#launchsquad

Kecha Wacha has been launched!

Successful Launches: 19 

Failed Launches: 7 

Pretty good for our first monster! 

It wasn't always my first choice to enter the world of Public Relations, but it has always been my dream to enter the world of entertainment. Ever since I was really young, I've been fascinated with "The Industry", the big screen, the glamour, and the excitement.

Coming from a family in which some of my relatives work in entertainment and cinema arts, I have been fortunate enough to have opportunities such as visit sets, meet producers, experience editing rooms, and so much more. When it was time for me to choose my career path, naturally I chose where my heart was, in the movie making business. 

Well, after an extremely rough first year of college as a Cinema major at San Francisco State University, I sadly realized it wasn't in the cards, that that wasn't really where my heart was. This is when I made a movie that would completely change the rest of my life, I moved to Chico, CA on a whim, and after a year, and 27 units at the local community college, landed myself on the doorstep to the rest of my life, my home, Chico State Journalism & Public Relations. 

Since the beginning of my college experience, I have learned a lot about myself, including my love for technology, my addiction to social media, and my undying love for the entertainment industry. 

If you were to ask me where I want to start my career in the Fall of 2012, I would have answered The Walt Disney Company one hundred times over. If you were to ask me where I want to start my career now, I would still say the same thing.

The Walt Disney Company is one of the most innovative entertainment companies in the world, and they also happen to be one of the most cutting-edge conglomerates to enter into the world of entertainment technology. Not only is their team massive, but its also world-renown. Disney would be a dream come true to work for as a Media Relations Specialist, and if anyone knows about dreams, its Disney.

Another company I have had my eye on for years is a small trailer editing company based on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles called AVSquad. I interned for this company as a Senior in high school, and loved the small office feel. I would love to act as their Public Relations Consultant on staff as a chance to enter into the world of cinema, and engage with their clients to gain esteem for the company. 

I have to add to this list a company from the "City by the Bay", my home away from home away from home, the oh-so-wonderful LaunchSquad Public Relations firm. I have been watching this company since before I even considered Public Relations as a career. The fact that their website defines them as "Hand-Crafted PR, Content Marketing & Video Production" just screams at me every time, and says "This could be you, you could be a part of this," and I will never ignore it. I am always finding myself looking at what they're working on and reading their case studies. This company takes everything I have ever been fascinated with into one place. This company is PR gold in my book.

Public Relations is more than just a major to me, its a way of life. Entertainment & Technology aren't just interests to me, they are a part of who I am. As I embark on this journey into social media fun (so excited), I can't wait to learn more about metrics, and the way these platforms work, and strategies to using them more effectively. This especially in the case of Twitter, since I am fairly new to the Twittersphere. So that is a little bit about me. Feel free to ask me any questions, comments, or concerns in the comment box below.

Also, follow me on Twitter @PaladiniPro for some interesting news, jokes, and crazy rants revolving around the Entertainment and Tech world. 

Ciao for now.

(post originally appeared on LaunchSquad's blog)

Ah, December. ‘Tis the season for Christmas caroling, gift giving, copious egg nog consumption, and the ritual onslaught of marketers clamoring to publish their predictions for the state of XYZ in the following year.

When it comes to the world of content, we’ve already seen titans like Contently and Kapost put forth their predictions for 2015, with many more brands sure to follow. What’s on their radars for 2015? More brand-owned publications will launch, Facebook’s impact for B2B marketers will continue to decrease, and companies will continue to jump on board the content bandwagon, recognizing the importance of a dedicated content strategy.

Undoubtedly good stuff.

Though I have to wonder: as great and (occasionally) intellectually stimulating as these kinds of posts are, what if we shook things up a little bit? What if in this here blog post we adopted the LaunchSquad mentality of taking risks and making bold choices, thinking outside the box while staying true to our mission? What if we predicted the future of content not 1 year, not 2 years, not 3 years, but 51 years in the future?

Well, guess what? We can. And we will.

Prediction #1. We will see the advent of branded humanoid holograms, who are designed to appear and interact as if they were actual humans, but who consistently pepper their conversations with thinly-veiled marketing messages. That nice girl you met on the subway lightrail? The one with the beautiful brown eyes and just-right jeans who is in every regard your dream woman, but for the weird quirk she has of referencing how much she loves her Apple iImplant every five minutes? Hate to break it to you, boy—she’s a brand hologram.

Prediction #2. Thanks to its retro charm, social media will make a comeback as a popular way of content distribution. In 2060, kids will be making fun of their grandparents for how ridiculous their preferred method of social interaction was. “You mean you actually typed, with your fingers, 140 characters crafted to make yourself appear smarter and more fun than you really were? Grandma, what were you thinking?” However, 2065 will see a surge of nostalgia that will bring back prototypical versions of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, opening a channel for content marketers to reach a savvy, hip audience.

Prediction #3. Brands will take over Top 40 radio, with culturally relevant hits like “I’m In Love With A Coke Head [sponsored by Coca-Cola]” and “Life is Not An A/B Test [sponsored by Optimizely].” And they will actually be damn catchy.

Prediction #4. Advances in Big Data will enable you to receive only the most relevant, personalized content… If you think, “I’m bored,” while on your way home from a dance class, you’ll be presented with an interactive video on the history of dance, sponsored by Dove and delivered straight to the inside of your eyelids (c/o your Apple iImplant, of course).

Prediction #5. …but black-hat content marketing will arise in the form of salacious marketers providing ad content to users when they are “hangry” and therefore less likely to make fiscally responsible decisions. It’s 6:3opm. You’re still at the office. You didn’t have time to eat lunch. Your best friend’s birthday party is tonight and you have nothing to wear. Picking up a $20 dress from H&M would be the reasonable decision, but you’re starving and have a headache and H&M is thirty blocks away and–what’s that? Intermix just sent you an article on how cute Blue Ivy’s daughter looked at her Sweet 16, and there’s a button you can click to receive that very dress via drone in less than 20 minutes! Sure, it’s $599, but you’re hangry; logic means nothing.

The below recap on Mike Farber's session is courtesy of Arye Barnehama and Laura Berman of Axio:

One of my favorite quotes has always been, "When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say that it happened naturally," spoken by Lao Tse. This is the job of Mike Farber, the CEO of LaunchSquad, a "full-service" PR firm. Mike, a JD, directs high-growth startups from behind the scenes to sculpt their stories for the public to read, listen to, watch, and be inspired by. 

The initial question of the Socratic-style dialogue with Mike began with a basic question of "what is…", in this case, "What is PR?” The startups in the room pondered, gave answers based off what we've read, experienced, and been taught about PR. Soon, however, Mike made the heart of the answer blatantly simple. PR is whom you surround yourself with. It's a form of validation, a source of credibility, a stamp of approval. It almost reminds me of schoolyard rules. At school, your reputation is based upon whom you hang out with. It is part of human nature to discuss the lives of others, but what people say about you is largely affected by whether you hang out with the "cool kids," the "nerds," or the "jocks." The same rule seems similar to how PR can affect the image of your startup. If you have the NY Times write about you, you can bet that people will believe in the credibility of your business. If you have an article in TechCrunch, you won't be guaranteed credibility, but you’ll be in with the "cool kids," of the startup community. So, PR is not just about reaching as many people as you possibly can, it's also about associating with the sources that you want. The sources for PR that you choose become part of the story that your startup wants to tell, whether your goal is to convert customers, become a thought leader, or launch an innovative technology.