AdPR Student Spotlight: Jamie Gottlieb

Jamie Gottlieb is a senior public relations major and sociology minor with a New Media Institute Certificate. Jamie is from Alpharetta, Ga.

Jamie Gottlieb, senior PR student 

What encouraged you to apply to Grady College?  

I've always wanted to be a part of the media industry, and there's no better place to get a media education than from Grady College — it just earned the No. 2 spot in the country!

What activities are you involved in at Grady/UGA/Athens?

Throughout my four years at UGA, I've participated in many different organizations. I've been an editor at The Red & Black, promotions director for TEDxUGA, Peabody Awards student judge, Creative Consultants assistant account executive and Grady Ambassador. Outside of media, I'm a member of Sigma Delta Tau, Order of Omega and Omicron Delta Kappa.

What kinds of internships or work have you been involved in, and what were your responsibilities?

Most recently, I worked as the social media intern for NBC News in New York City. I absolutely loved working for the network and being in the city. While there, I created videos for NowThis, MSNBC on-air and MSNBC's Instagram. Also, I put together social trend reports for NBC News' various brands and managed an internal social networking platform.

In previous summers, I worked as the digital engagement intern for Turner Broadcasting's Talent Development team as well as an editorial intern for Cygnus Business Media.

What were the best parts of these experiences?

Being able to create, develop and execute work that mattered. While at NBC, I was contributing to the network even as an intern. I gained a true sense of independence while living in New York and loved every minute of it.

What part of your Grady experience has been helpful in your internship or work experiences?

Developing relationships and garnering advice from professors and alumni. Though classes teach skill, professors and alumni will help you focus on what you want to do and how to do it well.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing the AdPR program?

Take advantage of study abroad and opportunities through Grady! Also, make sure to get outside experience away from the classroom. Whether through an internship or a student organization, experience makes you more competitive and strategic when working with clients.

What are your career goals and interests?

I plan on pursuing social and digital strategy, whether at an entertainment company or digital agency. I'd love to focus on brand partnerships or content development — hopefully in New York City!

You can follow Jamie Gottlieb via her website and Twitter.

Alumni Spotlight: Kelly Aratoon

Kelly Aratoon

Kelly Aratoon, a May 2011 graduate, received her bachelor's degree in public relations, with a New Media certificate and a minor in political science.

What are you doing now and how did you get there? I work at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in Washington D.C., doing marketing and communication in our political affairs and federation relations department. I work with membership, social media, political events, and continuing education programs of the Chamber to guarantee members stay informed and happy while ensuring longstanding programs of the Chamber continue to run smoothly.

I took an interesting route to my current position. Before my senior year at Georgia, I was hired as an Account Coordinator at a Washington D.C. public relations agency which I worked at through graduation. In addition to my thick Grady coursework, my senior capstone for NMI, and all the extra-curricular activities I was involved in (sorority, Grady Ambassadors, Student Alumni Council) I figured adding a real job to this was no problem. I started each morning with a conference call with my team in DC and ended with a daily update email sent around 6:00 or 7:00 pm, and that was before homework and typically while I was en route to a meeting. It was pretty crazy. This year of experience was a main factor in me being awarded my current position. While I was a bit leery of applying for a job at such a high-profile organization, it was a great decision.

What is your day-to-day like at your job? (Any interesting projects that you can
share with us?) Currently, I manage the website and all social media accounts for a professional development program of the Chamber, Institute for Organization Management. I just went through a complete transformation of one of my websites, so I am very happy to see it thriving. I also design all marketing efforts for Institute, which include: a 80-page planner, direct mailing, and eMarketing projects. I am also working on a new membership campaign called pURL. Standing for Personalized URL, pURL goes beyond a mere membership pitch and asks specific questions to recipients about their experience with the Chamber. The idea of a pURL is relatively new in the marketing field and I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to run the first pURL campaign the Chamber has put together. Not to mentions, with the election coming in November the Chamber is a very exciting place to work!

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in
your career today? The New Media Certificate by far. Scott Shamp’s leadership, enthusiasm and dedication to this program is remarkable. I am so happy I got into this program sophomore year and even happier I learned how to build websites thanks to Dr. Emuel Aldridge. Without his patience, I would never seem like such the WordPress or Flash expert. I still use those packets he creates! Dr. Karen Russell has also been an inspirational instructor. I was placed in her freshman seminar class on Walmart and our relationship has been very close ever since.

In college, I never would have considered myself a writer or someone that even enjoyed doing it. Grady taught me how to write so people actually listen. 

What is your favorite Grady memory? Presenting to The Coca-Cola Company definitely tops the list of favorable moments. My public relations capstone class project was to design the PR campaign for PlantBottle, the new container all Coca-Cola products were soon to be shipped in. I somehow got designated to introduce and conclude the presentation, in addition to speak about the section I was in charge of, which was both exhilarating and frightening. I am never one to be nervous of public speaking, but speaking in front of this group of people was intense!

What advice do you have for current AdPR students? In college, I never would have considered myself a writer or someone that even enjoyed doing it. Grady taught me how to write so people actually listen. My advice to current AdPR students is to immerse yourself in the journalistic field, get the New Media Certificate, ask for help from the fabulous professors Grady has to offer, and let people in Grady know what you are doing. The best way for a great new opportunity to find you is when others know what you like to do and what you are good at. When that opportunity does come around -- follow up, follow up, follow up. I promise you are not being annoying.

AdPR Alum Spotlight: Kristen Green

Kristen Green graduated from Grady in 2007. She earned a degree in Advertising and a New Media Certificate.

What are you doing now and how did you get there?

I am currently a Content Strategist at JWT in Atlanta. After graduating from Grady in December 2007, I began my career in Account Service at JWT in February of 2008. I learned a lot about the advertising business in my first few years, as I had the opportunity to work across multiple clients that spanned the gamut from cell phones to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In December of 2009, I hopped the fence and began my foray into Digital Strategy as an Assistant Digital Strategist. Digital Strategy was a perfect fit for me and I was now able to apply both my passion for all things digital as well as the knowledge I had gained through Grady's New Media Institute. I was able to use my nerd love for apps and gadgets to make recommendations and positive impacts on clients' businesses.

In May of 2010, I was promoted to Content Strategist on the United States Marine Corps account. Not only is it awesome to work for such a prestigious client like the Marine Corps, but the burgeoning field of content strategy has been a fun field to dive into head first. I've had the opportunity to do so many things in my role ranging from drafting the content for a major web redesign to all the way to being on a Marine Corps base collecting video content that will live on our websites. I have loved every minute of it. Digital and content strategy is where I have found my niche, and I am excited to see what the future holds as I plow forward in my career.

What is your favorite Grady memory?

Although walking across the stage and receiving my diploma and Grady pin will always be precious to me, I have to say that my favorite Grady memories are the long nights I spent in the halls of the building formerly known as the SLC (now the MLC) working all night on projects with fellow Grady classmates. Putting in those long hours on projects with a team is an exact replica of what you will be introduced to in the real world of advertising: teamwork, collaboration, long nights, lots of red bull and making memories that last a lifetime.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

Soak it all in. Campus. Athens. Football games between the hedges. Ringing the Chapel Bell. Lectures from brilliant professors. The ability to sleep in until noon. The vast array of knowledge from professors and peers. Soak it all in. College goes by so fast. The irony is that while you are in college, you can't wait to get out into the "real world", but once you're out, you would give anything to go back. So savor the late night cram sessions and take advantage of this time in your life to focus solely on learning and bettering yourself.

Go above and beyond in your projects. Seek out internships, opportunities to study abroad and be a hand raiser when called upon to go the extra mile. Not only do these things look good on a resume, but they make you a better person. When you go to those first terrifying interviews you'll learn that its less about what awesome accolades you can cram onto one piece of 8.5" x11" paper, and its more about the experiences that have molded you into who you are. People want to work with a team player who is passionate about what they do. So be passionate, soak it all in and relish away the days that you get to walk down the hallowed halls of Grady and across our beloved Athens campus before you move on to the "real world."

Three Ad professors teach First-Year Odyssey seminars

As part of the new First-year Odyssey Seminar Program, Drs. Reichert, Hamilton and Kreshel are teaching seminars focusing on different topics in Advertising. The new program, designed to introduce first-years to academic life at the University of Georgia, gives students the opportunity to engage with faculty and other freshmen in a small class environment.

Dr. Reichert is teaching a seminar entitled, "Sex in Advertising: History, Content, and Controversy." In this class students will learn anything and everything about sex in Advertising: What is it? Does it work? and Why is it used to appeal to young people? The class will also discuss some of the most controversial advertisements of all time from Calvin Klein to Victoria's Secret to Abercrombie & Fitch.

Dr. Hamilton's seminar, called "New Devices, Old Needs: The Cultural History of Communications Technologies," explores how essentially new communications technologies satisfy basic human needs that are quite old in comparison. The class will discuss many communications technologies, from the crop of Internet applications and social media back to radio, telegraph, photography, and further. Students will investigate these technologies and what people at the time had to say about them in order to explore relationships between communications and society.

Dr. Kreshel's seminar is called "Advertising and the Commercialization of Everyday Life." Students will learn some of the "basics" like what advertising is, advertising in the context of a "chaotic" media culture in which technological innovation accelerates the development of new media platforms, and how the concept of an "audience" is changing. They will also look at some of the controversies that arise in looking at advertising as a vehicle of social communication, focusing mostly upon how the logic of the marketplace has found its way into institutions and ideas never intended to be traded as marketing commodities.

AdPR New Alum Spotlight: Lauren Locher

Lauren Locher (ABJ 2011)

Lauren Locher graduated from UGA in May 2011, with degrees in Public Relations and Spanish and a Certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership. She is currently living and working in Athens, GA.

What are your plans after graduation?

I am working as an Account Executive for See.Spark.Go, an Athens-based Public Relations agency that serves clients all over the nation. We work with clients such as Chick-fil-A Leadercast, Nike, Mutual of Omaha's Aha Moment Tour and Boosterthon Fun Run. I love being able to tell stories for such great companies and interact directly with our clients. It has been incredible to be so hands-on in the day-to-day activities at See.Spark.Go, and I am looking forward to seeing what else is in store.

What are your long-term career goals?

My ultimate goal is to work in corporate marketing and public relations or to be an event planner. As for right now, I am loving being able to explore countless companies and organizations through agency life. It's been really rewarding to have the opportunity to do multiple things, ultimately preparing me for wherever my life takes me.

What do you wish you had known when you entered Grady College that could have enhanced your experience there?

I wish I had known more about the New Media Certificate and how beneficial it is. Social media, web development and everything related to new media is so important right now in the public relations, marketing, and advertising worlds. I absolutely wish I would have been part of the program to learn crucial skills. So many companies are looking to hire people specifically for those positions, and I would have absolutely loved to be in the New Media classes.