Tag: Clairemont Communications

The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 13 – I’m Official!

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Wonderfully Random, ,

I have been so immersed with projects and client work that I didn’t get a chance to share my utter excitement about being added to our website!

Before interviewing at Clairemont, I conducted a somewhat broad search for PR companies around Raleigh. When I found Clairemont’s website, I fell in love with the color scheme and the compelling blog articles.

The “Our Team” section was my favorite. All of the team members’ headshots were beautiful, and the linked profiles to their social media really provides a tidbit on who exactly they are. As a student, I longed for the day I would be working in the “real world” and become a part of a company’s website.

All of my pageant practice of smiling in front of the camera didn’t go to waste, because I am now featured in that coveted section. Although it may seem trivial, this accomplishment was a joy for me. This one simple photo symbolizes the start of my professional career in PR. I have begun my career in PR ahead of schedule (I graduated six months early), and I can now call myself an “Account Coordinator at Clairemont Communications.”

I can honestly say that this job is the perfect fit for me, and I am so humbled to come to work every day. When I have free time, I am always popping on our webpage and looking at our team–which now includes me!

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 12 – Our Office

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency, ,

I think that comfort in the workplace is a big deal. Well, at least for me it is. I worried about transitioning from my own space into a random cubicle. I was afraid of corporate America with its white walls and boring elevator music. In my quest to prove that feng shui matters, I discovered many studies that say the atmosphere enhances the flow of energy and may bring favorable effects.

One of my favorite things about my job is not only the people, but also the place. I love walking into The Clairemont House every morning. The versatility of the space doesn’t just limit me to working from my desk. I can choose to switch it up and move about the house whenever I need a change in scenery.

I find that working at The Clairemont House doesn’t make coming to work a chore, instead it almost feels as if I am working from home. The cozy atmosphere in the office space is inviting and collaborative. The chic decor makes the office culture fun.

As a native of Raleigh, I know this city pretty well. I love to explore different areas, as well as learn a little more about my hometown. When I accepted the job at Clairemont, my excitement grew to learn more about downtown and its rich history.

The Clairemont House is conveniently located off of New Bern Ave on South Bloodworth Street in the heart of Historic Oakwood in Downtown Raleigh. In the finishing decades of the 19th century, some of the city’s chief educators lived in Oakwood.

The Oakwood neighborhood borrowed its name from the nearby cemetery and was the first district in Raleigh created to be a private residential suburb. Oakwood remained an upholder of the middle class through the early 20th century.

The house is perfectly outfitted with large windows and a wrap-around porch. Talk about luxury office space. The gourmet eat-in kitchen and dining room make the perfect place to cook and eat your breakfast or lunch.

If all of these reasons don’t make the house seem extra special, come on by and see it for yourself. Trust me, you will be begging Mrs. Hughens to let you have a corner to curl up in and enjoy a good book.

 

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 7 – Event Planning

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Marketing, ,

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

Little girls love to play dress up, and as a child I remember wanting to put on my mothers shoes and clothes and was often caught playing in her makeup.

Kids today especially fancy Disney Princesses, although I thoroughly enjoyed Cinderella; I never requested to go to school in the costume or demanded her at my birthday party.

The realization that children obsess over these characters hit me when the newest Disney Princess was released. Elsa, from Frozen. Queen Elsa of Arendelle or the snow queen, is the protagonist of Disney’s Award winning 2013 animated feature film.

Elsa is voiced by Idina Menzel and serves Disney as the 13th princess and very first queen. Elsa possesses the magical powers to control ice, frost and snow and has taken the Disney world and children’s hearts by storm.

I know you have to be reading this wondering, what does this have to do with PR? Well, one of our clients is interested in having Elsa at an event.

At Clairemont, our task is to find the most authentic Elsa impersonator that is realistic and believable for the children to enjoy. The Clairemont team has to do the groundwork to not only make the client happy, but also bring smiles to little girl’s faces when they see their idol walk through the door.

Think that’s an easy task? No way. Every company in the Triangle boasts to having the “best” Elsa.

After doing research and narrowing down the best girl for the job, budget became a concern. Many companies carrying the best costumes and wigs don’t come at a cheap price, and without freezing the clients budget it was back to the drawing board.

The team had a new dilemma. Will the character draw enough interest to justify the added cost? Will bringing in the character distract from the company’s event?

With all of these factors in mind, we turned to costume shops in the Triangle, and apparently, we aren’t the only ones after an Elsa costume. One company had the costume booked through April. So yes, we believe Elsa will indeed draw children singing, “Let it Go” (her theme song) to our event.

Now all we have to do is relay all of this information to the client, and see if he too will jump onto the Frozen bandwagon.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 6 – Grand Openings

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency,

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

What makes a song bluegrass? Searching the web could possibly lead you to a million different definitions. Simply put bluegrass is a style of acoustic music that originated in the 1940’s. Bluegrass has often been referred to as “America’s music”.

There are many distinctions of bluegrass from the typical country sound. Bluegrass usually has a lonesome musical sound with instrumentation of the banjo, guitar, stand-up bass, fiddle and mandolin.

All of these things never really mattered to me until I was tasked to figure out who’s who among America’s vast list of bluegrass bands for a client. My search ranged from North Carolina to Tennessee.

The Clairemont team’s job is to pinpoint an amazing main stage act that will draw the community out, and bring more word-of-mouth advertising for the client’s event.

During my search, I learned some agents don’t even want to talk with you if you aren’t mentioning big money. I didn’t take it personally, instead I opted to tell them there was no real budget and I was looking for the best in the business.

Although I have never experienced haggling with music agents, I think I did a pretty good job. I reminded myself that they are regular people just like me. Every agent I contact needs my business just as bad as I need their band.

After a series of dead end calls, and a few bounce-back emails, I finally had a breakthrough. I spoke with a few agents that were willing to work with us.

Throughout the day, it seems that my list has grown tremendously from five to 15 bands. All afternoon I have been receiving calls from national recording artist reps and I have to say, I feel special.

If you are ever in need of a bluegrass band as a main act at an event, make sure to stop by the Clairemont House and see me! I have added at least twenty bands and contacts to my repertoire.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 5 – “Business Casual”

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Fashion, , ,

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

It’s your first day at work. Your boss lets you know that the dress code is “business casual”. Honestly, you don’t know what that means; you rack your brain trying to think about exactly what that is. You leave your stuffy suit behind and decide to wear your strapless sundress. When you arrive to work, your co-workers look nothing like you. Embarrassed, you realize that a little clarity on business casual is needed.
For many recent grads just like me, the days of throwing on sweat pants and a t-shirt just to make it to class are long gone. My mornings before class would be hectic and frustrating if I had no clue what I was wearing. During my undergrad days, I somehow expected my closet to work magic for me (not!).

Transitioning into the work force means new clothes, and I was ecstatic about trading my TOMS for heels and my Levi’s for slacks. Business casual may seem simplistic to some, but I find that a lot of people have a hard time understanding exactly how to dress for work.

Appropriate attire may be discussed a few times during the undergraduate experience, but when you enter the working world, you are bombarded with the realization that business professional (compared to business casual) has distinct rules.

The definition of business casual is vague, and a lot of times there is no general agreement. Factors that affect the dress code at work include the size of the company, the climate outside and the culture of the workplace. The office expectation here at Clairemont is business casual with the understanding that formal events may require business professional.
Here are a few tips that I generated if you, or anyone you know, fears being a little too causal at work.

1) Less isn’t more. For the business world I have found that showing a ton of skin isn’t in vogue. Dress with modesty.
2) Play it safe; slacks and/or khakis are your best bet if opting for pants.
3) Jeans are not considered business casual.
4) Dresses and skirts should reach knee length or longer. Avoid skirts with low cuts or high slits.
5) Knit shirts, sweaters and polos work great with mixing and matching.
6) Strapless tops and dresses should be avoided at all costs.
7) Open-toed shoes are acceptable, but be careful with flip flops and sandals in the summer.
8) Blazers or sports coats can help to polish your look.

Double-check yourself with a few more questions:
1) Would I wear this to bed?
2) Would I wear this to the bar?
3) Would I wear this to a Halloween costume party?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, choose something else for the workday. Hope this helps someone tomorrow morning!

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