by Jon McFadden, Associate
Through my experience as part of the 1910 PR team in the Fall of 2022, I gained hands-on experience in several areas of public relations.
I entered the semester hoping to secure and expand my writing skills. I also hoped to utilize and develop my creative thinking, graphic, video production skills, and knowledge of the various social media platforms.
I’ve not ever considered myself to be a writer. However, writing is one of the top components of public relations. As such, I’ve questioned my writing skills and recognized a need to build faith in my writing abilities. The first assignment for the semester was to write a lede for an upcoming press release. My lede was selected, and I was assigned to write the full press release.
While there were significant modifications before the release was distributed, I gained knowledge about the changes, which added to my confidence in writing.
Later in the semester, I wrote another press release with fewer suggested modifications. This further assured me that I have a good foundation for PR writing and am ready to grow that skill.
I enjoyed the creative outlet that came from working with 1910 PR. My work experience includes extensive audio-visual production projects. I creatively showcased several 1910 PR client events through graphics and videos during the semester. I hadn’t tailored a video for use as an Instagram post or Facebook Story before working with 1910 PR. This allowed me to determine the proper format and time restraints for producing some videos for clients and the firm. I am including two examples: one created for the firm itself and another for a DLS event. The executive team of 1910 PR asked me if I would create a daily countdown to the 5th birthday celebration for the firm.
Dr. Ellen Ochoa, space shuttle astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, spoke at West Texas A&M University as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. I created a story for Instagram and Facebook, counting down to her presentation. #creativity #writing #design #video #graphics #Instagram #PressRelease #confidence #HandsOnExperience