, this allows Uberchic to work closely with artists, like fashion designer Marshall Anthony and R&B singer Jared Jones that are a cultural fit for the agency.

Follow along with Ishah and Sharissa as they continue to grow on Twitter and Tumblr.

Filed Under: Interviews, PR Couture Tagged With: ,
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