Recently, Chicago diners have had the pleasure of having two great culinary events (Chicago Restaurant Week & Chef’s Week) to showcase some of the city’s great restaurants. As the resident foodie at Zapwater, I was eager to try as many restaurants as possible and even encouraged my fellow Zapwater employees to get out of the office and have a few (rare) nice lunches with me. I love the opportunity to dine at some higher end restaurants for an affordable price and had some really great meals along the way including the Garganelli Pasta with Spanish White Atlantic Tuna at Naha and the delicious Wok Seared Prawns with Chile-Garlic Paste at Aja in The Dana Hotel. We also had lunch at the new West Loop restaurant, Prairie Fire and tried their signature burger. Although I loved the blue cheese topping and the fact that it came with no bun, I have to disagree with Chicago Magazine naming it the #1 burger. My favorite burger is still the Havarti Burger at Duchamp, hands down. For Chef’s week, I also tried Lincoln Park’s new Kith & Kin and had the most amazing shrimp and grits I’ve had in a long time and a to die for peanut butter pie with pretzel crust!! I couldn’t get enough of it! After all that eating and starving myself for weeks after, I can’t wait for my next foodie adventure in San Francisco and Sonoma. Stay tuned…
The story of the arrest, trial and execution of John Wayne Gacy in the late 70’s early 80’s is part of Chicago History. He certainly affected lots of lives – not just the young victims, but also the many family members of the victims who continue to suffer today. Some of our city’s residents speak about Gacy as new serial killers appear on the scene and others just wish the whole situation was never spoken of again. While working with award-winning producer Clark Peterson, producer of “Monster,” on the upcoming film “Dear Mr. Gacy” starring William Forsythe, the Zapwater team has learned a lot about this man they called The Killer Clown. As a native of Washington, DC., and transplant to Chicago a few years ago, I’m glad I now know this story. Get yourself up to speed on what happened 30 years ago and the movie coming out in 2010 by reading the latest media clips and checking out www.dearmrgacy.com.
As a first time dog owner, I could not be more excited about springtime in Chicago. You see, we adopted our pup Tater (as in tot — not the salad) at eight weeks old on Thanksgiving Day. Not surprisingly, the first four months were full of quick trips outside, indoor doggy play dates and short sprints from the car to our front door. While I love having Tater in my life, owning a dog in the city has not been the glamorous experience I fantasized about ever since moving onto Armitage Street, a dog-friendly Mecca for lifestyles of the rich and fabulous, three years ago.
Now that the first signs of spring have finally arrived, I have started to anxiously daydream about all the metropolitan ways Tater and I will be spending our summer. From trips to Montrose beach and runs along the lakefront to outdoor brunches and Dog Park play dates; the possibilities seem endless. (Never mind the fact that I don’t like running, or that the nearest Dog Park is miles away…)
Tater is a full on mutt: Part German Shepherd, with a splash of Golden Retriever, yellow lab and possibly Shar-pei, and as a proud dog owner, I am determined to show him off. Some of Zapwater’s favorite dog friendly locales include Le Dress Boutique in Wicker Park and the park around the Park Grill on the Plaza.
What are your favorite dog friendly venues? Sarah Marseille Senior Publicist
I went to a very small school (Loras College) which had only about 2,000 students (this was smaller than my high school!). And although I was a Duhawks basketball fan, I never really got into March Madness. That all changed this year, after being fully immersed in University of Kansas Jayhawk basketball through my boyfriend, who is a very proud KU alum.
I have to say I’ve become a Jayhawk fan myself and am so excited that March Madness has officially begun! I’ve already won four of my games in my bracket (as of 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 18th) and can’t wait to see what else happens! Now I finally understand what all the hype is about and have to say that I’m pretty proud of myself for finally getting into the March Madness spirit.
A few of our Zapwater clients are also getting into the games by offering some special deals. Le Dress boutique in Wicker Park is teaming up with Mulberry & Me, Penelope’s M.Go and Elevenzees to celebrate the culmination of college basketball by offering 90% off select items. For men who visit a HALO Salon (for men) during game days, they can view all NCAA games while getting groomed.
No matter who you’re rooting for have fun and take advantage of the March Madness specials across the city. Although I have to say I can’t wait to be cheering on the Jayhawks in Indy!
By this point in time, almost everyone and their mothers (literally), have become social media savvy. We read @SusiePR’s tweets about delicious food, @hkWinter’s comments about “one love” and even @KimKardashian’s notes about her new nephew, Mason; but, I can honestly say that I hadn’t given much thought to how the corporate sector utilizes social media tools to engage their customers. At my very first PCC lunch, I learned how the healthcare industry connects with their clients via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even LinkedIn.
After an indulgent, three-course meal at Maggiano’s, we were introduced to the speakers, media relations-specialists representing major corporations that included: Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Illinois, Abbott, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Science Unit of Edelman.
The discussion revolved around the challenges these corporations encountered while implementing social media and the strides they have made in this area. Within the past year and a half, health care companies have worked diligently to educate their employees on how to casually engage with customers online in order to build their trust and direct them to accurate information.
Different companies have adopted different social media strategies to adjust to their goals. Blue Cross-Blue Shield wants insurance to appear painless and approachable. Therefore, they connect with their customers by addressing their questions on Twitter. Northwestern Hospital wants to educate the masses. To accomplish this, they use both Facebook and Twitter to uncover the “hot topics” in health and then modify their website accordingly so information on these topics is easier to find.
The health care industry has strategically broken into the social media arena and has thus far been successful in educating and providing meaningful engagements with their clients. Time will tell what their next steps will be…
After three truly wonderful months of maternity leave, I’m back in the Zapwater office again. While the people around are not nearly as cute as I’ve become accustomed to, I have to say I’ve missed this place! The Zapwater team welcomed me back with open arms, and 2,500 emails.
I can’t help but catch the buzz of excitement about new clients such as House of Marley, and new team members like Jenn Lake. It’s also great to be working on some of my old favorite clients like RA Sushi and Park Grill. So, while my days are once again filled with pitches and press releases instead of drooling and diapers, it’s great to be back! Kassy Reiff Senior Publicist
In recent months, television has become a crowded place for communications professionals. Public relations-based shows have popped up everywhere from BRAVO’s“Kell in Earth” to E!’s “SPINdustry.” Every publicist seems to be touting their tales of turbulent times in the industry, while every other publicist in the country clutches to their couch, praying that this won’t be another train wreck like MTV’s “PowerGirls.”
For those of you who didn’t watch, MTV’s “PowerGirls” followed New York publicist, Lizzie Grubman and team. The show positioned the lives of PR people as extravagant, from trips to the Hamptons to organizing P.Diddy’s White Party. Shopping break in the afternoon anyone? Surprisingly enough, Kelly Cutrone and her team at People’s Revolution (stars of “Kell on Earth”), have done a great job of showing what PR is really like. Tough work, long hours, and a “get it done” attitude but “do it right the first time.”
I recently picked up Kelly Cutrone’s book, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside. Inside it, you’ll find a random mix of things from her personal story (including stints with drugs and homelessness) to how to create your own religion. Some pages leave you wondering why you spent $22.99 to buy the book, but there are some key takeaways:
1. Build A Tribe: Seek out mentors and influencers that will help you along the way. Tap into these mentors for ideas, inspiration, and guidance – you never know when you’ll need it.
2. Clothes Don’t Make the Man or Woman, but They Help: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. That doesn’t mean investing in designer clothes or spending a fortune on apparel, but it means being put together and being prepared for the unexpected.
3. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: This is a great lesson for professionals. When you make a mistake, don’t cry about it or complain, fix the problem and find a solution. The time you spend crying could have spent mending the situation.
Zapwater Communications tagline is “We Don’t Make the Headlines, Our Clients Do” – a tagline that we are all proud to be behind. The best publicists are ghosts, behind-the-scenes and always putting client’s interests and press before their own. With that said, expect to see incredible things from our team ahead. But don’t expect to see us on BRAVO anytime soon.
