Take Flight with PR - Contest Winner

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Council of PR Firms annual dinner, where I announced the winner of the PR Takes Flight video contest.

Part of The Council's mission is to attract young talent, so we've put together a comprehensive program to showcase how exciting a career in PR can be.

Part of that was asking young folks to submit video entries of how they would view a PR career opportunity.  The winner received $2500 and a series of interviews at NYC PR firms.

Ashley Varner from The College of William and Mary was the winner, and she sat at my table for the entire dinner last night.

Take a look at her incredible video by clicking here.

What was amazing about the evening was the attention that Ashley was getting.  First of all, we were all blown away by her video.  Incredibly insightful and professional, especially when coming from a college senior.  She created a concept within the video with a great set up, story line, and execution.  Amazing work.  The audience literally sat stunned watching it.

But probably more importantly, we were all struck by Ashley as the symbol of the next generation of our industry.  Articulate, savvy, and creative ... and ready to apply her talents.  It's so energizing to be around the new folks coming in because we can all continue to learn and grow from them.  It's why I teach my classes at NYU.

Congrats to Ashley and all the upcoming talent ... we're waiting for you and we need you!

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post