The wait is over. The Peritus Pundit has arrived! Visit www.perituspundit.com and predict the winner of the election, not only will you be crowned the Peritus Pundit, we’ll also donate $1,000 to the charity of your choice!

Congratulations to Scott Jennings our Director of Strategic Development/Senior Strategist for being recognized by Louisville’s Business Journal as one of forty people, each younger than 40 years, in its annual ranking of young and promising business people.

I have been welcomed back at my alma mater, Murray State University, for the past few years to discuss my experiences in the industry to graduating seniors.

Almost every PR student has the same question – should I start my career in an agency or a corporate setting?

I was one of the rare college students that knew exactly what I wanted to do after graduation. In fact, there was nothing I wanted more than to start my career in a PR agency. An internship at another local agency and the opportunity to spend some time in Edelman’s London office confirmed this. I never even considered a corporate PR position. I was convinced that agency life was for me and I haven’t been disappointed.

I am a firm believer that every PR professional needs agency experience, preferably early on in their career. In my first year at Peritus, I managed an issues management campaign for a national association, handled media tours for a major automaker and planned a series of unveiling events for a major real estate development that received international media attention. I had the opportunity to work in several different industries with a team of top-notch PR professionals.

The experience I was given early on was invaluable and I attribute that to the beginning my career in a fast-paced agency. Most importantly, the agency dynamic teaches you versatility. Now, I have never worked in an in-house PR position and I am sure there are pros and cons just like any other job. PR professional Greg Block recently said this of corporate work:

“In the right situation, it can be very fulfilling. But without the agency experience in my background, I wouldn’t have been able to get that seat at the table, that’s for sure.”

http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=148

Morale of the story? If you are unsure where to begin your career and you have the opportunity to join an agency, jump at it. At the right firm, you will get unmatched experience. And if you decide that the corporate world is for you down the road, it is a heck of a lot easier to make the switch from an agency to corporate than vice versa.

Lauren
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Electricity was restored in the Highlands last night to a round of cheers from those of us who had been powerless for an entire week.

After seven days of cold showers, shaving in the dark and getting dressed by candlelight, I couldn’t be happier now that things are back to normal. When my electricity was restored last night around 7:00 p.m. (I do not know the official time because all my clocks were blinking 12:00.), I felt like a child on Christmas, taking joy from simple tasks like turning on my closet light, making ice and of course, watching Sunday night football.

Going a week without electricity makes you appreciate the little things we take for granted each day. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the residents of my neighborhood pulled together and watched out for each other.

While living without electricity for a week was certainly an inconvenience, it was by no means as bad as it could have been. Having traveled through Houston shortly after the damage of Hurricane Ike, I know that we are all fortunate the damage wasn’t worse.

Matt
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Peritus staffers from three offices gathered recently at Barren River State Resort Park to lay the groundwork for future growth. Pictured above are our proud Peritussians in their team jerseys!

After working for almost six years in catering and event planning I thought I knew a good bit of the industry. I know the lingo, the vendors and many tricks of the trade which led me to Peritus and continues to be something I enjoy. After assisting in the planning of several large scale events with our firm and having the chance to plan the Museum Plaza groundbreaking last fall I felt pretty experienced, until yesterday.

As I stepped onto the expansive carpeted entrance at the 2008 Ryder Cup, I was immediately in awe. I couldn’t take it all in fast enough. It was tent after tent, banner after banner, image after image, large statues, ample security, convenient concessions and golf gift shops - all of which was just the impressive entrance.

As I made my way through Valhalla Golf Club during the first day of practice rounds I couldn’t help but think how much time, energy and extensive planning had gone into such an extraordinary event. The entire course was adorned with beautifully decorated tents, perfect landscaping, well placed advertising and brand recognition, thousands of staff members, strategically placed media risers as well as convenient telephone stations for those addicts like me without their Blackberries.

I left Valhalla with golf being an afterthought. I sat back and realized planning a PGA Championship Tournament is the big leagues, the event planning Superbowl if you will. It was nice to be able to step back and understand how much I have to look forward to in the industry and how many other areas I have yet to explore. So hats off to the PGA and everyone involved in the 2008 Ryder Cup, I was blown away.

For all the live Ryder Cup action visit www.courier-journal.com or www.thegolfchannel.com

Kelly
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This weekend I attended the Denver Broncos home opener against the San Diego Chargers. The game was one of the weekend’s best with Denver winning 39-38 and improving to 2-0 on the season.

Head coach Mike Shanahan made the gutsy call to go for a 2-point conversion with just 29 seconds left and it proved profitable when quarterback Jay Cutler hit rookie Eddie Royal over the middle for the win.

The crowd at Mile High was so loud you could feel the ground shaking beneath your feet. (Of course, the touchdown prior to the 2-point play was setup by a controversial call that was later ruled incorrect, but that is a discussion for another day.)

While it was the premier ticket on Sunday’s slate of games, the play on the field was an afterthought for me. I had the privilege to attend the game with Tim McKernan, a Denver Broncos legend. McKernan never played a down of pro ball, but his legacy is forever solidified in Broncos lore.

McKernan is known among Broncos fans lovingly, but simply as “Barrel Man”. For over three decades, McKernan never missed a game, while wearing only a barrel, a pair of Tony Llamas boots and a Broncos cowboy hat. He was the first Broncos fan to be inducted in the NFL’s Fan Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Braving all types of weather conditions, Barrel Man has been a constant at Denver games since the late 1960s. (For the record, the coldest game he ever attended was in 1983 against the Chicago Bears when the wind chill factor dipped to -30 degrees.)

The unique part of Sunday was that it was McKernan’s first game without the barrel. He retired the barrel after the 2007 season due to health complications after an abdominal aneurysm ruptured in 2003.

Even without the barrel, McKernan was treated like royalty by Broncos fans and stadium personnel. We were ushered to the front of every line until we reached our seats on the front row of the stadium’s second level. The only delay was stopping every couple steps as fans asked repeatedly to have their picture taken with McKernan. Many fans just thanked him for his years of service and wanted to shake his hand.

Sunday’s Broncos game was one of the season’s best, but thanks to Barrel Man, it is one I will never forget.

Matt
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Technology is evolving and changing the business front daily. The WSJ article “The New Battle for M.B.A. Grads” brings to light how companies are beginning to use new social media to attract today’s top students. I don’t fee like I’ve been out of college that long, but I guess five years is a lifetime in cyberspace, but apparently now it’s not enough to just recruit students on campus, now on campus recruiting is being replaced (or supplemented) with “virtual recruiting”. It’s the newest way to attract top talent. Companies are using sites like Second Life and YouTube to reach out to prospective hires. What this means is it’s not enough anymore to just have a website for your company, the “millennial-generation” is demanding more interaction. We must get on board this new wave of social media or we will be left behind.

Amy
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Is the next president really ready to fix our healthcare system?

Sadly, I doubt it. Scrapping the whole system and starting over might not be the most politically prudent choice. Too bad. In a country like ours everyone should have access to the best care available. That’s just my opinion. However, since I’m also a realist I must ask the obvious and oft forgotten question: how do we pay for it? The popular answer seems to be funneling money into an already broken healthcare system. Sorry, I just can’t get behind it.

Bob Samuelson’s piece in the most recent Newsweek, “Getting Real About Healthcare”, touches on some key points that both candidates would be well-advised to consider. Samuelson writes, “… the central problem is not improving coverage. It’s controlling costs.” Improving coverage does nothing if we do not curb costs and get serious about preventing people from getting sick in the first place. Don’t treat the symptoms treat the cause—isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?

Steve
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Are bloggers journalists? Are content producers publishers?
Rich at Copywrite, Inc. has a great post today at http://copywriteink.blogspot.com/ that explores these questions. Follow his blog as I expect it to light up a debate on these questions.

Gary
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