I was set off this morning by an article regarding the fact that the house used for exterior shots in the 1981 movie, Mommie Dearest,  was recently sold and the new owner is just tearing it down.  Now, the new owner has a right to do whatever they want with the property, after all, I don’t pay the taxes on it. So I have no right to say, but why buy a house just to tear it down?!  It’s a beautiful mid-1930’s colonial, not some ugly post-modern eye-sore.  The rest of the neighborhood homes are similar mid-1930’s gracious mansions, not a bunch of cookie-cutter stucco mcmansions.  The property is not historically significant, despite having a classically-bad movie filmed there, so it doesn’t necessarily deserve protection by a non-profit society.  But why buy a house just to tear it down?  Why not remodel or adapt it to your needs, or buy elsewhere?

This is also happening in my neighborhood here in Orlando, as I’m sure it’s happening all across the country.  I live in an area of gracious mid-century ranch—style houses with large lots, sweeping lawns, and mature trees.  It seems like when a house sells, the nouveau riche new owner tears it down, strips the lot bare, and builds to the lot-lines, a multi-story mcmansion that sticks out like a sore thumb.  I have nothing against those who like that style of house, in fact there are many very nice neighborhoods with exactly those types of houses built up in the last decade, just a few miles out of town.  In my opinion, if you like that kind of house, go there!  If you like the kind of neighborhood the older home is in, buy it to reuse, recycle, and/or remodel it! 

The same is true when writing an article.  When it comes to topics and content; reuse, recycle, and/or remodel.  Don’t re-create the wheel or struggle with new that might not fit in with your current brand.  Use a book chapter, or a blog post, or a workshop handout.  Keep the same message that fits in with your current content, just reformat it for the audience of the magazine you’re writing for.  Your re-creation could be remodeled just right so that your new style of home is re-born!

When I woke up this morning lyrics from the Michael Bublé song “Feeling Good” were running through my mind:

          It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day

          It’s a new life for me

          And I’m feeling good

          I’m feeling good

It’s a new dawn, a new day for PR/PR Public Relations as we give best wishes to Carter as he moves on to greater adventures and opportunities.  Carter has been with PR/PR for nearly nine years, just three months less than I’ve owned the agency, and almost half of its 20+ year existence.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Carter professionally is his brilliant writing.  He turns a phrase and molds a metaphor better than anyone else I’ve read.  Many clients were the beneficiary of his skills while he was crafting article pitches and press releases for them.  His attention to detail and follow-through will be a blessing to any organization lucky enough to have him in their fold for a while. 

When I think of Carter on a more personal level I think of a genuinely nice guy and good friend.  I know he’s fiercely loyal to his friends and has their back no matter where on the globe they live.  From his travels, he does have friends he keeps in contact with all over the world.  I will miss our conversations, and sometimes debates, over politics and other current events.  His ability to root out the truth of any media source bested my position on an issue many times. 

Carter will be missed at PR/PR.  He was an asset to the agency.  We wish him luck and happiness.  PR/PR is a boutique agency and he is a talented young man who needed to step away in order to keep moving up and we completely understand this. 

His email address is still active, but for faster service just email me directly and I’ll get right back to you. 

Take care, Carter! 

Yesterday was National Doctors’ Day here in the States, and it could not have landed on a more apropos day. Doctors and healthcare workers are manning the frontlines of this pandemic, risking their own safety to work to save the lives of their fellow citizens. They’re working incredibly long hours—sleep deprived and likely homesick, but they’re answering the call to battle COVID-19.

As I type this, the State of Florida has eclipsed 5,500 cases. It has more than doubled since the weekend. It will continue to rise over the coming days. April is likely to be a very difficult month for the entire country as states and municipalities play a cruel game of whack-a-mole with this virus. Contain an outbreak here, just to have another appear over there.

It will take all of our cooperation to stay indoors to limit its spread to allow these heroes among us the time to do their thankless work. If the healthcare system becomes overwhelmed, we’re limiting taking our first-line defenders out of the fight.

You’ve seen the photos of these healthcare professionals and the message they’re imploring us to heed: “We come to work for you, please stay at home for us.” There’s very little that we can do right now—we’re unfortunately at the mercy of this virus. But we can limit our exposure to others and do our part to protect the doctors and nurses and lab techs that are working tirelessly on our behalf.

So thank you, doctors, for your bravery and your relentless drive to fight this for us. You’re our line of defense against this disease, and true heroes in a time when we desperately need them.  

There’s simply no way to put it: The whole world has changed in the last week. With the COVID-19 pandemic enveloping the globe, it’s threatening the population and disrupting the economy. Many cities and states are on virtual lockdown—including here in Orlando, where the governor gave the order that all bars and restaurants can only operate in a take-out capacity.

Things are quieter. There’s an eerie still in the air with the lack of cars on the road, the decrease in movement. We’re all doing our level best to contribute by remaining at home and working to flatten the curve and stem-the-tide of this disease. We know that people are hurting. We’re naturally social creatures—we crave face-to-face interaction with others.

And since that’s not entirely possible at the moment, we’ve taken to tech—and it’s been invaluable during this period of social distance. Musicians are hosting Facebook Live acoustic sessions, professionals are offering online Q & A’s, and most importantly, it’s allowed us to decrease the feeling of separation by video chatting with friends and loved ones.

Without the benefits of social media and technology at this point, I’m sure we’d all be going absolutely stir crazy. It’s not the same as hanging out and enjoying another’s company, but it sure beats complete social isolation. People are hosting online happy hours using Google Hangouts to stay connected with friends, and businesses are using online meeting software to keep their workforce engaged and productive.

It’s our new normal for the time being—there’s really no blueprint for this type of pandemic in the 21^st Century. But we’re all in this together, and we have to do what we can to support one another. That involves checking in on your friends and neighbors, making the calls to people you’ve lost touch with, and offering words of encouragement during this unsettling and surreal moment.

PR/PR is eternally grateful to the first responders keeping us going during the COVID-19 pandemic. The healthcare workers, the grocery employees who keep the shelves stocked with food, the police and fire departments keeping our communities safe, the sanitation workers and mail carriers and janitorial staff. These everyday heroes are working so hard right now, and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts.

Stay tough, stay strong, and we’ll get through this together.   

This is an incredibly unsettling time. COVID-19’s global impact has laid bare our vulnerabilities—it respects no border, it does not discriminate between generation, sex, creed, or political ideology. It is something we are all forced to face head-on, by adjusting our behavior and the way that we go about our lives each and every day.

That means practicing social distancing to protect the population at-large, and doing all that we can to stop the spread of this virus. We hold every one of our friends in our thoughts during this moment, and wish you all the absolute best as we work together through the days to come.

PR/PR does the majority of our work on the phones and online, so while we are respecting all of the guidance from the government and healthcare officials, we are still working tirelessly for our clients to deliver on the specific goals of their publicity campaigns. We’re still we’re still garnering and sending along article placements, and still crafting pitches and press releases—just remotely for the time being.

Please be safe during this time of uncertainty, and look after your friends and family. We’re keeping to relative normalcy here at PR/PR, and will continue our diligent work on our clients’ behalf.