I don’t envy what my corporate communications counterparts at big tech companies like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! are going through this week in the immediate aftermath of the leaks and disclosures around domestic cyber surveillance and PRISM. Unfortunately for these in-house stewards of the company message and front line spokespeople with most outside constituencies, they in all likelihood had absolutely no idea of the extent to which their employers have been engaged with the NSA on these expanding national security campaigns involving listening in and monitoring of our voice and data traffic.

And everybody but the PR guy wants it that way: the fewer people inside a Google who have top level security clearance the better – it makes plausible deniability much easier when you can send your senior press representative to the podium and have him or her ape Sergeant Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes: “I know nothing!”

In all seriousness, though, we in public relations are living through interesting times, to borrow a hoary Chinese cliche. The proliferation of information that we create and leave online and that companies track and aggregate offline, together with increasingly more sophisticated ways of analyzing all this structured and unstructured data – to enrich our shopping experiences, better connect us with like-minded people, provide more valuable business insights and, of course, keep tabs on what we say, where we go, who we call if the government is at all curious about us, for any reason whatsoever  - is creating new challenges for those of us who work with companies in the business of collecting, tracking, curating, marketing – and perhaps evens providing the US Government with – all this personal information on us.

It presents at first blush a prickly moral dilemma depending on your individual stance on privacy and your beliefs on the extent to which the Government should have access to all this information in the name of national security and protection of its people.  We defend and validate our clients’ or employers’ right to use our digital footprints to market us a better pair of shoes or a sushi dinner close to our hotel…should we not also defend Uncle Sam’s intrusion if it helps to put the hammer down on a guy intent on loading his underwear with C4 before boarding the 7 local in Manhattan?

Digital disruptor Amy Webb just launched a new column in Slate called Data Mine – here’s the first, where she takes a pragmatic, modern view of how much we reveal – knowingly and unknowingly – in exchange for staying connected and how maybe a little erosion in civil liberties is the price we might pay for increased protection from terror no longer restricted to battlefields.

I’m an unabashed and staunch Obama liberal but his inelegant handling of this has not earned him many plaudits from any camp. And for those who saw the HuffPo headline last week – “George W. Obama” – it forces us to think even more seriously about the role government is playing by necessity now in cybersecurity.  I for one am choosing to re-interpret one of FDR’s Four Freedoms: the Freedom from Fear.

Brian T. Regan | GM, New York

They’re invaluable to what we do and how efficiently we can do it. We’re proud to have a number of employees who have been with Access for their entire career, and we’d love for you to get to know some of our teammates who have been with us for many years. Here’s a quick Q+A with Kimmie Kaspar, a Senior Account Executive in our SF office:

How long have you been with Access?

I’ve been with Access for five years now, half a decade sure flies by!

Your role at Access includes…

I’m a Senior Account Executive and I mostly work on the game accounts, Irrational Games and 2K.

When you’re not working at Access, you…

Dance. It’s been hard with so many games launching in the past 12 months, but I try to get to class whenever I can. I danced from when I was little up through college competitively so it feels like something’s missing when I break for too long. I’m also addicted to the video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown, it’s coming out on iOS soon, so my bus rides to work are about to get a lot more fun.

The best part about working at Access so far is…

Getting to serve clients in so many different industries. Access has such a wide breadth of clients that I’ve been able to work in quite a few fields since I started here. I’ve been fortunate enough to figure out the industries I feel most passionate about and create lasting media relationships.

What is your favorite memory of working at Access so far?

Work hard play hard is definitely the motto for the games teams at Access. The annual E3 convention usually takes the cake though. There was an Access mixer at E3 2010 where I thought blue shots for everyone was a great idea, in hindsight I wish I went a different route, but lots of media friendships were established over the novelty drinks. The following year we had a dance-off on light up squares à la Saturday Night Fever, which included lots of moon walking, so obviously we had a fantastic time.

And your most prized celebrity sighting is…

When I lived in New York I had the good fortune of seeing lots of celebrities, hello Ryan Gosling.  But the person I was most excited to see was Matt Groening at E3 2011 when he stopped by the 2K Games booth to check out BioShock Infinite. I’m a huge Simpsons fan and have a slight Futurama obsession, so getting to see the man behind the shows was a major geek out moment for me.

Where is your favorite place to travel?

Everywhere! I’m slowly checking off my travel list. I’m at about 37 countries now, so only 160 or so to go! A few of my favorites are Beijing for history, I lived there so I’m biased, Shanghai for food, Siem Reap in Cambodia for the jaw dropping Angkor Wat and Inle Lake in Myanmar, a gorgeous lake surrounded by picturesque stilt houses.

If you could pick one reporter to live a day in the life of, who would it be and why?

It’s a tossup between a travel or fashion reporter, but being Anna Wintour for a day would really have its perks.

What career accomplishment do you wish to achieve in the future?

I’d like to run a games account top to bottom but in my immediate future I’m on a mission to get one of the games I represent featured on a late night show.

In short, the answer is yes. And here’s my argument for why you should consider doing it.

One of my favorite PR adages is “content is king.” It gets at an important point about our industry–in the end sharing compelling information is at the core of what we do as communicators.

The “mad geniuses” at Silver Oak Casino are a great example of this. As Gizmodo reported, they made an elaborate and extremely useful flowchart for choosing what to watch on Netflix (click image on the right). It has no direct relation to what the casino does. Gizmodo even called the motive “unclear.”

But it’s compelling content, so media outlets and blogs have written about the flowchart, people have shared it on social media–it’s attracting potentially millions of viewers who see the Silver Oak Casino branding at the bottom of the image. It’s a pretty sure bet that this resulted in more brand awareness and clicks to Silveroakcasino.com. I know I clicked through to see what it was all about.

This is a great reminder that “content is king”, even if it may be unrelated to what your brand does. With that in mind, my colleague Dave Garcia created a useful food flowchart below on behalf of Access Digital.

–Ori Nagel @OriNagel

They’re invaluable to what we do and how efficiently we can do it. We’re proud to have a number of employees who have been with Access for their entire career, and we’d love for you to get to know some of our teammates who have been with us for many years. Here’s a quick Q&A with Jared Ricardo, a SAE in our San Francisco office.

How long have you been with Access?

Tricky question. I started here as an intern, stayed for a couple of years, left for about 8 months, realized it was a big mistake, came back, and have been here for two years since then. So 2 yrs – 8mo + 2 yrs = 3 yrs 4 months. BOOM. Who says PR people aren’t good at math?

Your role at Access includes…

I’m a Senior Account Executive and I work on Toshiba and Kahlua. Booze and Technology, two things I happen to enjoy very much. I also am a member of Access’ (in)famous Whoopee Committee, where our main goal is to keep office morale high.  Sometimes all people need is a little chocolate and a sweet note on their desk. Sometimes they need an open bar.

When you’re not working at Access, you…

I live my life one brunch at a time.

The best part about working at Access so far is…

It’s been said time and time again, but it’s the people. Honestly, I hang out with a lot of my coworkers on the weekends—which is a statement that a lot of people can’t make. We’re like one big, smart, weird, crazy family. There are characters galore here, and it keeps things interesting.

What is your favorite memory of working at Access so far?

Probably the time during our company offsite in Vegas when I realized that our CFO, Colleen Brandon, was actually my best friend.

And your most prized celebrity sighting is…

I got to hang out with Justin Beiber once. But it pales in comparison to time I saw Dennis Rodman in Vegas and went in for the high five only to get pushed to the ground in return. 

What’s your (Musical) poison?

Anything with an amazing dub step drop. Or Taylor Swift. Or what if there was a Taylor Swift song with an amazing dub step drop? Wait, no, that could be trouble.

Who is your favorite journalist?

I will always and forever love Keith Olberman. I know he’s a divisive figure and you can say what you want about the very public fueds he had with MSNBC and Current TV, but the guy was one hell of a newsman. I still go back and watch some of his “Special Comment” segments and get the chills.

What career accomplishment do you wish to achieve in the future?

I don’t care so much about personal career accomplishments as I do about doing something that makes a positive difference in this world, however small it may be. Hopefully my career will lead me to a place where I can accomplish that goal.

“This is like the Grammy’s for PR…”
       - Overheard at the 2013 Sabre Awards at Cipriani Restaurant in New York City

On Tuesday evening, more than 800 industry influencers, leaders and global clients alike gathered for the 2013 SABRE Awards at Cipriani on 42^nd Street in New York City to recognize the best and the brightest within the PR and creative world. It felt like the Grammy’s for Access Communications, as we were honored with taking home the Gold SABRE Award for Consumer Services within the Retail category for our work with Safeway on the Safeway Culinary Kitchens: Search for Our Next Chef campaign – a creative way to turn recruiting into an awareness platform. After talking to some of the event organizers, we learned our category was highly competitive and we’re overjoyed our work stood out above national brands like Target and Sherwin-Williams.

The Search for Our Next Chef campaign set out to change the career of one aspiring chef while reaching families across the country with their winning skillet meal recipe while positioning Safeway as a culinary innovator. A nationwide competition attracted top talent for the new Safeway Culinary Kitchens while building visibility for Safeway’s 100 percent natural product line, Open Nature™. Judged by a team of Safeway executives as well as Executive Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, of Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Iron Chef,” the winning chef, Dave Histed, landed a job at Safeway and his winning recipe will be featured on store shelves nationwide (coming soon!).

Receiving this recognition on behalf of Access Communications and Safeway was a moment I’ll never forget; the walk from table 81 (from a room of 81 tables) will be etched in my mind forever. Feelings of being overly proud and appreciative flooded the room as I represented a company and campaign I am so grateful to be a part of.

In addition to taking home the Gold SABRE, Access Communications was also given an honorable mention within the “Technology Agency of the Year” category. Our parent company, Ketchum, was also recognized with 10 Gold and Diamond awards – more than any other agency!

Congratulations to all — Access Communications, Team Safeway and Ketchum. What an incredible night!

-Ashley
@AshHolzhauer

They’re invaluable to what we do and how efficiently we can do it. We’re proud to have a number of employees who have been with Access for their entire career, and we’d love for you to get to know some of our teammates who have been with us for many years. Here’s a quick Q+A with Caitlin Wallace, an Assistant Account Executive in our SF office:

Where are you from?

I grew up in a little country town in the Sacramento Valley near Redding, and graduated from California State University, Chico. I absolutely love the north valley and visit my family frequently.

How long have you been with Access?

It’s hard to believe I’ve been at Access for more than a year and ½. Time flies when you’re doing what you love!

Your role at Access includes…
Media relations. Some additional media relations. Oh, did I mention media relations?

The majority of my time is spent speaking with reporters and editors on behalf of Intuit, specifically the Accounting Professionals Division and Small Business Team.

I also work on California Closets, where I get to do everything from running the Pinterest page and working on social media strategy to booking deskside media tours with luxury and lifestyle pubs such as Architectural Digest, Robb Report and InStyle Magazine. I love the variety that agency life brings.

When you’re not working at Access, you…

Hit the town! I am absolutely in love with San Francisco and enjoy being out and about in the city exploring the neighborhoods. To maintain my girlish figure, I run ½ marathons and can always be seen in spin and yoga class. After any bout of physical exertion, I drink an inordinate amount of Diet Coke.

Also, you can always catch me watching The Mindy Project and New Girl.

The best part about working at Access so far is…

The people, hands down. I consider myself very lucky to work on the accounts that I do and have managers and mentors that took the time to help me build my career up to this point.

I love coming to work every day and seeing so many people that I enjoy. I’m not sure what I would do without my daily Walgreens field trips alongside fellow caboose inhabitant, Dani Wolfe. We go through at least 3 bags of Popchips a week!

What is your favorite memory of working at Access so far?

Two words: Matt dinners.

On the Intuit Accounting Professionals Division team, we have a lot of planning meetings and always go out to these fabulous dinners afterwards. Matt, the EVP on the team, always orders the entire menu and makes me try everything. Last year, we were at dinner and he told me something was chicken, so I put it in my mouth. Definitely wasn’t chicken.

Our clients still laugh about it!

And your most prized celebrity sighting is…

Pablo Sandoval, an infielder for the San Francisco Giants, ate dinner at my house last season. I can’t really give details as to how or why, but that was pretty real.

What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod?

“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips—became addicted after seeing Bridesmaids.

Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?

Southern France. I lived in Aix-en-Provence for a year during college and have such a love for the countryside and the sweet French people. Plus, they have the best lavender ice cream in the entire world.

If you could pick one person to live a day in the life of, who would be and why?

Julia Child. She was smart, talented, fearless, basically French, and so very tall.

What career accomplishment do you wish to achieve in the future?

As I mentioned earlier, I have been really blessed with excellent managers and mentors thus far, and I hope to return the favor in the future by leading and managing with intelligence and compassion.

This year, we were honored to participate as speakers at the annual California Closets Convention in Orlando, FL. As a client for almost four years, California Closets is the innovator in home design and custom storage solutions with franchise businesses peppered throughout North America.

My colleague, Account Supervisor Katie Drain, and I presented a “How To” on Local PR to educate franchisees on how they can handle PR for their business at a local level and generate awareness with existing and potential clients. In addition, we developed and delivered a PR Toolkit that franchisees could take back to the office and use as a guide and reference tool when working with their local media.

The attendance was overwhelming with a full house of 65 franchisees in attendance (see photo above)! The result: franchisees realized that PR should be an essential part of their businesses’ marketing mix and that advertising and promotions should not stand alone; earned media is as important (if not more important) than paid media. As Richard Branson once said, “Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.” We couldn’t agree more.

–Danielle Cantrell, Vice President

@dbcantrell

Last Thursday night I turned off my TV and sat for hours listening to police scanners while monitoring and relying on Twitter for by-the-second updates on the horrific events happening in Boston. Amazing reporters and citizens on the ground were “breaking” the news with frequent, personal updates.

I was literally getting insights and updates sometimes 30 minutes before even the most reputable news organizations reported the same content. It didn’t take long to be amazed and fascinated by the power of social media and crowdsourced journalism. Despite the tragic events, it was a defining moment for digital media. Of course there were some issues with accuracy when functioning in such a real time situation but what stood out most was those individuals and brands that did not react and adjust to the news.

Promoted tweets continued, getting in the way of the hard news but also clearly standing out as overly inappropriate – so much so that negative chatter for these handles ensued.  I found myself un-following the users sharing irrelevant and promotional content in my feed. Now that there is relief and some peace of mind, I can’t help but wonder about the damage done to brands that did not change course.

Observation: during times of crisis, programmed tweets need to be rethought. Wondering how much brand damage was done….

— lindsayscalisi (@lindsayscalisi) April 20, 2013

Social media can be an amazing communications tool but it can also negatively impact your brand, perception and positive engagement in the blink of an eye. Although its obvious, this was a clear reminder that brands taking to social channels need to not only be transparent, genuine and interesting… They also need to be thoughtful, relevant and human.

–Lindsay Scalisi, Senior Vice President

@LindsayScalisi

They’re invaluable to what we do and how efficiently we can do it. We’re proud to have a number of employees who have been with Access for their entire career, and we’d love for you to get to know some of our teammates who have been with us for many years. Here’s a quick Q&A with Danielle Cantrell a vice president in our San Francisco office…

How long have you been with Access?

I’ve been with Access for over eight years and started as an Account Supervisor.

Your role at Access includes…

I run the Safeway, LeapFrog, California Closets and Twitch accounts. As a part of the United Management Team (or UMT), which is comprised of Vice Presidents and Senior Vice Presidents, I also run operations for the Research and Measurement team making sure we’re delivering on the ROI promise for our clients.

When you’re not working at Access, you…

I’m spending time with my family in Marin venturing outside with my active, two-year old little man and husband and spending time with friends and family.

The best part about working at Access so far is…

The people and the unique culture that encourages a sense of humor when work gets stressful.

What is your favorite memory of working at Access so far?

Ummm, there are so many that I can’t talk about…on this blog. Let’s just say, What Happens at our Vegas offsite, Stays in Vegas.

And your most prized celebrity sighting is…

Growing up in LA, I’ve had my fair share of celeb encounters but some of my favorites include dancing “The Carlton Dance” with Carlton, Alfonso Ribeiro, from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. However, my most prized is meeting Dave Matthews back stage at a concert and talking to him about our shared birthday (January 9) – telling him what a great day it was! He agreed, of course.

What’s your (Musical) poison?

These days, it’s Old MacDonald Had a Farm, but when I’m on my commute it’s The Shins, Kings of Leon, Band of Horses, or Atlas Genius. Just like my colleague Lindsay Scalisi, we also share a love of old school hip hop.

If you could pick one mentor to live a day in the life of, who would be and why?

The Dalai Lama. He provides guidance on how we can be more at peace, kind to others and generally more Zen in the workplace and at home.

What career accomplishment do you wish to achieve in the future?

To make a difference with my clients and their business through corporate social responsibility and charitable efforts and/or choreographing a flash mob to a Michael Jackson song. I’d be happy with either.

Yesterday was Patriot’s Day in Boston, a day that started with joy and anticipation with the running of the 116^th Boston Marathon and ended with horror, disbelief and fear. Like millions of people around the world, our hearts go out to those affected by the horror of the bombing. For me, it brought back memories of living in London in the 1970s when the city was besieged by the terror of the IRA bombs that targeted innocent people, creating fear and carnage on Oxford Street, the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane and other high traffic areas. The feelings of helplessness and confusion were pervasive.

The difference with yesterday’s bombing was in its immediacy in the outpouring of communications and connections that social media provided. Within seconds of the explosion, people all over the world were witness to the horror and could immediately mourn and show support for the victims of these terrorist actions. Instead of feeling helpless, people jumped into action using the power of social media. #PrayForBoston became the top Twitter trend; using Facebook and Google Person Finder, people could search for and post the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster, and through Google Drive Boston residents created a list of thousands of names and contact information of people who rallied to provide aid and shelter to those impacted by the bombings. Instead of relying on 800 numbers and periodic news conferences, valuable information and updates have been available through the Twitter account of the Boston Police, the Facebook page for the Boston Marathon, and YouTube’s dedicated playlist.

Yesterday was undeniably an example of pure inhumanity, but through the power social media, we can connect in humane ways that will be a powerful antidote to our feelings of loss and helplessness.

Susan Butenhoff