“There is nothing in life that does not require PR.” – Where I first heard that statement, I can’t recall. However, what I do know is that nearly everywhere I went, I continued to be greeted with that phrase. And, little did I know, I’d soon be living that ideal each and every day.

As a fairly recent graduate from Roger Williams University, living on my own in the heart of downtown Bristol, Rhode Island, I’ve learned a lot about myself. For one – I’ve always loved to write. There’s something about the written word, complex vocabulary and the notion of stringing well thought-out ideas into sentences that has always appealed to me. From my early days on the Hawks campus I pushed myself to communicate beyond paper; that’s when I began to discover my obsession with PR. It all began with a very outspoken and ingenious professor who, when told I wanted to pursue journalism, kindly corrected me; explaining that in fact it was her Public Relations class I was interested in. With minimal persuasion, I signed up for PR: Principles and Practices and within 1 hour of having the textbook in hand, knew that I had found my calling.

From there I dabbled in various forms of marketing and strategic promotions – I tried my hand at some advertising courses, creative writing and eventually garnered some Internet and HTML knowledge through e-Business and graphic design electives. I wanted to understand all aspects of strategic communications, both the business side and the creative, before setting down some PR roots. I interned in radio, participated in national consumer- PR competitions and even established myself as a freelance blogger; leveraging my love for writing to dig a little deeper into the world of social media and integrated-marketing trends.

At first glance, my early post-grad career has been a collection of experiences which has shaped my work ethic and professional goals today. Beginning as an Event Assistant at local non-profit, The American Cancer Society, I got my first real taste of the intricacies of event promotion and dynamic nature of fundraising. I later found my niche in the web content realm, developing my writing further and deciphering effective SEO strategies as the Blog & Content Manager at the Warwick-based Astonish Results. At Astonish, I helped to grow a one-man (yup, just me!) content team into a 6-employee content management division; helping to establish a results-centered keyword strategy for all onsite copy, blogs, press releases and link building articles for the company’s 350+ independent insurance agency clients. My work at Astonish Results helped to shape my current marketing and branding philosophy because it enabled me to help these independent agents establish their own, authentic voice. To me – you are your own best weapon—it’s all about being genuine and real.

Which brings me to Caster.

Caster embodies just that – authenticity. It’s an atmosphere where I know that I can learn and grow as a PR professional, while also remaining me. I’m a Type A, that’s a fact. I love organization (I’ve been known to color code) and I live for setting high standards for myself. I love a good challenge – be it creating a catchy blog title or pitching a new consumer product to a leading, tech trade journal. I am an avid newspaper-reader (yes, the real stuff, where the ink rubs off on your hands) and grew up watching the nightly newscasts with my father. I believe in the power of social media and the new wave of word-of-mouth marketing. I’ll always stop to read a new Brian Solis post or respond to a Chris Brogan tweet; and furthermore, I’ll always believe Content is King.

I am an avid blogger and lover of good, high-quality caffeine (hazelnut mocha with soy, has been my recent favorite). I long for lazy beach days and outdoor dining; well really any dining – I can’t get enough of local, foodie fare. But most of all, I love thy vibrant nature of communications.

Public Relations can be seen and felt everywhere. The world relies on PR. Our businesses partnerships, decisions and relationships all, to some degree, depend on strategic marketing and communications. That’s what makes Public Relations so intriguing – and that’s what drives me. I couldn’t be more excited to join the Caster Communications Team!

Rick Nicholson and H. Christine Richards of IDC Energy Insights published an article in the July/August edition of Intelligent Utility detailing their assessment of which utilities are leading the pack towards a Smart Grid.

 Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), Austin Energy, Edison International (NYSE: EIX), Oncor, PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG) and CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP), all of whom are based in either California or Texas, top the list of utilitites leading the way. I personally thinked they missed Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative (who is working with Caster client Control4)who aren’t just at the forefront of grid transformation but also leading the charge in consumer Smart Grid education.

Locally, National Grid (LSE:NG;NYSE:NGG), the nation’s second-largest utility, has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for $200 million in stimulus funding to develop an “end-to-end” smart grid deployment that will include approximately 200,000 customers in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

According to National Grid, the project will demonstrate the benefits of combining “smart” and “green” technologies from end-to-end (transmission to consumer) including demonstrations of clean energy technologies such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and solar and wind power as well as energy storage technology. The result will be one of the most technologically advanced smart grid deployments in the U.S. This initiative will provide an increased understanding of the interface between the next generation of green energy supply and the smart grid to pave the way for the broader roll out of these technologies in the states where National Grid operates.

Regardless of whether they get the grant money or not, I hope National Grid stays in the game; they have a chance to lead this initiative and really make a difference.

posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

Twitter served as a rallying cry at the Cheeky Monkey restaurant in Narragansett where a “Tweet-up” of Rhode Islanders was held to foster networking and choose the next addition to the appetizer menu. Users came from Westerly and Warren, Providence, Portsmouth and beyond to discuss social media and forge new relationships.

The Tweet-up hatched from several months of pro-bono social media work done by Caster Communications in support of the local restaurant. Only five minutes from our office, the Cheeky Monkey is a favorite dining spot because of the menu and atmosphere but also because the husband and wife ownership team (who were friends of Caster before this started) epitomize the challenges that small, independent businesses owners face. Using basic tools like a Facebook fan page, enewsletter and twitter account, the Cheeky Monkey uses social media in a variety of ways, including to:

• Announce menu specials
• Encourage fans to vote for the restaurant in local awards
• Solicit feedback on advertising or sponsorships
• Share recipes and culinary knowledge
• Offer exclusive “Twitter-only” specials
• Expand communications with other local small businesses

The backbone of the tweet-up were the three appetizers sampled and voted upon for inclusion on the restaurant’s menu. The three options were:  

Whole-wheat thin crust pizza with crispy pancetta, portabella mushrooms, caramelized onions, goat cheese and mozzarella topped with local baby arugala and drizzled with a balsamic glaze

Panko-crusted nori tuna roll     

Shrimp wrapped in phyllo dough with an herb-filled stuffing drizzled with a garlic aioli

After every crumb was devoured, the first option came out victorious securing its place as the first pizza dish to adorn Cheeky Monkey’s menu.

While Cheeky Monkey acted as the host, the event was truly a gathering of elite Rhode Island Twitter users. In a state the size of Houston, TX,  it’s easy to know a friend of a friend or figure out degrees of separation, especially when you’re conversing with Ocean Staters who are active in social media. Because it wasn’t a huge gathering, attendees had an opportunity to connect without  feeling like small fish in a big sea. Here are some interesting tweetbits I found out about some attendees:

@savorthethyme – Organizing a local bloggers event and working to get support of some prominent organic food vendors, she’s helping lead the R.I. Mom/Foodie movement and has a cool USB Flip camera that recorded some of the Cheeky action

@lilrhody – Putting together a panel of social media experts to discuss the benefits to small businesses in her hometown of Warren, RI, would also love a Cheeky-like restaurant to emerge in the East Bay

@GreggPerry – A major PR player in the Ocean State, he hosted a stellar Tweet-up at the beginning of the summer and also enjoyed his first Narragansett Beer in many moons with me. Call me jealous, he also knows Gene Valacenti. 

@AmyRoPhoto – Donated  her time and energy as a photographer to support a local Preservation Society event, she also enjoys adult conversation after a day of cajoling children into smiling

@davidsaraiva -  Offered fresh perspective on a client initiative I am dealing with. Also, if you’re a fan of Twitter management apps, remember the name Chatterbox

@JaneHCouto - Triathalete who goes for runs at 9p.m., deftly manages a slew of social media and still gets to bed at a decent hour

@JoeCascio – A sharp-witted content expert with a cheeky approach to social media, golf is often not far from his mind

I know I missed some folks so feel free to berate my absent-mindedness if you were ommitted. The first annual @CheekyRI  Tweet-up was a rousing success and we look forward to doing it again in the Fall when the menu needs tweaking again. Thank you to all who came out.

A special thanks goes to Stephanie and Jeff Cruff the co-owners who also act as head server and executive chef. It’s impossible to be more hands-on with a business than they are with the Cheeky Monkey restaurant.

Winners of two $25 gift certificates based on business card drop.

Posted by: Nick B.

@PRnick