It’s hard to believe the new year has come! It’s time to think about your PR strategy for the year. What are you doing this year that will attract people’s attention? What are you going to do to promote that? Will you be blogging this year? My husband and I were laughing the other day about how just six years ago someone told him blogging was just a fad. Well wasn’t that the farthest from the truth. I wonder what that person is saying now?

Blogging and video blogging are valuablable when creating your own fame. Also you’re only as good as the commitment you put into blogging. But the pot of gold with online fame is that you are in control of your own channel…online. It’s that simple. It really is. Create your own fame. Start broadcasting to the world today. Soon success stories about getting discovered online like Justin Bieber will be a dime a dozen. There will always be THAT many people worldwide online (and growing in numbers). There will always be an audience awake and waiting to tune in (and growing in numbers). Take the How To girls on You Tube that talk about make-up and fashion. Girls like Xteener and TiffanyD who are getting hundreds of thousands of hits on each of the video blogs. These girls are definitely making their own fame.

These girls definitely found their niche and proving that How To videos on beauty are exceptionally popular. It’s just them in their bedrooms with their own camera. Clearly it’s not the production value that’s bringing their audience back with each post. These girls are successful because they found a topic to talk about that is interesting to a large audience online but they are also as authentic as you can get. They are not putting on an act. It’s what I love most about blogging and video blogging…. just how real it is. Unless you are authentic chances are you won’t be popular.

There are two very brilliant components to choosing to create your own fame online. One is the social media channels you can use to promote your writing or videos. With channels like Facebook and Twitter there is an endless amount of traffic you can attract if you put the commitment in or at least hire someone to. Also everything online is track-able. It’s all about the numbers. If you are commanding an audience of thousands you will inevitably be making money from people who want to endorse you. I’m guessing Xteener and TiffanyD get a truckload of free make-up to their doors daily, not to mention the ad space these girls can sell to advertisers on their own websites. The revenue stream is an automatic outcome to attracting thousands (or millions) of people to your site, your blog, your page…. your fame.

So what are you waiting for? Make your own fame. If you don’t want to video blog then start writing about things YOU care about. Be authentic. Authentic doesn’t mean personal. It means you need to believe in what you are talking about. If you can’t speak genuinely about it it won’t make you famous. Everyone has to start somewhere. Make 2011 your year to start blogging! I will be taking my own advice and putting up more posts as well.

Wishing you nothing but online success in 2011!

]]> http://alexleepr.com/2011/01/03/create-your-own-fame/feed/ 0 http://alexleepr.com/2010/12/29/conviction-kitchen-season-2/ http://alexleepr.com/2010/12/29/conviction-kitchen-season-2/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 07:09:00 +0000 alexleebehan http://alexleepr.com/?p=491

When Cineflix called me to work on their reality show I never knew it would become one of my absolute favourite projects to work on, not to mention among the most successful campaigns. I was brought on to direct PR for their reality show Conviction Kitchen for their second season. Renowned chef Marc Thuet and his business partner and wife Biana Zorich wanted to bring their show to Vancouver after starting it in Toronto in their own restaurant for season one. Yes- it was a reality show but the people behind this show had a big impact on my life. It really was a fantastic lesson in paying it forward.

Not only did Chef Marc make me some of the most best meals of my life (and I have had some great meals by great chefs in my lifetime) but he and Biana taught me about second chances in the most personal way.

Conviction Kitchen is about taking ex-cons and training them to run a restaurant- front and back. In its first season there wasn’t much press on the series until after it aired. There was relatively no interest in covering the story during its filming days. But it was a different story in Vancouver. The media was very interested in covering the story. From the news angles of the lives of these local ex-convicts to the incredible food that came out of Chef Thuet’s kitchen the story was covered on TV, newspaper and magazines in the city.

It was more than just pitching a story to the press. What Biana and Marc were doing for these trainees was inspirational. They gave second chances to people who never get a break. I enjoyed working with them just as much as I know Marc and Biana did. The show producer, Philip Whelan, was brilliant to work with as well. Their genuine care for these people translated well with the media that I connected with them. It was not just a reality show for them.

The show aired its first run in November and has now been picked up by Discovery Channel in the United States. Conviction Kitchen 2 re-runs on January 13, 2011 on Citytv.

If you’re looking for a great cookbook Chef Marc’s new book is on the book shelves now!

Conviction Kitchen 2 was featured in the following media:

The Vancouver Sun

24 Hours

Western Living

Georgia Straight

Westender

Breakfast Television

Urban Rush

Metro Vancouver

CTV BC

Calgary Herald

Bill Good Show

CKNW Weekend

Toronto Life

Here are some photos Janis took during the campaign:

(photo by Nordica Photography)

Inside Vancouver

The Poker Player

By Gary Stephen Ross published May 20, 2010

It’s an hour before the fifth Kings-Canucks playoff game, and Players Chophouse on Beatty, around the corner from GM Place, is abuzz with alcohol, testosterone, and anticipation. The room is packed; hockey fans—mostly buff guys, many in Canucks jerseys—order drinks, ogle the comely servers, and keep an eye on the Washington-Montreal game on the screens above the bar. In the middle of the din sits the gregarious, six-foot-four, 225-pound, freshly Buddha-domed Greg Mueller. “Hey Baumer,” he calls to Canuck defenceman Nolan Baumgartner, in suit and tie. “How come you’re not dressed tonight?” “Sprained my MCL,” replies Baumgartner glumly, joining utility forward Matt Pettinger, also in civvies, at a table nearby.

Along with Garth Snow, Mitch Berger, Jason Strudwick, Len Barrie, Darryl Sydor, and several other current and former athletes, Mueller, 38, is part owner of the sports bar, as well as of Players Chophouse in Whistler. Born in Germany, he grew up in White Rock (“My parents had a fish and chips place, Moby Dick, on the beach”), where he still lives when he’s not keeping a schedule that takes him all over the world (he’s just back from a poker tournament in Indiana). It was during a nine-year pro hockey career in Germany that he became adept at poker (“all those 10-hour bus rides”). He quit hockey and returned to Canada to spend time with his mother, who had terminal breast cancer. He tried acting, and eventually devoted himself to poker. His ascent through the ranks has been remarkable; he’s racked up some $1.7 million in tournament winnings along the way. Last year at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas he won two bracelets (and $587,906)—the legendary Phil Ivey was the only other player to win two. Tonight, as he eagerly awaits the Game 5 faceoff, those diamond-studded bracelets accent the cuffs of his Kyle Wellwood jersey, sparkling each time he raises his glass. He hopes to pad his totals at this year’s World Series, which runs from the end of May until mid July, then breaks until the final table of the main event reconvenes in November.

Mueller nibbles beef carpaccio and Caprese salad while greeting pals, happily bantering with the servers and frequently checking his BlackBerry. “Excuse me,” he says, “but my buddy Shawn Buchanan’s at the final table in the World Poker Tour event at the Bellagio right now. We’ve got 10 percent of each other”—meaning Mueller stands to pocket about $58,800 of the $587,906 Buchanan will eventually collect for finishing third. “Shawn’s from Abbotsford and we worked our way up together. We’re roommates when we travel.”

Like many top players, Mueller—FBT (for Full Blown Tilt) to his friends—fancies himself an excellent “reader,” able to divine the strength of an opponent’s hand from the subtlest clues: a remark, a hesitation, the slightest change in posture. Though he’s sponsored by Full Tilt, the online gaming outfit, he’s not really comfortable playing on his computer because he has no access to such visual tells. But he attributes his success at the table to less nuanced factors as well—physical fitness, for one.

“In a tournament, say you end the day with the chip lead. What are you going to do? Go out to a strip bar and get drunk celebrating with your buddies? Or go to the gym, ride the bike, eat properly, get a good night’s sleep? You need to feel great, mentally and physically, to be able to concentrate for 13 hours straight without making a mistake.” Mueller works out regularly, eats carefully (“no coffee, no Red Bull”), runs, and plays on two rec-league hockey teams against talented kids half his age.

Self-knowledge and self-discipline are also integral to his success. “In a cash game, when things aren’t going well, you have to be able to get up and walk away. Somebody’ll say, ‘Hey, Greg, why you leaving now? You’re down 10 grand, just like me.’ You go back in the morning and the same guy’s still at the table, only now he’s down 40 grand. You have to stay in your financial comfort zone. People get in over their heads. I’ve never played the big cash game with Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, and all those great players, because I can’t afford to lose half a million bucks in a night. I stick to games where I know I can do well—and if the cards don’t come my way, I can handle the loss.

“It’s amazing how often you’ll hear from somebody who’s looking to borrow a thousand, and you say, ‘Wait, didn’t you win the tournament and $1.5 million three weeks ago?’ ‘Well, yeah, but I lost it playing craps and baccarat.’ You have to stick to what you’re good at. Sure, I like to bet sports—I’ve got some money down on the Canucks-L.A. series because it makes the games more exciting. But if I lose, I pay cash and don’t worry about trying to win it back. I’ve never been broke. You’d be surprised how many well-known players are always borrowing money.” Is Mueller looking forward to having a new casino adjacent to BC Place, not five minutes away? “Actually, I don’t play much poker when I’m in Vancouver,” he says.

“I find it kind of boring. But it’ll be good for business at the restaurant, once they get the new roof on BC Place and the Lions and the Whitecaps start playing there. We need to get through the construction phase, then things will really pick up.”

It’s 20 minutes to start time, and Mueller eagerly joins the throng streaming along Dunsmuir to GM Place. “Should be a great game tonight,” he says, oblivious to the rain. “I get seats from a season-ticket holder who’s down in Phoenix right now, best seats in the house. I’m flying to L.A. to watch Game 6 on Sunday.

I love competition. I love playing hockey and love watching it. During the Olympics I rented [former Canuck] Dave Scatchard’s penthouse in Yaletown and went to all the games, had a few beers with my friends, just a fantastic time.

“Attending sports events is what I really enjoy. Poker’s what lets me do it.”

The comments have been interesting since the article ran on BC Business’ website as well as the comments left for Rob Lewis when he wrote about it for Tech Vibes.

I appreciate being considered worthy to be among such great colleagues. I certainly know that this city has its fair share of social media power. The photos were beautifully shot and the location choices for each candidate were fantastic.

It’s amazing how great social media tools are to find the perfect new person to fill a position in your company. One tweet about looking for a specialist and I got many exceptional replies. Thank you to everyone for submitting their resumes and thoughtful emails to my attention.

To be honest when I posted the search request I was still trying to figure out what the void in my PR firm was. I needed a fast learner first and foremost and someone I that just gets the wonderful world of social media. Number one rule to online fame is commitment. My clients need to be present online on a regular basis and that takes time and effort and the love and attention from someone who cares!

I’m pleased to announce that Janis Behan will be joining the Alex Lee PR team. I guess if I were to give her a title it would be Social Media + PR Specialist. Her marketing background coupled with her experience dealing with a high level of clientele are her biggest assets to the position as well as her keen eye for design, planning events and just her overall creativity. She even knows how to use Photoshop and takes a beautiful photograph! All skills that will come in handy when she’s working on some exciting and high energy contracts.

Welcome Janis!

What has changed, over the last few years, is the fight for your story to get on that newspaper, TV or radio broadcast. With less pages and less broadcast avenues to choose from, reporters and editors are much more selective in what they choose to cover. So if you’re promoting something or someone you’re going to have to think outside the box.

Think about your pitch!

It goes back to that question I always ask my clients. What’s your message? What’s yours story? The media wants an interesting story, a captivating story and a memorable story. Does your story fall into any of those categories? What are you telling everyone to get excited or interested about?

Find that authentic pitch. One you can stand behind and contact your favourite reporter. It’s just an email and you never know… maybe your story will interest more than your family and friends.

In past year’s I’ve attended private industry parties at venues such as the Verona Suite in the Hilton Hotel or the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay where James Gandolfini was launching his new slot machine. It’s a great way to network and see some incredible venues in private settings.

I’ll be dedicating a page on the site during the conference with my take on it all.

www.alexleepr.com/g2e

November 29, 2009

The page mentioned above has now also been added into this post. When I take business trips I create a separate page to post current and specific information and write the link on my business cards.

If you received a card from me it would look like the one in the photo to the right. If yours read G2E then the information below took you to the page dedicated to my experience at that event. It’s my suggestion for a unique business card idea and a chance to engage in conversation past the handshake and card exchange (while still at the event!).

After the event has passed and all the contacts have been made and conversations have started it’s now all in one blog post here below.

November 15, 2009

I will be attending G2E and posting photos and my take on the conference this year on this page. It all starts tomorrow Tuesday.

Follow me on Twitter. I’ll be using the hashtag #G2E09

Monday, November 16, 2009

Left this morning for Las Vegas. Lots of people on the plane attending G2E as well! The flight was nice and it was certainly nice to leave torrential rain in Vancouver to arrive in sunny Las Vegas.

Checked into Caesars Palace, my home away from home, and settled into my favourite tower (Augustus). Love this hotel. Not only is it located in the best area of the strip (I think) but you really don’t need to really leave to experience the best that Las Vegas has to offer. Everything from the shopping to the casino games, they don’t hold back. It really is, hands down, my favourite hotel. Sure there are great rooms in other hotels but Caesars has the whole package hands down. Looking forward to my bath in the big soaker tub before hitting up the first industry party tonight at Carmel in the Bellagio.

Tuesday November 17

So the day started out with a bright a beautiful morning in Vegas and I was ready to tackle the busiest day of my week with client meetings and taking in the convention.

First meeting took place at Payard’s at Caesar’s. A newer feature of Caesar’s Palace and a great place to grab a quick bite and a great latte.

Then it was off to the convention centre. The thing with G2E is that in order to get invited to these massive parties in the evenings you have to find the right people to connect with and get that coveted invitation. Tonight’s affair is at the Joint at the Hard Rock and there were 8000 tickets handed out. Right now there’s a massive lineup and I’m not sure that’s my scene tonight. It’s hard to network with 8000 people there and loud music. So we’ll see if I even make out there.

The G2E Convention Center was packed. No surprise. All the vendors had amazing products on display and I would’ve taken more pictures if I wasn’t told not too. I guess people want to keep their new products under wraps. I have to say that I have noticed a bigger turn out this year than last. More companies are sending more people here as things pick up in the economy. Having said that it is still not the same G2E as years past but a definite improvement from last year to this year.

Overall this day has exceeded my expectations and I had great meetings with both clients and friends in the industry so far.

More to come…..

Thursday, November 19

So I do realize that I have skipped a day in this update. Mainly because took the opportunity to shop in Vegas since I didn’t have any meetings yesterday till dinner time. In my opinion there are some great shopping places in Vegas. My favorites are the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, the Premium Outlets and the Fashion Show mall.

I had a couple of meetings at Caesar’s at dinner before heading to the TCS John Huxley affair at the Palms. I have to say after a week of meetings and attending G2E parties TCS John Huxley did it up the best! Instead of competing for the attention of their clients on the convention floor they decided to take over the Palms. During the day on Tuesday they held their display and show floor in a VIP setting and then last night was the big VIP party at the Moon. Everything from their invitation materials to the executive car pickup was done masterfully and in true old school G2E Las Vegas style. And here’s the kicker… they saved money by doing it this way!!! The convention floor space is so expensive basically taking over Palms was a cheaper option! Unbelievable. Thank you TCS John Huxley for setting the bar this year!

Overall I thought this G2E was great. Last year you really felt the economic hit. Companies only sent their top 2 executives and the convention seemed dead… literally. But this year you saw the blood start to flow back into the gaming industry in North America. Numbers are up. Things are started to return back to where it should be. More bodies on the floor. Better parties again. Before the world tanked G2E Las Vegas was insane. Returning to those days of private parties and extravagant VIP client service has made a return and I anticipate that next year will be even better.

Thank you for following my G2E Las Vegas updates. If you want my play by play you can check out my Twitter page.

Thanks to Caesar’s Palace for my amazing stay (again). Service is impeccable and the Augustus Tower is my idea of heaven.

Today Patrick took to the stage to complete Phase 1. He did it! He sand his four U2 songs in hopes to get U2’s attention. Not to mention getting many of the Vancouver radio stations to spread the word including the Joe Leary Show on Talk 1410 and The Courage and Vance Show on Shore 104fm.

You may have even seen him in 24 Hours Vancouver today on your way into town on the skytrain. “It was so surreal to see people sitting there reading about me in the paper as I sit next to them on the skytrain today,” says Stark. “What an incredible day!”

Tomorrow will be the real test. Did we get through to U2? When it hits the Vancouver Sun tomorrow… will they read it and say yes?

Either way it’s a win win for Stark. He will try his hardest to fulfill his dream of being a rockstar tomorrow night but if at the end of the day he doesn’t make it on stage with U2 it will all make for great footage of Stark’s heartfelt journey in the film.

Here are some more shots from today:

On a personal note this PR project has been such a great experience for me. Patrick is a dream client. His passion for what he does is truly inspiring. If you believe good things happen to good people then Patrick Stark will get on that stage tomorrow!

Me with the Big Dreamer

Tomorrow Patrick takes to the stage to sing his songs to U2!

Come join us!!

Here are some shots from today:

Band backing Patrick – Phil Robertson (drums – Idle Eyes), Trevor McDonald (guitar), Ian Putz (brass – yes brass – Aerosmith), Brian Newcombe (bass – David Foster/Chilliwack)

On October 27th, 2009 Vancouver filmmaker Patrick Stark is going to try and get U2’s attention in a pretty grand way.

For more information visit the film’s website www.OneLifeNoRegrets.ca for more information.

We are also looking for your submissions. If you’d like to be a part of the One Life: No Regrets documentary please reply to the   You Tube Video. We would love to hear from you!