Posted by Ryan 

During my first year of college I lived in NYC.  I started an unintentional tradition that year that has kept strong ever since.  Let me preface all this by saying I am somewhat of a Grinch when it comes to the holidays.  I hate the crowds, the tourist, the anger and frustration masked by cheer and blinking lights…but I digress.  During my first year here I decided not to go home for Thanksgiving and instead have my Mother come to New York.  I was only eighteen and had just moved that August so I didn’t know the city that well.  We stumbled through the holiday going to a random restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, getting lost on the subways, seeing all the tourist spots with all the other people that flood the city for that magical month and a half.  In the years following I went to various cities around the world for Thanksgiving.  The logic is if I don’t go home for Thanksgiving I’ll be able to enjoy Christmas at home rather than be totally burned out on the season already.
Last year having just moved back to the city I laid low and went to a nice dinner with friends.  This year however was the culmination of the tradition; it came full circle in a way.  My Mother returned to New York to celebrate the holiday.  Five years had passed and infinite knowledge about this city and life in general had logged its way into my brain making this visit was quite different.  There was no subway confusion.  Very little tourist interaction except for a few choice moments at Saks where, bless her heart, my Mother fell pray to a Givenchy makeup counter sales wizard despite my attempts to block his advances.  We toured downtown wandering the abandoned streets, ducking in to tiny furniture boutiques.  Brunched in Tribeca, strolled around the piers and had a truly fantastic Thanksgiving dinner.  Though this trip was smoother I could not help but think about how far I have come in this city.  Every street we went down I had a story, many of them starting with “I was drinking one night on this street and…” but just as many having to do with work.  I pointed out the Hearst building from Central Park, Conde Nast in Times Square, various showrooms I have pulled from for magazines and endless stories about editors, magazines, meetings and all the other crazy happening that come with living and working in New York City.  My mother, while not too impressed with the drinking stories, was impressed by the way this small town Michigan boy has adapted to life in the big city.  Now all I have to do is figure out where I am going next year for Thanksgiving, after all tradition states I cannot stay home and I have been here for the last two years.

posted by Nancy

Yesterday, on NBC’s Today Show was a segment on “Cougars”. Nope, not the animal that “roars“, more like the older women who apparently causes a “roar“. Linda Franklin, a self proclaimed cougar, wrote a beauty book called: “12 Best Kept Beauty Secrets of Real Cougar Women” (www.highyieldliving.com). Kathy Lee Gifford hosted the segment, proclaiming that being a cougar doesn’t mean all of the negative press that’s attached with the “cougar” woman. Linda Franklin, an author – Sharon Toomer, a reporter, and the VP of Sales for WD-NY, Susan Agnello were examples of professional women – but are self-proclaimed cougars. “Being a ‘Cougar’ is about an attitude, fashionable and the fact they date younger men – is just a perk!”, quoted from WD-NY’s Susan Agnello. Linda personally is offended by the stereotype and really wants women to embrace their sexuality, along with their sensuality. Linda explains that a “cougar” woman doesn’t have to be single, she can be married, – it’s all about the feeling of being alive. I loved this segment and thought it was brilliant! Linda was so kind to offer me a signed copy. Maybe a plan to prep for my future life? The perfect guide for the Cougar in Training…

posted by Nancy

Last week my co-worker Christine and I went to the Morgan 4-Ever launch, who happens to be my client Camille La Vie’s vendor, for a preview – also hosted by Kim Kardashian and her bodacious body. Christine and I went to the Underbar for festivities, cocktails and some mini hors d’oeurves…just had a mini quasi break up, looked at Christine, and said, “I need to have fun tonight!” With a {ching} in her smile, we toasted our pretty in pink champagne/vodka cocktails and proceeded to meet everyone at the party and even walked the quasi red carpet…how fancy! Now, this is the first time that I have been out with my co-worker, which turned into a 2am venture! Oy vey, no sleep literally ’till Brooklyn…let’s just say there was dancing, boy meeting, British speaking lads, drinks and a lot of laughs – who knew that I would have to keep up with Christine, TOTALLY making me forgot that we were actually supposed to be keeping up with a Kardashian.

Posted by Nancy

So, at any job you have your “favs” of whom you like to work with best…right? Well, I do have to say all that cross my path on a daily basis are ALL amazing…several different types of personalities and figuring out what they like best about you, that makes them so amazing to you (meaning me!) Like dating many people at the same time, which I apparently am a pro at – but that is a completely separate blog entry ; ).

You know when you are dating a few people and that day comes when you are out with one person and you run into another? Well, you know that feeling like you are cheating on them, but you aren’t exclusive, yet feel really bad? Yup, that’s how I felt the one day I was with one editor and ran into my fav editor (seriously I heart her) and I felt like I was cheating…bizarre but true…it was like I was two-timing!

Posted by Nancy

Another fabulous opening by H&M, this one featuring one of my ultimate fav designers – Roberto Cavalli! I – like the rest of the obsessed fashionistas have been craving the day to come to finally see the line at H&M. Since, I of course was running around like a sane mad-woman – my lovely friend RED offered to check out Roberto Cavalli’s line for me. She entered around 10:20am, “pure madness” she texts…as expected. I have her on the hunt for this snake necklace that I MUST have. She points out that there are women that made her feel small grabbing racks of 2′s and 4′s…hmmm, do I sense an e-bay moment? Anywhooo…there is one piece of jewelry left, literally behind a slew of security that is standing around, yes you guessed it – Mr. Roberto Cavalli himself. As she attempts to tackle security, stare down another woman that is coveting the same piece – she looks up to see Roberto Cavalli watching the showdown. And as she turned to swipe the necklace, she turned and looked at Roberto Cavalli and all she could think is, “wow, he looks like Warren, from WD-NY”…Now, maybe some of you haven’t had the opportunity to meet WD of WD-NY, but they share the same crazy hair, love of big scarves, couture jackets, skinny jeans and big ass snakeskin cowboy boots. Except, I am not sure if Roberto would share the same love of a yellow convertible, that WD drives – of course vanity plate, WD-NY! Nonetheless, I am proud to say that I am the owner of the snake Roberto Cavalli for H&M necklace…

Posted by Ryan  11/7/2007

Last night I had a telephonic epiphany. I was home alone and wanted to talk to a few friends I had not spoken to in a little while. So I called one friend, no answer. Called another, no answer. By the third friend not answering I am starting to think I am either a dork sitting at home on a Tuesday night or I am being heavily screened. Finally by the fourth call I get through and catch up with a friend from high school that now lives in Boston. While we are catching up I received three other phone calls, all from the people I had previously called. This is where the epiphany comes in. When you really want to talk to someone they are hardly ever available, when you can’t talk they are more than ready and finally if the thing you hate most to do in life is leave messages (it ranks in the top ten on my list) you will be forced to leave them over and over in rapid succession. Which brings me to my workday. Calling editors is part of being in PR; moreover talking to people is part of PR. Get me on the phone with the right person and it is magic. However put me in contact with voicemail and then a longer than average beep to signify that there are more than a few messages in said persons voice mailbox and I start to get flustered. What is the solution to this problem you ask? I have come up with one of my own. First, never leave messages for friends, ever. Second, when you have to leave a message keep it extremely brief and finally if you have a list of people to call expect no one to answer and when you finally get to talk to someone it will be a little bit of a coupe. After all catching up with friends is great but finding out that an editor is in desperate need of a product I represent is worth leaving a few hundred messages.

Posted by Christine 11/5/07

It’s Monday, and I’m coming off another wonderful weekend filled with friends and family… Friends and family who, quite frankly, are never really sure what my job entails on a daily basis!!!  They hear me talk about new products, beauty trends, fashion editors, store openings, gift bags, celebrities – but they’re not quite sure how it all fits together. So, I found myself trying to explain what the busy/hectic/creative/fun life of a publicist is like to a family friend at a party on Friday night. I started with a recent home fragrance Fruits & Passion mailing I did. I told him about the difference between editors and publicists; how we help each other, how we need to stay ahead of trends, but somehow my job description got lost when he caught wind of the price of a room spray. (On his defense, this is a young guy who’s probably never bought room spray in his life!) Immediately, I started rattling off the differences between aerosol and spray pumps, organic and natural products, and before I knew it, I was in a heated debate with about five partygoers about sustainable beauty/lifestyle products and pricing. It was at that moment that I realized (at its core) what my job at this agency is really all about and what keeps me motivated – educating people about quality ingredients and products for better living. Quite fitting for someone who believes in better living – no matter the price! Next time I have to explain my job, though, I think I’ll start by telling people my latest revelation!

Posted by Ryan

Well it’s over.  My favorite holiday of the year was yesterday and now I have 364 more days until I can dress up again.  Ideas are already percolating about what I will be.  This year I was an equestrian, which no one seemed to get, so I ended up being an Upper East Sider, which sadly made more sense in everyone’s mind.  Next year my goal is to have everyone instantly understand what I am without question.  As the Halloween parade lurched up 6th Avenue there were numerous Amy Winehouses, gladiators and various ghouls.  My personal favorite was the pair who dressed as Naomi Campbell and her abused maid.  Throwing a cell phone every five feet was a nice touch.  As I watched the people stroll by I got to think about branding.  The diehard fans of the day always go all out, there is no question about what they were trying to be.  However as a girl with a box over her head walked by with “sexy fridge” written on it I couldn’t help but wonder did she just throw that together or did she want to be open to interpretation? Having a good brand identity is integral to the success of a Halloween costume as well as a company. Yesterday, as fate would have it, our office received three different publication packed with clips from our various clients. It’s amazing that such different publications can feature the wide variety of clients that we represent.  I suppose its just like Halloween, we all dress up in different costumes but for the same purpose.  As C.I. Visions has been preparing its own brand rejuvenation the idea of mass appeal while maintaining an individual identity was a must for us.  Just like the sexy fridge tried to assert her uniqueness, so are we, hopefully our identity and goals are easier to figure out.