Last week, Kaplow staff gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of Sylvia Miller, more commonly known around the office as “Mrs. M.” Seasoned singer and opera performer, Ryan Lathan, arrived with flowers for Mrs. M and performed “The Song is You” from Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s Music in the Air. During the sweet serenade, Mrs. M asked the singer, “Where were you 40 years ago?” making the whole crowd chuckle. After a heartwarming and humorous speech from Kaplow CFO Evan Jacobs, the group enjoyed a lovely luncheon.

“In all my 70 years of working, I have never met the head of a company so considerate of his employees,” Mrs. M. remarked. “Evan and Liz [Kaplow] are very caring, concerned and in constant touch with their staff.”

And who wouldn’t want to bathe Mrs. M in affection? The New York native is known for dispensing fashion, beauty and relationship advice, brightening the Tuesdays and Thursdays of each Kaplow employee, “even on the off-Thursdays!” jokes account executive Megan Cross.

Creative professionals need to take time to recharge their batteries, and this year, Senior Vice President Danielle Arceneaux had the opportunity to do just that at the annual TEDActive (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, dedicated to spreading and sharing free knowledge and inspiration.  The event featured 50 fascinating thinkers and doers who gave insightful 18-minute talks.

This year’s theme was “What the World Needs is…” and talks were arranged under various themes such as: mindshift, discovery, reason, provocation, invention, breakthrough, boldness, imagination, play, simplicity and wisdom.

Danielle’s favorite talks were:
•    Mark Roth, a biologist who is pioneering the field of suspended animation, i.e. the art of shutting down life processes and then starting them up again.

•    LXD, the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, combined jaw-dropping dance moves with a dramatic, comic book narrative that led to an incredible long standing ovation and a subsequent performance three weeks later at the Oscars.

•    Jane McGonigal discussed her Institute for the Future, which asserts that the real world is broken and can only be fixed if we make it work in ways similar to massive, multiplayer games.

No matter the speaker, the predominant topic of many speeches was sustainability.  This opened the door to consider the concept of sustainable PR, or the notion of developing hard-working public relations programs that don’t require a huge investment in funds or human resources to maintain.  One example is social media, where publicists have the exciting opportunity to speak directly to consumers and brand ambassadors.

Kaplow looks forward to exploring ways to nurture ingenuity and grow sustainable PR.

Every other Thursday night, a group of enthusiastic Kaplow employees gathers after work for conversation and knitting.

The Kaplow Knitting Club was founded by two veteran knitters, Senior Vice Presidents Stephanie Schwab and Danielle Arceneaux, who wanted to share their knowledge with excited, ready-to-learn beginners. The group enjoys teaching, learning, and challenging themselves with new projects.

Stephanie simultaneously juggles a variety of projects including slippers, an e-reader cover, and a sweater. Danielle is making way on fingerless gloves, while Senior Vice President Joanne Amorese, Strategies Coordinator Mandy Hjellming, and Jill Golden focus on winter essentials: hats and scarves.

We can’t wait to see what they make next!

This past Wednesday, Kaplow had the pleasure of hosting Steve Garfield, one of the first video bloggers and a leading figure in the social media video space. Steve is the author of Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business and has worked with top companies including AT&T, Nokia and Kodak. Steve has also worked with media outlets such as CBS, NBC and PBS.

Steve led a company-wide discussion on the endless possibilities of video and illustrated the medium’s ability to positively supplement brand messaging. He showed the Kaplow team how to use video to increase consumer awareness and drive sales, confirming Kaplow’s belief that video is crucial for our clients in 2010.

Steve also gave Kaplow employees a more in-depth and interactive understanding of video use during three workshops. In these seminars, Steve demonstrated how to shoot casual videos using a handheld camera and clarified the process of uploading them to the web. Kaplow hopes to invite Steve back and to host additional influential speakers in the future!

To find out more about Steve Garfield, browse his website: Stevegarfield.com

“I continue to be proud of the Kaplow employees because of their concern about issues around the world and their willingness to take action to make a difference.” Evan Jacobs, CFO

In wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Kaplow will be making a generous donation to the Save the Children Foundation to assist in their humanitarian relief. Kaplow will also match each employee’s donation dollar for dollar.

Save the Children strives to provide aid to impoverished children, many of which do not even have access to clean drinking water. Through its steadfast dedication, this organization has reached over 50 countries and given more than 10 million children the chance for an education.

Save the Children has been working in Haiti since the mid ‘80s and is committed to helping the victims of this week’s horrific earthquake.

Kaplow employees are rallying together to lend support and will continue to give back to those affected by the Haiti disaster.

“Our mission is to create lasting, positive change in the lives of children in need. With your support, Save the Children will ensure that children in need grow up safe, educated and healthy, and better able to attain their rights.”

by Juliana Jacobs

“Kaplow and Baby Buggy have been teaming up for over 6 years with donations throughout the year and especially during the holiday season. Kaplow feels it is important to provide essential infant needs given the difficult economic times families with children face each day.”
-Tom Tinneny, Kaplow Office Services Manager

Kaplow certainly started the New Year off on the right foot! This holiday season, Kaplow partnered with Baby Buggy, a non- profit charity that provides underprivileged families with essential clothing and products for their young children. Started by Jessica Seinfeld in 2001, Baby Buggy has gained an extensive support network to give back to the community and ensure that disadvantaged families continue to receive the help they need.

Without hesitation, members of the Kaplow family generously participated in this donation. The reception desk was flooded with bottles, front carriers, bibs, diapers and blankets- items that most people take so for granted. With this joint contribution, we were able to make a meaningful donation to the charity. In the future, Kaplow plans to partner with similar organizations, which reach out to needy families, especially children. We look forward to giving back to the community in 2010!

“Our primary goal at Baby Buggy is to ensure that all parents and families in the 5 boroughs of New York City have the means to provide clothing and gear for their infants and young children.” – Jessica Seinfeld

]]> http://www.kaplowpr.com/wp/blog/kaplow-culture/diaper-duty/feed/ 0 http://www.kaplowpr.com/wp/blog/kaplow-culture/liz-kaplow-named-woman-of-distinction-by-girl-scouts-of-america/ http://www.kaplowpr.com/wp/blog/kaplow-culture/liz-kaplow-named-woman-of-distinction-by-girl-scouts-of-america/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:26:04 +0000 Chris Livingston http://www.kaplowpr.com/news.php/?p=763

Liz Kaplow, President and CEO Kaplow Communications, received a 2009 Women of Distinction award from the Girl Scouts of America this week. The Girl Scout Council of Greater New York hosted the 17th Annual Women of Distinction breakfast where they honored several remarkable women and gathered to celebrate Girl Scouting. At the awards ceremony, Liz Kaplow announced that Kaplow will host an exciting summer internship program entitled “Lessons BY Living.” The program will give qualified Girl Scouts opportunity to experience Public Relations and Communications first-hand and will offer life lessons on how changing conversations can often mean changing lives.

The Woman of Distinction title was bestowed upon eight distinguished women who have made outstanding accomplishments to their fields and exemplify the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. A Future Woman of Distinction award was given to an outstanding Girl Scout from Troop 2665 in Brooklyn, New York. Ambassador Girl Scout Nitiya Walker was honored at the event and named a Future Woman of Distinction for her contributions to her community through the Girl Scouting program. Nitiya, a senior at Edward R. Murrow High School, earned a Girl Scout Gold Award – the highest honor in Girl Scouting achieved by only 6% of girl Scouts nationwide. She arranged an empowerment weekend, entitled “One Star Lets Another Shine,” where 23 adolescent girls aged 13 to 18 gathered together to discuss self-esteem, personal care, teen dating and lifestyle decisions. After completing the project, she remarked: “I feel truly humbled because I went into the project trying to help others, but I learned the greatest lessons of all.”

Several of the Women of Distinction shared the great lessons they learned through the Girl Scouting program. Liz was honored along side other remarkable women including: Kathy Brand, Community Leader; Vita M. Harris, Chief Strategy Officer, Draftfcb; Nancy Hill, President 4A’s; Meredith Moore, Directo of Global Diversity Weil, Gotshal 7 Manges LLP; Myrtle Potter, President and CEO Myrtle Potter and Company, LLC and Myrtle Potter Media; Valerie Salembier, Senior VP/Publisher, Harper’s Bazaar Magazine and Susan M. Schor, Ph.D, Facilitating Leader and Chief Culture Officer, Eileen Fisher. Each of these women approaches their careers and lives with a confidence, gumption and gusto instilled in them through their years in the Girl Scouts.

When accepting her award, Liz shared some words of wisdom with the amazing women present, “Just do the best you can – but be present. Be 100 percent present, for the people in your life. And most importantly, like the values of the Girl Scouts, approach life with courage, confidence and character.”

We applaud you, Liz.

Just a few doors down from the Kaplow office, at the Algonquin Hotel, thought leaders met for a panel discussion on Tuesday to discuss the changing shape of the media landscape. The panelists were joined by Kaplow clients, friends of the agency, influencers, and high profile journalists.

During the panel discussion entitled, Don’t Write Them Off, Television, Newspapers, Magazines, Radio Reinvented, Sree Sreenivasan, professor at Columbia Journalism School and social media guru, noted that in order to stay relevant today’s journalist must connect with audiences using an approach one of his colleagues has coined “tradigital.” He defined tradigital as a traditional journalist with a digital overlay. He also optimistically reported that the Columbia School of Journalism has seen a 40% rise in applications, even while the industry undergoes a drastic change.

Jean Chatzky, Financial Editor, TODAY Show is a tradigital journalist who has adapted a number of different platforms. In addition to her role on television, she writes a weekly newspaper column for the Daily News, monthly articles for More magazine and also participates in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. She says she enjoys taking a multi-faceted approach to her work as it gives her the opportunity to “take a story that [she] is working on and incubate it, if it needs time to gather the right sources and put the package together.” On the flipside, if she has a breaking news story, she also has the ability to share that story right away using the internet.

Lesley Jane Seymour, Editor in Chief of More magazine, believes that the cluttered world of fashion magazines may consolidate, but as long as quality content remains and magazines offer something transformative, people will continue to purchase them.

Lincoln Millstein, senior VP-digital media at Hearst Newspapers, echoes Lesley’s confident attitude about the future of newspapers, noting that the doom and gloom story has been “oversold and overtold.” When it comes to newspapers building revenue, he suggests that media work “together as an industry” and follow the model provided by cable television, creating an environment where people solely gain access to content through subscriptions. He also notes that consumers view their news stories as a commodity, and “they will not pay for a commodity that is not highly differentiated.”

Alan Levy, Founder and CEO of BlogTalk Radio, stressed that “audiences are no longer sitting in front of tv or reading the paper… they are everywhere.” In order to stay relevant, the industry must make content available everywhere.

A Kaplow client asked the panelists about the role of the PR professional as the industry shifts, each of the panelists offered some of their insight on how the PR industry can continue to effectively deliver their message.

The optimism inherently present in the discussion’s title was reinforced by the remarks of everyone present. To hear the entire discussion, check out BlogTalkRadio.

Ninety years ago, just down the street from the Kaplow office, at the Algonquin Hotel, influential American writers and journalists met daily to discuss their work, ideas and opinions while gossiping and giggling. Led by Dorothy Parker, friends Robert Benchley, and Robert E. Sherwood gathered with literary contemporaries including critic, Alexander Woollcott, playwrights George Kaufman and Edna Ferber, and New Yorker editor and founder Harold Ross. The Algonquin literati are credited with influencing the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

On Tuesday, September 15, Kaplow will host the Algonquin 3.0, an incarnation of Dorothy Parker’s roundtable. Joining moderator Liz Kaplow are esteemed industry experts, journalists and thought leaders Sree Sreenivasan, Jean Chatzky, Lesley Jane Seymour, Lincoln Millstein, and Alan Levy.The panelists will discuss the changing media landscape, in a discussion entitled “Don’t Write Them Off: Television, Newspapers, Magazines, Radio Reinvented.” It’s sure to be a lively conversation about how media convergence affects the work of writers, journalists, and public relations professionals.

The event will be streamed live on both Ustream.tv and BlogTalkRadio. If you’d like to watch our free live stream of the event on 9/15 at 10:00 am, please register here: http://kaplowpr.eventbrite.com/. You can also stay tuned via Twitter hashtag #ALG3 prior to and during the roundtable, we hope you’ll Twitter your thoughts and comments and also follow us @kaplowpr.

Kaplow has been a partner to mark. from the day we launched the brand over 5 years ago as a network of young women who sell first-to-market, exclusive beauty products, fragrances and accessories.

So when mark. began planning its 2009 summer intern program — an opportunity for a coterie of its top college reps to spend a summer in-house lending their energies to key brand initiatives — mark.  naturally thought of Kaplow.

mark. selected intern Lauren Montemaro, a Quinnipiac University honor student, to spend her internship externally: she is based at Kaplow this summer.  Through this integration, Lauren has learned the mark. business from the perspective of an agency partner.

To give her fellow interns a glimpse into her experience, Lauren recently hosted the entire intern group for an in-depth look at the role of PR.  From Liz Kaplow’s industry secrets and insider insights, to special guest Jorge Ramon’s celebrity stylist tips on dressing for success in PR careers, the mark. intern team enjoyed an immersion into a day in the life of Kaplow.

mark.’s interns are already stars in the beauty business – and Kaplow is so fortunate to be a partner to their development.