As part of our team, the intern will work directly on client projects, including:
- writing press materials, newsletters, and other publications
- creating content for social media
- researching media and promotional opportunities
- developing media lists
- tracking media

If you’re ready to spend the summer with us building your portfolio and enhancing your skills, email your resume to internships@himmelrich.com.

Priority will be given to candidates with academic course work or prior experience in public relations, marketing or communications.

No phone calls, please.

Last night, Jeopardy gave the Maryland Science Center a shout-out by including it in an answer during its “Power Players” episode with Robert Gibbs, Lizzie O’Leary and Chris Matthews. Obviously, the clue crew thought they needed a museum with a well-known reputation as a hint for the mover and shaker contestants.

This morning, the Maryland Science Center hosted a press conference announcing Constellation and Exelon’s $1.8 million donation for the creation of a new energy exhibit. The Maryland Science Center is the first recipient of their post-merger contribution commitment to Baltimore. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s kind words about the Maryland Science Center and its mission topped off a great morning.

A few hours later, the Science Center’s upcoming Mixology 101 adult beverage event received “Top Pick” designation from Baltimore Sun Restaurant Critic and blogger Richard Gorelick.

When our clients have a great 24-hours of visibility and success, it’s pretty nice for us, too.

Woohoo!

Last night at the Public Relations Society of America - Maryland Chapter’s annual “Best in Maryland” award ceremony, our account coordinator Garrett Berberich was named the New Professional of the Year. This prestigious award “recognizes a rising star in the PR profession who demonstrates an understanding of the principles of public relations, effectively supports their clients’ communications objectives, demonstrates ethical behavior and exhibits the highest standards of professionalism.”

That’s Garrett. His thoughtful understanding of our clients goals, and his strategic and planful work, have resulted in huge successes as well as the trust of his colleagues and our clients. And he’s a good guy to work with every day.

The honor is well deserved. Well done Garrett!

I thought I’d share some of what I have noticed and has been of value to me over my past three months here at HPR:

1) Whether it is completing an assignment or going to a meeting, punctuality is a necessity. Be on time!

2) What you will get out of your internship is what you put into it. A rewarding internship comes from being proactive. Ask for more work. Do more than what you are asked to do on a project.

3) You will make mistakes. When that happens, understand and recognize the difference between criticism and constructive criticism. It is always the latter, so take notes.

4) Say yes to everything—extra projects, an invitation to a client event, attending a meeting, all of it.

5) Keep it short, sweet and to your point. Whether it is emails, pitches, questions or explanations, make sure you know your audience and proofread everything you write (even a sticky note). A few extra minutes of editing and reflecting is always better than an awkward follow up of “oops!”

6) Be present. Put down the cell phone, stop texting, get off Facebook and pay attention to everything going on around you. I have learned the most from simply listening.

I was told when I started that I would not be looked at as just an intern—what was expected from me was expected from everyone at the firm. I don’t know if I exceeded the expectations, but my internship experience at Himmelrich PR has definitely exceeded mine.

From a current intern (for the next hour or so),
Gabrielle Cohen

Summer is coming a little early for us this year. Last week was the final show of the 10 events we promoted during our “spring show season,” and this coming weekend marks the first of the nine “summer” events we are working on. For months, we have been negotiating, coordinating and managing a client’s title sponsorship of some pretty big-deal festivals around the country. Over the next 10 weeks, we will celebrating our country’s history, international residents, and favorite food traditions at events in Texas, Virginia, Oregon, Ohio, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee. First stop: this weekend in Florida.

Baltimore-area craft lovers set new sales records at the show—total sales were up 22%, the highest in six years! In fact, sales and attendance were up significantly at all of Sugarloaf’s Spring shows. We can’t wait for the Fall—and the opportunity to help set even more records!

Having spent eight months working on the campaign, I was thrilled this morning to learn that my student team, composed of five seniors, was selected as finalists for the Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) 2012 Bateman Case Study Competition. The annual competition is for public relations students at colleges and universities around the country to plan and implement a full public relations campaign. This year, the campaign topic for all 70 student groups was childhood obesity. Our team’s entry was chosen as one of the top three finalists and we will present our campaign in-person to more than 30 judges in Minneapolis next month.

Our program, Mission: FitPossible, was created to battle childhood obesity in underprivileged areas of Silver Spring, MD. Mission: FitPossible included 18 events with the Boys & Girls Club and YMCA of Silver Spring, multiple media hits online and in print, a frequently visited website, a Twitter account, a Facebook page and activities with many of the University of Maryland athletic groups.

After sharing this news with everyone in the office, I realized how my experience at Himmelrich PR helped me with the campaign process. Part of what I’ve worked on has been the firm’s social media monitoring and media tracking, which served as the foundation for my team’s formatting for Mission: FitPossible’s evaluation section of our proposal. As an intern, I am constantly exposed to people in the office pitching to the media. For Mission: FitPossible’s launch, I tried out my pitching skills by using Himmelrich PR’s approach to media relations. This helped my team reach our media goals and receive a lot of positive attention from local online and print outlets.

More than 10,000 visitors—a 13% increase over last year—shopped for handmade items at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Gaithersburg, MD. We know that the media we generate (including features in the Washington Post, community newspapers, dozens of blog mentions and stories on three DC TV stations) helps ticket sales, but we are also heartened to know that we are supporting American artists. The talented craftspeople who participate in the Festivals choose to produce one-of a kind-pieces and want to spend most of their weekends meeting directly with their customers. We admire their creativity and their unique approach to businesses—and we like helping them succeed in both.

Last night, we enjoyed seeing how our work supports our local community. Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland hosted its annual celebration of National Volunteer Week. More than 200 community volunteers heard an inspiring presentation by Public Allies executive director Paul Schmitdz, and were introduced to dozens of local organizations that can only deliver their services through the generosity of volunteers. It is satisfying to know that many of the attendees at the event may have been there—and will contribute to the making Baltimore a better place to live—because of something we wrote or a media contact we made.

We made a quick list of some of what we have discussed in the office this past week: dragonflies; Japanese metal forging; federal legislation about accommodations for people with disabilities; open container laws; squirrel art; loose leaf, fair trade, organic tea; the best donuts in Portland, Oregon; finishing salts; Pinterest copyright issues; supermarket layout strategies; gout; running routes in Fells Point; the population of O’Fallon, Missouri, and monarch butterflies.

Look who’s talking now…Us!

We need more help. Our current clients are asking us to do more, and our new clients are eager to get going. That means that we are eager to fill our open Account Executive position. We are accepting resumes, interviewing, and ready to hire.

PR Account Executives at Himmelrich PR take a leadership role in generating media coverage for our clients, developing and coordinating sponsorships and creative promotions, and managing the relationships with our clients. The ideal Account Executive candidate must have at least 3-4 years of public relations and media experience, including pitching stories and creating media relationships. He or she should be a strong and quick writer for all types of media and have experience managing projects, preferably at an agency or within a communications department.

We are growing, and the Account Executive will grow along with us. We think this is a fun, smart, collaborative and creative place to work - and we want someone fun, smart, collaborative and creative to share it with.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to jobs@himmelrich.com.

(A note to earnest college seniors looking for a job: while we appreciate your interest in joining us, we will only be considering candidates who have at least three years of full-time, professional PR experience.)