Waking up in Vegas: an Account Coordinator’s Journey
Posted by Hannah Rickards
Las Vegas thrives on an unparalleled ability to add pizazz to even the most mundane human experiences. For those of us who call Sin City home, lifestyles and career paths tend to be devoid of anything “routine.” Thanks to the eclectic nature of this incredible city, my livelihood has included singing, celebrities and nitro, which amazingly converge in my position as a Public Relations Account Coordinator with Wicked Creative.
If my father knew his daughter would attend college in Las Vegas, he certainly would have shipped me to a nunnery. Thankfully, to fund studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I made my papa proud and became a singing gondolier at The Venetian. Without setting foot in Italy I mastered the art of rowing a gondola, singing Italian arias and pairing horizontal stripes with red sashes and pleated pants. The gondola paved the way to meet a myriad of people from around the world, hear an incredible amount of personal stories and witness countless weddings and engagements. Working in the heart of The Strip provides an experience unlike any other with fast-paced interaction and daily encounters with the unexpected.
Following graduation from UNLV, I began my media career as a DJ for Mix 94.1 at CBS Radio. While much joy came from giving concert tickets to enthusiastic listeners, my most memorable interactions came from interviewing Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy, giving Mat Kearney a high five and Jared Leto complimenting my dress. Every on-air shift, a radio personality must be prepared for a variety of scenarios including, but certainly not limited to, surprise band interviews, callers who curse, switchboard malfunctions and having your show kicked off the air repeatedly by National Weather Service updates.
Continuing my passion for being on-air I have hosted the webcast, “This Week at LVMS” for Las Vegas Motor Speedway since September 2009, which recently underwent a tune-up to become rebranded as, “Vegas in the Fast Lane.” My role at the track expanded to include victory lane interviews at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (where NASCAR stars Kurt and Kyle Busch began their careers) and interviews with drag racing legends inside Club Nitro during NHRA national events. The amazing position allows me to interact with some of the biggest names in the sport including John Force, Tanner Foust, Jimmie Johnson and so many more. The racing environment is completely unique; drivers are focused, fans are passionate and the unpredictable can truly happen.
Akin to working in PR, Las Vegas presents a unique set of challenges, opportunities and experiences. Thankfully, tourists are not hogging all the fun. Many careers here allow for dealings with celebrities, noteworthy job descriptions and a genuine possibility of waking up covered in glitter.
Everyone at Wicked Creative brings a distinctive background to the office. Get to know all of our fabulous publicists here: http://wickedcreative.com/who-is-wicked/
A New Girls Guide to PR in Las Vegas
Posted by Devin Aaron
As a new resident of Nevada, I get asked a lot, “How do you like Vegas?” Initially I was too culture shocked to really say one way or the other. Sure, I love living in what to me is a big city, and there is always something to do. But, Vegas doesn’t have my favorite Kansas City BBQ and I’m hard pressed to find a station showing a Kansas University Jayhawk’s game. Those things aside, I have really started to love living in Sin City. To help me get settled, I started keeping track of all the best advice I have received since moving to Vegas and compiled my top five tips for surviving my new city and job.
Tip number one: never leave home without your GPS. A new city is a scary place, and at the drop of a hat you will be asked to drive across town for a meeting, photo shoot or event, and you will have no idea how to get there. Just plug that address in, let it calculate and you are on your way. In my opinion, GPS is a God send.
My second tip: always have a spare pair of heels. Last minute meetings are a way of life in PR and personally strutting around the office in my 4 inch heels all day sounds like a version of medieval torture. Every girl in the Wicked Creative office has at least one spare pair of heels hidden under our desk, shoved in our bags or sitting on the floor of our cars.
The third tip I have for you is to be social. The best way to make connections in a new town is by going out. Your connections can help make your job much easier and you never know who you will meet and how they can help you and your clients.
Tip number four: remember to take care of yourself. Moving to a new city or starting a new job is incredibly stressful, and like my mother always tells me, you need to take a moment to breathe. Go get your nails done, hit up the gym for a yoga class or do a little retail therapy. All work and no play makes for a very dull PR professional.
Tip number five: drink! I’m not talking about becoming an alcoholic, but who doesn’t love heading out with your co-workers and hitting up happy hour? Nothing ends a hard day of work like throwing back a couple of cocktails and gossiping with your friends.
I’m sure I have so much more to learn from Wicked Creative and my exciting new life in Las Vegas, but for now I’m taking on Sin City one day at a time. For more information about our wickedly wild world, please click here.
Wicked Way to a Red Carpet
Posted by Cara Zizzo
I’ve always been fascinated with the Hollywood glitz and glam, but being a Midwestern girl growing up in the “Windy City” I never thought that my career would include working red carpets for celebrities and clients in Las Vegas.
You know that celebrities worry about what to wear on a red carpet; and when you are working in PR, you do, too. The goal in PR is to stay out of the shot whenever possible, but when it can’t be avoided you want to focus on two things: being polished and invisible. It’s like being a bridesmaid. You want to look nice, but you don’t want to overshadow the bride.
What to wear:
Outfits
One thing, cheesy and all, but wear a smile. No one likes a bad attitude and I know most people don’t like being caught in the background of a photo frowning. Smile the entire time you are interviewing someone, it may feel awkward, but it comes off as friendly and the celebrity will usually talk longer. Always dress professionally – you are working, after all. If your skirt or dress is going to be a little tight, then you better pair that with a boyfriend blazer. Never wear strapless. Rule of thumb, if you have to question if it is too short, then chances are it is. Leave the club party dresses at home. Wear a solid color, and never wear white, a bold pattern or anything else that will pop in the background of a video or photograph.
Shoes
Usually events can run hours upon hours. By the time the PR representative has to show up – usually before most people if it is your event – you might be on your feet for several hours before the job is done. Shoes are key. You don’t want to wear your cutest pair if they hurt your feet after an hour, because you will end up looking like you are doing the “Thriller” dance by the end of the night. But then again, you don’t want to be seen wearing Crocs on the carpet (or ever). It is hard to find a happy medium, but once you have that pair, keep them, and buy them in multiple colors.
What to bring
Clipboards
Nothing is worse than not being organized for a red carpet. Carry a clipboard with everything on it. If you think having the celebrities IMDB bio printed out and hidden at the very bottom, then do it. Have a check-list, shot-list, interview questions, timelines, names of every media member attending and then some. Plus, if you have a clipboard in your hands (and the proper credentials if needed) most people usually don’t ask questions about where you are going and who you are with.
Business Cards
Always carry business cards, and look out for new press contacts. If you don’t have a purse, stick them on your clipboard or in your pocket.
WELCOME
Posted by Stephanie Wilson
Welcome to our new Wicked Creative website along with our very first blog.
As the owner of Wicked Creative, people ask all the time where I got the name Wicked Creative. I wish I had a better answer, as it is simply a nod to a former business partner who is from Boston. If something is really great, that is how he describes it with his lingering East Coast accent… “That car is wicked cool…” or “She’s wicked hot…” and so on.
To him, it was the highest compliment and I still feel it fits perfectly what we offer as a public relations company. The name Wicked Creative has an edge to it, and I believe we do business differently than other agencies. Plus, in the PR industry, there truly is no rest for the Wicked.
We are based in Las Vegas, and we have a new audience to market to on a weekly, and even daily, basis. A great media placement last week means very little to the visitor checking into their hotel today, so I encourage my team to know their clients inside and out to find different, impactful ways to continually pitch new stories to media.
I’m continually in awe of the work produced by my team and I couldn’t be more proud of the Wickeds. For more information about each of us, please click here.
