The Insider Q2 2009

On behalf of Maroon PR, I'd like to welcome you to the latest edition of our quarterly E-Newsletter, which provides different perspectives from professionals within our industry and all things Maroon PR.

Maroon PR has had a busy start to the year. We've helped stage, coordinate and run numerous events for our clients, while adding other new and exciting clients to our roster. We are glad to share with you their latest news and we thank you for your interest in our company.

We hope you find The Insider entertaining and that you will continue to visit MaroonPR.com to stay informed with everything we are involved with in the future.

Sincerely,

John Maroon, President

1. In your role with the Denver Nuggets, how proactive are you able to be in your media outreach versus fielding media requests and handling game-oriented activities?

I would say the pendulum swings more towards being reactionary than proactive on a day-to-day basis. On average, we’re playing three or four games a week, so the majority of inquiries are focused on how we’re playing and who’s making an impact. We’re constantly reacting to something that happened in a game or to what someone said. On a typical game day the players and head coach can be available to the media up to three times – at the morning shootaround, pregame and postgame. Handling the requests during those availabilities and fielding local and national broadcast requests takes up a good portion of my time.

However, since the season is so long, there are times when the media is looking for something fresh to cover, and that enables me to pitch stories about what our guys are doing off the court and in the community. It’s also a good time to push a story about a player who might not be drawing a lot of attention, but is deserving of some. I try to be as proactive as I can, but if we’re in the midst of a five-game losing streak, it’s hard to get a positive feature story on our team placed in a publication. When we’re on a roll, I’ll try to take advantage of it and be more proactive or catch up on opportunities.

2. The scope of the media industry has changed drastically over the past decade as the Internet has significantly increased its presence in today’s marketplace. From bloggers to the average fan having a camera phone or video camera, what challenges have you encountered during this change in the media market and how do you advise your players accordingly?

Wow, the challenges... how much time do we have? It seems every day we’re dealing with something new as the media industry evolves and newspapers die across the country. (On Feb. 27, 2009) the Rocky Mountain News – a 150-year-old paper – closed its doors in Denver. It makes you wonder how long newspapers will be around and if our fans will look to traditional news sources to get their daily Nuggets fix or if they’ll gravitate towards fan sites and blogs.

During our annual media training session, we stress to our players that they live in a YouTube world. What they say or do around their friends can be just as powerful or damaging as something they say during a media session if someone is catching it on camera. And usually someone is. The Josh Howard incident last summer was a perfect example (he was caught on a cell phone camera saying disrespectful things about the national anthem). The old adage, “it takes 10 seconds to ruin 10 years of good will” is even more prevalent these days.

The trend now is to get the news up on the Internet as quickly as possible and then correct any mistakes later. Stories oftentimes run with one anonymous source and there is very little accountability if that source proves to not be credible. Some of the gossip sites just make stories up and I’m not sure the general public always knows which site is credible and which one fabricates things. This obviously creates more headaches for the PR department and the players and we spend a lot of time putting out fires.

3. Throughout your tenure with the Nuggets, you’ve worked with a number of superstars. From a PR perspective, how does your approach with the media differ when dealing with the team concept as opposed to items pertaining to the individual stars?

If I was just working for say Carmelo Anthony, he would obviously be my focus and I’d try to push as much as I could for him. But with a team, I need to try to spread the attention around. Each one of our 13 players has a unique story to tell about the journey he made to become one of the 400-some-odd players in the NBA. Over the course of an 82-game season, each player will undoubtedly make an impact. It’s good business for the franchise to have the fans feel like they’re as close to all our players as we can get them, so there are times when I might get a request for Carmelo, but I’ll try to make sure one of the other players get some love. I was taught to treat the guy at the end of the bench the same as I do the superstar. Obviously I’ll get many more requests for the superstar and probably work with him more, but within the team concept, no one player is more important than another.

4. It seems that the media’s focus, at times, is strictly on a professional athlete’s game performance, and less on the positive impact they have on the community out-of-uniform. How do you think more attention can be brought to an athlete’s philanthropic efforts, especially in a market like Denver that has a team in each of the four major sports?

Well, I think a good deal of the burden rests on the players. The player really needs to be committed to his community. He can’t be half-hearted in his efforts or just think that attaching his name to something is going to bring him recognition. He can also go a long way towards getting the media to cover his philanthropic efforts if he has a good rapport with them. As a PR person, I can only do so much. I can bring attention to programs a player is involved in, but if he doesn’t appear to be genuine about it or if the player doesn’t treat the media with respect, they aren’t going to do him any favors by covering him. There are just too many other athletes in Denver that the media can choose to cover. (Los Angeles Clippers center) Marcus Camby was as adept at this as anyone I’ve worked with. He made time for the media every day – win or lose – and was incredibly involved in the programs he started through his foundation. As a result, the events he did for his foundation received a great deal of coverage and his image was impeccable in town.

5. Are there any specific individuals or moments throughout your career that helped shape who you are today?

I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the best PR professionals in sports. Jon Jackson, now at Duke, took me under his wing as a student intern at SMU and helped me land an internship with Tommy Sheppard, who had just taken over as PR Director for the Nuggets in 1994. Obviously I’m still here, so I owe a great deal to him. Both guys have been great mentors and friends to me over the years. Rich Dalrymple and Brett Daniels introduced me to pro sports and dealing with superstars as an intern with the Dallas Cowboys. Brian McIntyre, Tim Frank and Maureen Coyle in the NBA PR office have been great sounding boards over the years.

Two specific events really gave me a sense of “OK, I know what the heck I’m doing.” In 2006, we were less than two minutes from wrapping up a convincing win in New York over the Knicks and completing a very successful road trip when the infamous brawl broke out. There were many quick decisions that I had to make that night and everyone really listened to the advice I gave. Two days later, we were addressing the media for the first time after the fight when I was told we were trading for Allen Iverson. Allen’s stardom was on another level than anyone I had worked with previously. That week was a whirlwind, but I felt I grew a lot.

A year or so later, the general manager who had traded Allen to us was fired. Allen pulled me aside after practice and asked me how I thought he should handle the questions he was going to be asked by the media. I gave him some advice and he took it to heart and said all the right things.

This quarter, Maroon PR tracked down... Christine Brennan, award-winning USA Today Columnist and best-selling author. She also has her own website, www.christinebrennan.com.

The "Good" PR – To me, the best public relations work is not the sometimes-heavy-handed, out-of-the-blue pitch, but a more gradual, "getting-to-know-you" philosophy.

One of the top publicists in the figure skating world is Lynn Plage, who I've known for 20 years. Back in 1994, when I began working on my first skating book, "Inside Edge," which became a national bestseller, Lynn and I would occasionally talk -- to catch up, discuss an idea or talk about an upcoming event.

One day, we were discussing the idea of my spending some time on one of the skating tours. In the midst of the conversation, Lynn said she thought she could get me complete access to the tour she represented. From that simple discussion sprang a behind-the-scenes chapter in my book on the “Stars on Ice” tour. Lynn and the tour gave me total access to the skaters - including on the tour bus - which allowed me hours to interview Katarina Witt and others about their careers.

Lynn did it again more recently. I had been thinking of doing a column on Baltimore's Kimmie Meissner before the 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships; but then Meissner withdrew due to injury. A few days later, Lynn e-mailed to ask if I still wanted to talk to Kimmie. I had written off the Meissner idea, but then I thought, sure, why not. Perhaps Meissner could be a small part of whatever I was going to write about the young girls in skating.

Lynn set up a phone interview, and when I spoke with Kimmie, the story of her plight to stay on top of her sport at the ripe old age of 19 was so interesting I decided to turn her into my whole column.

It's also good to know a PR person's roster of clients. Another top sports publicist, Meredith Geisler, represents both Grant and Calvin Hill, among many others. Several years ago, I mentioned to her that I was working on a magazine piece on Title IX. She suggested Grant. “Why?” I asked. Grant had a young daughter, she explained, and could talk about his hopes for his daughter to play sports. It was a great idea, she set up a phone interview for me and I included Grant in the piece.

Just a few months ago, I was writing about the bad behavior of professional athletes and thought of the Hills again -- this time, Calvin, who works with athletes on a few pro teams.

On deadline, I left a message for Meredith, asking for Calvin's number. She texted me a few minutes later with his cell number and a deadline: Calvin was on his way to the airport, so the window of opportunity was 20 minutes, max. I called Calvin a few minutes later. I got my quotes and he made his flight.

Full disclosure: I think Meredith is so good, I hired her in 2006 to assist my publisher in promoting my father-daughter sports memoir, "Best Seat in the House."

The "Bad" PR – Bad public relations is the opposite of what I've just discussed. Many PR professionals do their jobs very well, but there are some who don't, and it's often because they don't put in the hard work to do it right.

These are the people who send out the "To-whom-it-may-concern" pitch. I receive hundreds of these pitches a year at my USAToday.com e-mail address.

"To the golf writer..." -- I'm not the golf writer.

"To the winter sports beat writer..." -- I'm not the winter sports beat writer.

"To the women's sports beat writer..." -- I'm not the women's sports beat writer.

Because of the massive number of e-mails I get, I often have to delete these e-mails, spending about as much time on them as the PR person did. I wish I had the hours to correct or help them, but there's just not enough time in the day. Plus, I'm guessing I'm not the only person receiving those e-mails at USA Today.

The "Ugly" PR – A veteran sports PR man who shall remain nameless recently e-mailed my personal account to say he was working for a charitable event and had a question for me:

"What do you write about?"

Yes, in this Internet age, where that information is available at the click of a finger -- not to mention in the nation's largest circulation newspaper -- that was his question.

I was embarrassed for this poor fellow, so I sent him the link to my columns at USA Today and suggested he might give them a look.

It turned out he was pitching a local D.C. story that would not have been for me. He apparently had no idea I write about national and international sports issues in columns for USA Today. It's entirely possible he thought I was still at The Washington Post, which I left in 1996.

If you look at a video on a website, you’ll see a little toolbar on the bottom. The toolbar usually has symbols for play, stop and pause. Your next business presentation, conversation or even meeting can benefit from that same toolbar.

You hit play when you begin. For a lot of professionals, the problems begin soon after that. Most professionals and executives who I have watched over the years start a presentation or conversation and keep going until they hit the stop button. They never pause.

A pause only has to last a second or two, about the same length as a breath. It has the same effect as a breath too: It feels natural.

Here are three effective ways to use pauses in your next presentation, conversation or meeting:

1. Immediately after you make a critical point, pause.
2. Immediately after you deliver a funny line or the punch line of a humorous story, pause.
3. When you want more feedback, ask for it. When it starts to come, mentally hit the pause button.

All three techniques work because they give other people - not just you - a chance to breathe, absorb and process information.

Too many professionals fall for the trap of beginning their presentation or conversation and plowing through it until they finish. Play button to stop button. By peppering your next presentation, conversation or meeting with a few pauses, you’ll notice a greater connection with your audience. The people you address will begin to feel as if you are talking with them instead of at them.

Gerry Sandusky is a communications consultant, TV & Radio sportscaster, and the Voice of the Baltimore Ravens. His company, The Sandusky Group, is on the web at www.SanduskyGroup.com.

Continuing his mission to serve the Denver community, NBA superstar and Denver Nuggets’ forward Carmelo Anthony launched the “15 on the 15th” program in 2009. Melo established the initiative to utilize his Studio 15 barbershop to provide haircuts to disadvantaged children and underserved adults in programs throughout the Denver area. The program’s name is derived from Melo’s number 15 with the Nuggets.

On the 15th day of each month, 15 children or adults from a community group are chosen by the Carmelo Anthony Foundation to receive free haircuts at Studio 15. The Family Resource Center, Denver Children’s Home and Excelsior Youth Center have benefited from the first three events in 2009, respectively. Since launching the program, Maroon PR has secured sponsors for each month, as well as the group that benefitted from the program. In addition, Maroon PR has garnered positive coverage each month from Denver media outlets including KWGN-TV, KDVR-TV and KCNC-TV, as well as The Denver Post, Denver Magazine and DenverDailyNews.com. On a national level, “15 on the 15th” has been featured in The SportsBusiness Daily and Sporting News Today.

Melo opened Studio 15 on Nov. 6, 2008 in Denver’s LoDo District. If you’d like to support the “15 on the 15th” program by sponsoring a month in 2009, please contact the Carmelo Anthony Foundation via email at info@CarmeloCares.org for more details.

On Wednesday, Feb. 11th, Maroon PR played key roles in the V.I.P. Grand Opening Party hosted by Sullivan’s Steakhouse at their newest location at 1 E. Pratt St. in downtown Baltimore.

Sullivan’s is a distinctive American steakhouse featuring hand-cut steaks, amazing fresh seafood, classic salads, family style side dishes and a selection of desserts made in-house. The classic steakhouse elements mixed with modern art-décor accentuate the restaurant's vibrant feel and excitement. In the tradition of such Baltimore greats as Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway, Sullivan’s features great live jazz six nights a week. The location also offers a 90-seat bar with unmatched selection of wines, cordials and more. Sullivan’s spent over $4 million dollars to open its location in Baltimore and has created more than 200 jobs in the city.

Maroon PR performed many activities for the event, including: designing the event invitations, developing the guest list and managing RSVPs, orchestrating media coverage and more. In addition, the firm secured involvement from the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) and participation from Cal Ripken, Jr. at the ribbon cutting and $10,000 check presentation from Sullivan’s Steakhouse’s CEO Mark Mednansky to the CRSF.

In addition to Ripken, the nearly 500 attendees included former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich; Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon; Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker Jameel McClain; former Baltimore Colt Tom Matte; CRSF Chairman of the Board, Robbie Calloway; Towson University President Bob Caret and many others.

Twelve-year NBA veteran Adonal Foyle launched the March $10K Campaign on behalf of his non-profit organization, the Kerosene Lamp Foundation (KLF), in an effort to raise funding for KLF’s annual Athletics & Academics Island Camps in his home country of St. Vincent and The Grenadines in the Caribbean. This campaign was in conjunction with Adonal’s 34th birthday on March 9th and the prestigious Community Contribution Award that he was honored with by the National Basketball Players Association at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.

The March $10K Campaign ran throughout the entire month and included several great incentives for people to make donations, such as autographed sneakers from NBA All-Star Dwight Howard. The campaign helped make the camps - which will take place again this summer - a reality for up to 1,000 kids in St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Through these camps and other initiatives, KLF uses the sport of basketball as a bridge to the next generation, promoting education (literacy in particular) and health awareness, providing free basketball clinics and building/refurbishing basketball courts. Adonal didn’t have electricity on his home island when he was growing up, and the name "Kerosene Lamp" refers to the lighting he used to study. The lamp now symbolizes his mission to brighten the future of today's youth.

Maroon PR worked with Adonal to help raise awareness for KLF and the March $10K Campaign, and successfully secured media coverage on ESPN.com, "The Brian Kenny Show" on ESPN Radio, Sporting News Today, "The Dan Le Batard Show" on 790 The Ticket in South Florida and "Sports Byline USA," among several other outlets.

After two decades with various sports teams and leagues John Maroon opened Maroon PR in April of 2006. We opened our doors with two clients, Ripken Baseball and the Babe Ruth Museum, and we are proud to say that they are still with us. We now manage over two dozen active clients that include sports properties, non-profit organizations and small businesses. Our Vision Statement is "We Drive Growth Through Relationships" and it is so much more than a statement, it is the way we do business each and every day to help our clients. Visit the Capabilities section of our site to learn more.

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