Intern Spotlight: Missy Harris

Public relations major and AdPR intern Missy Harris

Missy Harris is a senior public relations major pursuing a Spanish minor from Alpharetta, Georgia, and is one two student interns behind the scenes here in the Advertising and Public Relations department of Grady College. 

Who has been an impactful teacher during your time within Grady College?

Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, Dr. A for short, has been the most impactful teacher during my time within Grady College. This past semester I enrolled in Dr. A’s Telenovelas, Culture and Society class. I decided to take this class because it is a Grady elective and a Spanish class; therefore, I could mix both of my interests into one class. At first, I assumed this class would just be an easy class filled with telenovela clips, but I was very wrong.  Dr. A made this class so much more. With her passion and constant dedication to helping her students learn, Dr. A inspired me to dive headfirst into exploring telenovelas throughout the world. Dr. A always pushed me and my fellow classmates to never stop learning. Overall, Dr. A is the most compassionate and inspiring in my college career. 

What is your dream job after graduation?

Since my start in Grady College as a PR major, I’ve always wanted to work for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in the corporate foundation or PR department. With my passion to help children coupled with my communication skills, I think that working for CHOA would be a perfect fit for me. 

What's your favorite spot in Athens?

I love exploring the Normaltown area in Athens. There are always new restaurants and hidden treasures. 

Describe valuable lessons or skills that Grady College has helped develop for you.

Grady College has helped me developed my writing and communications skills. Before my classes in Grady, I was terrified to talk in front of crowds of people. However, through my PR classes, I overcame my fear of presenting. 

One valuable lesson that I’ve learned while a student in Grady College is to get to know those around you: other students, professor and administrators. Networking is a huge part of an industry but especially in PR. 

What has been your most memorable moment during your time as a student within Grady College?

Being a student within Grady College is the best. Grady opens so many doors to so many incredible opportunities. My most memorable moment during my time as a student has to be when I went on the PRSSA Atlanta Agency Tour in 2015.  This tour was exclusive to PRSSA members and was an awesome experience.  We spent the day visiting some of the top Atlanta agencies: Edelman, MSLGROUP and Jackson Spalding. At each agency, we met with some of the top professionals and toured the office space. 

What are your goals for your career after UGA?

After I graduate form UGA, I hope to find a career path in which I can use my knowledge and skills in writing and communication.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

I would love to go to Paris and experience the city magic for myself.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I hope to have a career that makes me excited to wake up every morning. I’m driven by my passions, so I want a job that incorporates them into my everyday life. 

Additionally, in the next 10 years, I hope to be an active Grady Alumni. I want to give back to the college that gave so much to me. 

Research from AdPR: What draws a sports fan to a particular team - An examination of the "Linsanity" phenomenon

What draws a sports fan to a particular team? In many cases, geography is certainly a factor – but new research indicates that for international consumers, ethnicity and/or nationality might also play a role.

A study in Sport Management Review examined the 2012 “Linsanity” phenomenon, in which New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin became an NBA sensation after coming off the bench to lead his team to seven consecutive victories and set an individual scoring record. Lin, an Asian-American of Taiwanese descent, garnered considerable attention in Taiwan as well as the U.S., leading researchers to wonder how many of those fans he might have attracted based on shared cultural traits.

The study focused on the process of self-categorization – the extent to which a sports fan self-identifies with a particular team or sports league as an extension of themselves. The researchers deployed an online survey to a sample of Taiwanese college undergraduates and graduate students, as the demographic group most likely to engage in sports-related consumption and discussion. They found that international consumers might first become aware of a player due to his ethnic and/or national identity, and then transfer that attachment to the team for which he or she plays. Ultimately, the self-categorization can extend to the sports league itself.

“These findings have clear implications for the ability of a sports league to expand successfully into new international markets,” says co-author Joe Phua, assistant professor of marketing and advertising at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. “For example, teams might consider recruiting players with diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and leverage those associations via strategic marketing activities, such as hosting sporting events in the foreign countries that identify most closely with those athletes.” 

And whatever became of Jeremy Lin? It was a happy ending: On the strength of his record-setting performance, Lin earned a $25 million contract with the Houston Rockets. To view the full article, click here.

Kuan-Ju Chen, Joe Phua (2016). Self-categorization process in sport: An examination of the “Linsanity” phenomenon in Taiwan. Sport Management Review.

AdPR's Executive Advisory Council welcomes new members

AdPR is honored to welcome the following new members to our Executive Advisory Council. The Council is a diverse group of leading communications professionals committed to supporting the vision of the Department of Advertising & Public Relations, and assist the department with activities that align with the most current industry drivers in both the commercial and public sectors worldwide. 

Chowning Johnson, Senior Vice President at Dodge Communications, is a leading strategic advisor to companies that range from new market entrants to early IPOs as well as multinational companies building out healthcare verticals.  Her passion in communications, positioning and business growth has spurred the department she oversees to break into new healthcare categories, carving out additional areas of expertise for Dodge, as well as elevating Dodge clients to the national and business media stage. 

During her career, Johnson has successfully ushered numerous companies to their ultimate goal of acquisition through thoughtful, fine-tuned strategic communications programs, branding and messaging initiatives, and lead generation campaigns that align with overarching business goals.

Natali Johnson works as a Marketing Director, supporting TNT and TBS networks, at Turner.  Natali joined the company in 2007 as a research analyst for TNT, TBS and TCM marketing initiatives. Natali has played an integral role in the development and direction of marketing campaigns for some of the networks' most successful series, including The Last Ship, Rizzoli & Isles, Wrecked and Conan.  The campaigns included traditional advertising tactics, as well as social, mobile and digital strategies.  Natali has also forged multi-tiered partnerships with various events/festivals that helped build audience engagement within tastemaker communities.

Natali is a proud alumni of the University of Georgia, where she graduated with dual degrees in Telecommunication Arts and Political Science.  She was highly active within the Honors program and participated as a student judge in the George Foster Peabody Awards program.  Upon graduating,, Natali held account and marketing positions at Cox Media and Lloyds of London.

Three Alums from Wieden + Kennedy Deliver Keynote Conversation for AdPR Week

Jason Kreher - Creative Director

Jason is a Snellville, Georgia-born Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy, overseeing work for clients such as Verizon, Weight Watchers, KFC and Old Spice Social Media. Prior to becoming a CD, Kreher worked as a copywriter on Old Spice, Target, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Jaguar, Howard Stern, and MTV. He also tells people he wrote the iconic Elizabeth Taylor “White Diamonds” commercial, even though he was only twelve at the time of its first broadcast airing. He has won 12 Lions at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity over the years, including Gold Lions in each of the past two years. Last year he was listed in AdWeek’s “The Creative 100,” a list of America’s most inventive talent in marketing, media and tech.
 
Kreher recently published his first book along with art director Matt Moore; a collection of cruel Popsicle stick jokes named “SchadenFreezers” that you should go buy right now, it’s not even that expensive. His “Napkin Notebook” with former partner Dave Arnold was featured in the MoMA Design Store. Kreher also directed and co-wrote a series of YouTube videos with standup comedian Maria Bamford.

Kreher is a 2001 advertising graduate of the Grady College. He currently lives in Portland with his husband Eirik.

Tatum Shaw - Freelance Copywriter and Photographer

Tatum is a freelance copywriter based in Portland, OR.  In a previous life he was a writer at Wieden + Kennedy from 2004 to 2012, where he created work for clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Target, Starbucks, and Proctor and Gamble. Now he primarily writes top-secret ads for Apple, and occasionally dances with the likes of MTV, Google, 72and Sunny, Facebook, and Deutsche LA.

Tatum graduated from The University of Georgia in 2002, with a BA in advertising and a minor in stuff he can’t talk about here because faculty is reading. In an effort to avoid making any major life decisions, he enrolled in school again, this time at The Creative Circus in Atlanta. A school name any parent can be proud of. Visually inclined by nature, he had dreams of becoming an art director. But guess what? He was colorblind (thanks, God). So he enrolled in the copywriting program, graduated and got is first job at Wieden + Kennedy working under the silent ad sensei, Hal Curtis. 


When he’s not writing ads, he spends his time making art books and taking photographs, some of which can be seen online at Complex, Juxtapoz, and This Isn’t Happiness, and in the printed pages of Nylon Magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Oxford American.

Mike was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia where he spent an inordinate

Mike Egan - Copywriter

amount of time shooting free throws. Mike graduated magna cum laude from the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia. After a year as a bumbling account coordinator at an agency in Tallahassee, Florida, he quit and went to the Creative Circus before his boss could figure out he was terrible at his job (Sorry, Richard).

Mike restarted his career in advertising at vitrorobertson in San Diego before landing a gig at the Wieden + Kennedy mothership in Portland, Oregon.  Somehow he’s managed to trick those beautiful suckers into employing him as a copywriter on the Dodge, Chrysler, Booking.com and Samsung accounts for almost six years. Although, he’s recently noticed that his key card has stopped working and, truth be told, he’s a bit nervous about it.

Students receive scholarships for participation in Moxie-Zenith / UGA Partnership Program

Sierra Romeo, Srishti Mishra, Hawk Young and Daniella Grinzaid worked together on the Moxie-Zenith / UGA Partnership Program

The University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication AdPR department awarded scholarships to four students for participating in the Moxie-Zenith / UGA Partnership Program.

The awarded students, Danielle Grinzaid, Srishti Mishra, Sierra Romeo and Hawk Young, applied and were carefully selected to participate in the UGA program for Publicis Media Groupe, a group of agencies dedicated to being leaders in global marketing, communication and business transformation.

After the selection process, the four chosen students prepared a presentation about the major impacts or themes they noticed throughout the program. Guy Abrahams, global strategic planning director at Zenith, and Claudine Cheever, executive vice president and head of strategy at Mediavest/Spark, provided input about themes during the student presentations.

The students continued the program by presenting their observations at Moxie in Atlanta. Based on the program feedback, the students’ performance impressed the Atlanta agencies. As a result, the students received a scholarship for their participation.

“I am very grateful to be one of the very few selected by Dr. Reichert and Dr. King for this opportunity. The people over at Moxie were more than welcoming and I thought it was really cool that we got a glimpse into their professional environment because it gave me a good sense of what it is like to work for a marketing agency in Atlanta” said Srishti Mishra, UGA student.

The program proved to be very effective, and Grady College looks forward to continued success in the future. For more information about student scholarship programs, visit the Grady College website. 

Tina Stow of UnitedHealth Group visits students in DC to share her insight and expertise

On July 7, Tina Stow (MA '03), visited Grady students at Delta Hall to discuss her experiences working in health policy and public affairs for UnitedHealth Group. During their time together, Ms. Stow shared her strategic approach to executing and measuring the effectiveness of campaigns focused on Washington, D.C. policymaker and influencer audiences. "It is so energizing to spend time with these great young people", said Stow, is also a member of AdPR's Executive Advisory Council.

Tina Stow joins students at Delta Hall in Washington, D.C.

Students enrolled in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication are encouraged to participate in Grady @ DC, a domestic field study program which takes Grady students to Washington for nine weeks during the summer. Participants enroll in a directed study as well as an internship, and live in Delta Hall during their time in Washington. 

The University of Georgia received a grant from the Delta Air Lines Foundation to support UGA in Washington.  In recognition of this gift and partnership, UGA named the residential facility, Delta Hall. President Jere W. Morehead notes, "Delta Air Lines has been a strong corporate partner of the University of Georgia for many years, and this gift demonstrates the leadership role Delta is taking in our ongoing comprehensive campaign to advance the University of Georgia". 

Those interested can find out more information about this program here.

Summer at the Circus offers Grady students insight into portfolio school

Students from a variety of colleges participated in the Summer at the Circus, including 15 students from Grady College which hosts the program.

While some Grady College students spend their summers studying abroad or working on internships, others spend their time at the circus…Summer at the Circus, that is. Summer at the Circus is an intense eight-week program offering college students an inside experience of Creative Circus, a prestigious portfolio school in Atlanta. 

This unique program is offered through the Department of Advertising and Public Relations and just completed its fourth summer of educating students in a variety of disciplines from the University of Georgia and other colleges including the University of Texas, Emory University and Dartmouth College, to name a few. A total of 22 students participated in this experiential learning program, and Grady college students can earn up to six hours of credit for taking the program.

Read more about this year's Summer at the Circus program.
*Author: Sarah Freeman