Suzanne Forte PR

Random observation - Spreading holiday cheer

2012-01-10T21:42:00.001-05:00

Decorating for the holidays is fun until its time to clean up and the festive scenery usually hangs around several days after the big event. While eating a taco somewhere in Atlanta, I noticed that large businesses also spread holiday cheer a little longer than necessary.

*picture taken 1/6/12

Random observation - Positive economic drivers

2012-01-06T22:56:00.000-05:00

Random observation - Positive economic drivers

The Labor Department announced that thousands of jobs were added to the economy in December, signaling a positive upswing in consumer confidence.

I have my own scientific observation. Today, I counted 15 new cars in a three-hour period. Atlantans are definitely driving towards optimism in the new year.

BlogFestivus Day 12 - I did it!

2011-12-12T21:23:00.001-05:00

I did it!!

I did it. I completed 12 short stories in 12 days all inspired by the 12 days of Christmas.

It was rather difficult blogging each day about a random verse but I made it. Hats off to Blogdramedy for putting this together.

Drum roll please...here's the final entry.

No More Drum Sets

On his third birthday, the little boy received a drum set from his grandparents. His grandmother adored him and loved to shower her grandson with gifts.

As soon as the boy set eyes on his toy, he quickly ran and took a seat behind the drums. Both drumsticks were attached to his right hand and his feet were kicking the cymbals.

The guests were amused but his parents wore masks with flush cheeks of anger. The mother pranced around and greeted guests while the father daydreamed about hiding the new gift in the attic.

Grandma was filled with joy and clapped harder to encourage her grandson. She paused and announced her final gift before leaving the party.

Several additional drum sets were revealed and the party goers began singing happy birthday. Grandma was so delighted while watching twelve drummers drumming.

BlogFestivus 2011 Participants (in all their unwrapped glory)
Blogdramedy (writing challenge instigator)
Fix it or Deal
Shouts from the Abyss Stevil
A Few Clowns Short
Rewind Revise
The Original Bean
Becoming Bitter
Words That Rhyme with Purple
Mad Hatters
A Daft Scots Lass
Random Says
Suzanne Forte PR
Slightly Whimsical
Trail Blazer 1
Ivanna Marie Lenore Diane’s Thoughts Exactly
Diary of a Mad Gay Man

Photo credit: http://www.kidsdrumsets.net/sets/childs-drum-set-kit.htm

BlogFestivus Day 11 - Water and Pipes

2011-12-11T20:47:00.001-05:00

The mice were running to the music making the wheel turn super fast. It was also raining that day and the sound of dripping water blended with the melody.

Sprinkled with sequins the mouse house was glowing and caught immediate attention from everyone walking into the room. The mouse house also served as the perfect distraction that hid the crumbing bigger structure.

The rain pounded the ragged roof and the wood could barely put up a fight. The floors were soaked too and the walls were transformed into waterfalls.

The rain came down harder transforming toilets into overflowing swimming pools. The abandoned home was flooded with water and the mice would drown soon.

Overworked the pipes burst while the rain continued piping. Eleven skirted Scottish men sat in the room with the mouse house and played music as the storm passed and finally ended.

BlogFestivus Day 10 - Leaping

2011-12-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

The couple traveled far to a foreign island to celebrate their honeymoon.

Nothing was off limits and they agreed to be open to try new things as long as they were together.

The first day of the honeymoon was spent on the beach and ended with a beautiful sunset. The second day was full of clear blue water and getting lost while floating on love. The third day was the most adventurous filled with nature hikes, bike rides and mountain tours.

At the end of the mountain tour, the couple stopped to look at the amazing view. The guide noticed the loving gaze and offered a free bungee drop. The couple shared everything including a deep fear of heights but remembered the honeymoon promise. The couple shared a kiss, walked to the edge of the cliff and repeated 10 times, "Lord I'm a leaping".

BlogFestivus Day 9 - I just wanna dance with somebody

2011-12-09T21:33:00.002-05:00

I just wanna dance with somebody

Whitney Houston played while the elite drank wine.

It was only one in the afternoon but the neighborhood upper crust had already toasted the night away.

Sipping the day away was hard work that a few enjoyed.

"Do you have a real job?”

"Of course I do, I own a jewelry store." she replied.

"Designer?"

"No, I just buy and sell."

Another neighbor shouts, "And it's affordable too."

The group laughs in unison.

A famous director slips in and quickly runs to the back after seeing so many faces. He notices the music and requests to keep it playing. He also challenges the server to get the crowd dancing and offers a huge tip if he can complete the task.

The server winks and rushes to the group singing. Nine ladies surround him and start dancing while singing, " I wanna dance with somebody."

BlogFestivus 2011 Participants (in all their unwrapped glory)

Blogdramedy (writing challenge instigator)
Fix it or Deal
Shouts from the Abyss Stevil
A Few Clowns Short
Rewind Revise
The Original Bean
Becoming Bitter
Words That Rhyme with Purple
Mad Hatters
A Daft Scots Lass
Random Says
Suzanne Forte PR
Slightly Whimsical
Trail Blazer 1
Ivanna Marie Lenore Diane’s Thoughts Exactly
Diary of a Mad Gay Man

BlogFestivus Day 8 - 8 Maids of Milking

2011-12-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

Day 8 of the BlogFestivus 2011: Seasonal Short Story Challenge.

"I invented the milk mustache," said the maid. "Children love milk and it was my sign to parents that the baby was well fed and happy."

"Really?" replied the young woman halfway listening to the applicant for a housekeeping position. "Anything else?"

Deflated, the maid tried to think of something. "I'm really good with animals."

The woman’s eyebrow raises, "Tell me more."

The maid blurts out, "I'm good at calming animals. I was responsible for cows and had a knack for collecting huge amounts of raw milk. Cows are rather moody you know but they love rap music and pretty ladies. To get the cows motivated, I always played a Rick Ross song. I once dressed up eight of my friends as maids and had them milk the cows."

“Not happening on my farm but great idea for my husband’s birthday party. You're hired."

BlogFestivus Day 7 - Seven Swans A Swimming

2011-12-07T20:02:00.001-05:00

Oh my, can’t believe that I made it past the half way point of the BlogFestivus 2011: Seasonal Short Story Challenge.

Here’s entry #7 and links below to other creative stories.

Seven Swans A Swimming

After a tolerable day at work, the recent college graduate sat in traffic while listening to a self-help book about the peaks and valleys of life.

A sports car cut him off but the voice from the radio motivated him to wave his hand instead of making a finger gesture. The voice was soothing but today’s meeting with a coworker kept repeating in his mind. He tried positive thinking about the peaks but really wanted to push his coworker into the valley.

After replaying the encounter for five minutes, he had barely inched up the highway. Gridding and stopping of car brakes now played and the melody gave him a headache.

He quickly glanced up and saw seven swans a swimming in the sky in the shape of the number seven. He laughed sarcastically and thought that today must have been his lucky day.

Blogdramedy (writing challenge instigator)
Fix it or Deal
Shouts from the Abyss Stevil
A Few Clowns Short
Rewind Revise
The Original Bean
Becoming Bitter
Words That Rhyme with Purple
Mad Hatters
A Daft Scots Lass
Random Says
Suzanne Forte PR
Slightly Whimsical
Trail Blazer 1
Ivanna Marie Lenore Diane’s Thoughts Exactly

BlogFestivus Day 6 - Six Geese A Laying

2011-12-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Six geese were hanging out at the beach spreading their wings and flapping in the sun.

The water birds loved the San Diego glow and always appreciated a deep feather tan. The geese were also thrilled by the weekend lay an egg competition and prepared for the festivities. The week was filled with webbed leg squats and wing presses. The geese also drank a special potion to get the eggs churning.

The day finally arrives and the birds are instructed to sit on a beach towel. Each contestant is given five minutes to lay the most eggs while California Girls by the Katy Perry floats in the air. With just seconds left on the clock, the six geese lay exactly the same number of eggs. The birds create a tie for the very first time and the competition is renamed six geese a laying.

Blog Festivus 5 - Five Golden Rings

2011-12-05T22:16:00.003-05:00

Five Golden Rings

Staring at five golden rings, the young boy wondered how it felt to become an international sports star.

Swimming, playing basketball or running around the world seemed pretty cool.

He ached for the chance to see the golden rings and tried to master almost every sport. He had little success with swimming and was horrible at dribbling when it came to basketball. He was an average runner and lacked the technical skills to become a wrestler.

Discouraged, he thought he might never see the golden rings until one day he was discovered by a nosy neighbor.

Spotted 30 feet in the air, tumbling and making incredible flips, the neighbor had a need for his gymnastics team and tried to get the boy’s attention by yelling out the window. That didn’t work so he threw the only thing he had and removed five golden rings.

Image credit: http://blog.inkyfool.com/2010/12/five-gold-rings.html

Blog Festivus 4 - Four Calling Birds

2011-12-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

Here's entry #4. Be sure to find out how the others were inspired by the daily challenge.

Blog Festivus 4 - Four Calling Birds

"Don't answer," yelled the cat. " I have this annoying stalker that keeps blowing kisses and picking up the phone only encourages her."

The dog looked puzzled and a little jealous too. The dog always had admirers but never a stone cold stalker. He quizzed the cat and asked what made him stalker worthy.

"Are you kidding me?," screeched the cat. "Look at my eyes. Ladies go wild for green cat eyes."

Just then the phone rang and the dog was tempted to pick it up. He cleared his bark but the cat raised his tail causing his hair to stick up.

The dog wondered why his friend was so scared of the invisible stalker. The phone rang again and the dog's animal instinct told him to look out the window.

To his surprise, he saw four calling birds smirking while holding a cellphone.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27205670@N00/2131553917/

Participating blogs

Blogdramedy (writing challenge instigator)
Fix it or Deal
Shouts from the Abyss Stevil
All My Answers
Tori Nelson
A Few Clowns Short
Grouchy Mom
Rewind Revise
The Original Bean
My life: a constant work in progress
Becoming Bitter
PamBamBam
Clan of the Cave Hair
Words that Rhyme with Purple
Mad Hatters
A Daft Scots Lass
Random Says
Slightly Whimsical
Trail Blazer 1

Read and Repeat: Special Sections

2011-12-03T20:53:00.001-05:00

Read and Repeat: Special Sections

Special sections like the Wall Street Journal's Women in the Economy, are great resources for public relations professionals.

In addition to featuring leading experts, the section always includes statistics, sources and company names that can saved for future projects.

Listed below are interesting facts that could be used in pitches, newsletters, or marketing materials.

Although 83% of mid-level women have a strong desire to move up to a higher level in their companies, their chances of landing a senior executive job are 60% those of men.
It took 191 years to get the first woman on the Supreme Court.
We estimate there are about three billion people working in the world. About 40% of those are women.

Read and Repeat highlights industry articles and offers personal commentary.

Blog Festivus 3 - Tre's French Hens

2011-12-03T20:50:00.000-05:00

Still going strong, below is entry #3. Check out the other short stories by visiting the mentioned blogs.

Blog Festivus 3 - Tre's French Hens

Tre was once a very famous executive and had definitely experienced the finer life. Tre made a few bad business decisions and the finer side of life led him to a farm.

An ordinary piece of land with one cow, four middle-aged chickens, a hunch back horse and a robust pig.

Tre hated farming and did weird things to forget his surroundings. He often dressed in three-piece suits while milking the cow and didn't mind tending to the pig in fur-trimmed slippers.

Bored and simply unhappy with his new life, Tre was desperate to do something different. Inspired after visiting the chicken coop, he rushed to the kitchen and frantically selected the best spices then fried the dish to a frenzy.

He tasted the masterpiece and fell in love. He wanted an exotic name to call his new dish. He paused and suddenly it came to him, "Tre's French Hens."
Participating blogs

Blogdramedy (writing challenge instigator)
Fix it or Deal
Shouts from the Abyss Stevil
All My Answers
Tori Nelson
A Few Clowns Short
Grouchy Mom
Rewind Revise
The Original Bean
My life: a constant work in progress
Becoming Bitter
PamBamBam
Clan of the Cave Hair
Words that Rhyme with Purple
Mad Hatters
A Daft Scots Lass
Random Says
Slightly Whimsical
Trail Blazer 1

Image credit: http://tresfrenchhens.blogspot.com/

BlogFestivus Day 2 - Two Doves and Turtle Wax

2011-12-02T20:20:00.003-05:00

Day 2 of Blogdramedy's Christmas challenge.

Here we go and don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the holiday fun.

Two Doves and Turtle Wax

All I want for Christmas is a hot turtle wax and two chocolate Dove candies.

But if prompted to ask for more, I guess I would also ask for a green giraffe, yellow orange Lima beans, a rocket shuttle painted Nicki Minaj pink, VIP box seats to the circus, a mega phone that altered my voice to sound like T-Pain, a radioactive cellphone that actually blew up after excessive usage, a magic eight ball that really told the truth and had all the right answers, a donkey that spotted true jackasses, a magic carpet ride to grandma’s house, spotted pants that were always in fashion, a furry unibrow that made everyone envious, a perfume bottle full of perfection, waffle maker that cooked last night's dreams, sirens that wailed softly, windows that always had the best view, books with no endings, unbreakable trust and sunny guidance.

Yep, all I want for Christmas is a hot turtle wax and two chocolate Dove candies.

Participating blogs

Blogdramedy (writing challenge instigator)
Fix it or Deal
Shouts from the Abyss Stevil
All My Answers
Tori Nelson
A Few Clowns Short
Grouchy Mom
Rewind Revise
The Original Bean
My life: a constant work in progress
Becoming Bitter
PamBamBam
Clan of the Cave Hair
Words that Rhyme with Purple
Mad Hatters
A Daft Scots Lass
Random Says
Slightly Whimsical
Trail Blazer 1

Photo credit: http://tackyraccoons.com/category/retro/page/15/

BlogFestivus Day 1 - Who you calling a pear tree?

2011-12-01T20:50:00.001-05:00

Blogdramedy has organized a 12 day Christmas challenge. Here's entry #1

Who you calling a pear tree?

There was once a songbird that lived in a pear tree.

She had a beautiful voice that buzzed like a bee.

High notes and low, she could hit them all.

Quite a beauty too and never made a fall.

Then one day she met a young Jay.

That made her heart flutter each and every day.

Little jays suddenly appeared.

And the songbird grew bigger than a reindeer.

The jays no longer danced to musical notes.

But learned how to dance to chewing like a goat.

Big Jay came home and to his surprise.

His songbird had really juicy thighs.

Big Jay hid all the food with glee.

And hoped that his songbird flew to Jenny Craig to weigh less than the pear tree.

Photo credit: News Group Newspapers, http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3303453/Britains-fattest-robin-found.html

Read and Repeat: Get to the Point

2011-03-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

In today's New York Times, a restaurant owner describes a bad experience with a public relations company and a "longtime corporate PR executive" attempts to defend the profession.

The response from the executive includes extremely long sentences that are meaningless. Similar to pitching, the best way to express your feedback is to get straight to the point. Comments should be brief and filled with facts.

Below is a statement from the article and revision. Let me know which one packs a better punch.

Original statement
I Googled your place and am still not clear on what it’s known for other than seafood (which you can get in so many places on Long Island)....

Revised statement
After researching restaurants in the area, I discovered that there are 20 locations with simple sustainable concepts similar to Southfork Kitchen. It might be helpful to promote unique sustainable ingredients that are exclusive to your venue.

Read and Repeat highlights industry articles and offers personal commentary.

Money Mondays

2011-02-21T20:31:00.000-05:00

Monday is a great day to focus on finances. From filing important receipts to following up on a project proposal, the beginning of the week is my time to get prepared for monetary goals.

It's also a great day to research and draft pitches for clients. Many news outlets announce upcoming stories for the week and Twitter is always buzzing with weekly activities.

For example, today's morning broadcast on WSB radio mentioned in-depth reporting on the Sweet 16 party shooting and explored if this is a new trend in Atlanta.

PR tip: Make the first day of the work week priceless by gathering details and facts for pitches. Georgia Daily Digest and @ATL_Events are awesome resources to support your media relations efforts.

PR Project Wrap Up

2011-02-17T21:59:00.000-05:00

AGLCC Community Expo 2011

I just wrapped up another project for the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, promoting the 2011 Community Expo.

The FREE event featured many top Atlanta companies recruiting on-site including Turner Broadcasting, Sun Trust and Kudzu.com. Beverage giant Coca-Cola also offered diverse businesses a chance to join the supplier team.

More than 500 job seekers didn't miss out on the opportunity and media outlets Midtown Patch, Scoutmob Atlanta, 11 Alive, Atlanta INtown and GA Voice shared the details.

PR tip: Use multiple resources to promote an event. For the expo, I pitched uber-popular Scoutmob and tweeted information to traditional outlets like Atlanta INtown paper.

Suzanne Forte PR

Random observation - Spreading holiday cheer

Random observatio​n - Positive economic drivers

BlogFestivus Day 12 - I did it!

BlogFestivus Day 11 - Water and Pipes

BlogFestivus Day 10 - Leaping

BlogFestivus Day 9 - I just wanna dance with somebody

BlogFestivus Day 8 - 8 Maids of Milking

BlogFestivus Day 7 - Seven Swans A Swimming

BlogFestivus Day 6 - Six Geese A Laying

Blog Festivus 5 - Five Golden Rings

Blog Festivus 4 - Four Calling Birds

Read and Repeat: Special Sections

Read and Repeat: Special Sections

Special sections like the Wall Street Journal's Women in the Economy, are great resources for public relations professionals.

In addition to featuring leading experts, the section always includes statistics, sources and company names that can saved for future projects.

Listed below are interesting facts that could be used in pitches, newsletters, or marketing materials.

Although 83% of mid-level women have a strong desire to move up to a higher level in their companies, their chances of landing a senior executive job are 60% those of men.

It took 191 years to get the first woman on the Supreme Court.

We estimate there are about three billion people working in the world. About 40% of those are women.

Read and Repeat highlights industry articles and offers personal commentary.

Blog Festivus 3 - Tre's French Hens

BlogFestivus Day 2 - Two Doves and Turtle Wax

BlogFestivus Day 1 - Who you calling a pear tree?

Read and Repeat: Get to the Point

Money Mondays

PR Project Wrap Up

Random observation - Positive economic drivers