Former Assistant, Current Events and Philosophy

I'm out with my former assistant Carolanne Coviello who now has a very successful career in beauty at Creative Media Marketing - they rock - did you know they rewarded their employees with a trip to Woodbury Commons? And I thought I gave good incentives. The topic came up tonight as the holiday season is coming. To Gift or Not to Gift? We say gift. A happy employee is a well "happy employee". So I heard jury selection is ongoing in the John Travolta case. I think it’s open and shut. Travolta has nothing to be ashamed of, nor his family. He did what he could to save his son. And because he is a celebrity you automatically think they are going to have something to hide? Fry the bastards. On Twitter, Gavin DeGraw is going crazy writing about our constitutional rights and it’s quite interesting. You should follow him. Edward Norton and Alyssa Milano also got some great tweets - one for charity the other for news and sports. I feel so connected!

Ana Ortiz got invited to Bette Midler's Hullaween ball - we're currently trying to find her a costume and Mark Indelicato is meeting with Fern Mallis to discuss a future career in fashion. George Wendt launched his book to amazing attention - did you see that "beer pong" game between George and Natalie Morales? Go to Today Show online, it’s hilarious. And then he had a beer chugging contest with Bill Schultz from Red Eye - well the name of George's book is "Drinking with George - a Bar Stools Guide to Beer..." He's off to Boston and then Chicago and then LA. And then well, more press...by the way, what a travesty that the amazing Ana Ortiz can't present at the Latin Grammys. Can you believe we were told it’s been booked since August? Which award shows do you know that ever gets TOTALLY booked that far in advance. Baloney! Hope they read this. She is a rock star! And they made a huge mistake!

Other news, I signed on again to help with celebrity placement and auction items with the Sunflower Children’s Charity Poker Event on Nov 6th. Jamie Gold will be there again- more to come on that....

And now on to my philosophical part, one cannot succeed in business if the support system does not know how to support you. I think there should be a ladder system. Always try to advance to the next level instead of feeling stuck where you are. Ruts are a state of mind. When you get there, just look up and you'll see the sun....

On another note, whoever thought I would be friends with my former assistants? It’s amazing how after six months we're like best buds, and they all have fab jobs now - I must have done something right to train them to. And the funniest quote is "amy I get it now!" Who knew they had to go larger companies to realize what pr is all about! Well however they did it, I'm grateful. It may have been tough over here but as a small company, whose owner was trained by the biggest and most prestigious ones, they now realize that missing a beat so not cool and worse it just can't happen. I think its hiring the college grads. And now that they have all advanced, they see and they seem to get promoted really fast. I'm proud of everyone I've nurtured over the years.

And one more quandary I ask the blogosphere...what do you think it takes to be a rain-maker. Do you think you need to be born with it or can it be taught? I think you can read every book in the store but if you don't have that fire, you will lose every time. Same thing with pitching. I remember my old bosses saying, "Do you know how many pitches these people get a day? You are one of hundreds calling for the same placement each month that perhaps is two if not one opportunities the magazine offers!" "Be concise, be creative, know the magazine and know the editor and the magazine" It increases the odds your call or email will be returned. And once you book with them, they will always return your call or email because you send them quality stuff. So for all you PR people out there who still take money for "throwing it all out there to see what sticks" - it’s not the way to go and you will learn soon enough that a few random small hits, are nothing compared to the big strategic hit that either increases visibility, cash flow or sales...

So with that said, sometimes a boutique firm with fewer clients may just be the ticket to get you where you need to be. Relationships count and the personal relationship gets the job done. Know the client, know the press, and get results (even if that means keeping people out of the paper)

So, hey Pat Kingsley, Leslie Dart, Catherine Olim, Annett Wolf, all the amazing publicists I've had the pleasure of working for and working with - I've remembered everything you taught me and well as you all know, I'm doing it with my own flair. Hope you’re proud of what I've created.

And to Lucy Liu, Terrence Howard, David Boreanaz, Jeremy Sisto, Balthazar Getty, Jake Busey, and everyone else I may have forgot to mention - I'm so grateful to have started your career with you and helped you get to where you need to be. And those I've helped even after they were famous, Sir Ian Mc Kellen, Susan Lucci, Johnny Depp and Rupert Everet and Queen Latifah ,it’s the journey that counts and even though my stop on the train may have come, that time spent with you helping you become well "you" I would not trade for the world. Congratulations to all of you. Everyone always remembers their "first," or the the "one who made a difference"

And to all those amazing assistants out there who made doing what we do so easy...watching you rise up the ladder is of great pleasure to me, especially, Carolanne Coviello, Lisa Phillips, and Sarah Grossbart and my outgoing assistant Ashley Cox,. May you all become CEO's producers and editors in chiefs whatever your dreams desire.

It does take a village to raise a child - a "company too""