Author name: stratacomm

As PR practitioners, we consistently preach to our staff about attention to detail. Typos happen. According to John Bender from the Breakfast Club, “The world is an imperfect place.”

Starting a career in communications can be overwhelming at times – clients with a variety of needs, figuring out your personal organizational style, constantly juggling time management, not to mention managing relationships with colleagues as the new kid on the block, all while striving to traverse the professional landscape with some semblance of confidence.

Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” NBC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman is learning that lesson the hard way.

We’re very excited to welcome some talented communicators to the Stratacomm family. Joining our Washington, D.C. office is Laura Zabriskie, senior public relations and marketing specialist; Amy Rigard, communications outreach specialist; Kenneth Gayles, senior account executive; and Katie Hibson, account executive.

Stratacomm is thrilled to be part of the winning team recently awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement to support the Office of Communications and Office of Education and Outreach for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Recently I participated in a two-day cycling event to help raise funds to combat multiple sclerosis (MS). Hours in the saddle with nothing but open road clears the mind to make room for greater perspective. One thing that occurred to me along the way is that cycling offers lessons in leadership. Here are several to consider …

I’ll let you in on a little secret: communications professionals don’t have wands, and we don’t all speak French. Everyone has rituals – things they do that give them the spark needed to bring a story to life. It’s different for everyone, but early on in my career I realized something the day I tried talking to a colleague sitting across from me and got no answer …

The success of the Silver Line is fresh testament that proactive, creative and inclusive public outreach is a must-do for all large and/or sensitive infrastructure projects. With the first phase of the Silver Line now enabling riders from all over our region to reach activity hubs like Tysons Corner and Reston, the second phase will allow them to travel to the airport and beyond in 2018. With easier and often faster trips, the community wins big with the Silver Line.

Stratacomm partners recently acquired majority ownership and control of the agency, once again independently managing and operating the agency. In other words: we sunk a heck of a lot of our own money into the joint. We knew we couldn’t neglect what differentiated us in the marketplace: our culture.

Summers in Washington, D.C. are hot and humid. It is also when energetic and upwardly mobile interns descend upon the town to gain a few months of so called “real-world” experience. Our two D.C.-based summer interns recently asked Bill Buff and me to a “lunch and learn” to discuss how we ended up on our respective career paths, what makes a good job, our proudest moments and our biggest regrets. Here’s how we answered …