The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Foundation and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) named MP&F Partner Keith Miles as the 2016 Dr. Frederick H. Teahan Outstanding Professional Adviser for his work with the Belmont University PRSSA chapter. The award is based on a professional adviser’s exemplary display and encouragement of professional attitudes and behavior, development of increased contact between professionals and students, successful promotion of PRSA Associate Membership, supportive student advocacy and representation within the PRSA sponsor chapter, and general display of concern for the student chapter and its members. Miles is currently serving in his second year …

MP&F Public Relations has, not one, but two people named to the prestigious Nashville Business Journal Power 100 list this year. Partner Katy Varney and Account Supervisor and Metro Councilman Colby Sledge were named to the Power 100, now in its second year. Varney also made the 2015 list. The NBJ looked at Nashvillians who have the biggest impact in the business community by wielding influence through their connections, positions or wealth. In the listing, NBJ wrote of Varney: … As a partner at one of the city’s most prominent public relations firms, it’s Katy Varney’s job to shape the …

Many visitors arrive at Andrew Jackson’s home with their opinions already fixed, sometimes using words like “crazy” and “violent.” At first, I visited The Hermitage solely to enjoy the history. But I left with a clearer image of the man, whom I felt wasn’t as easy to label as I’d first thought. Visitors are greeted by larger-than-life portraits of the general looming next to compassionate quotes from his military experiences. Guests progress through the visitors’ center detailing his pre-presidential life from lower economic class to legend, ultimately arriving into Jackson’s controversial rise to his time as the seventh U.S. president, …

So my college major, grades and transcripts won’t matter in the “real world,” or at least that’s what I’m told. The question then becomes ‘what can we students do to land that postgraduate dream job?’ College students have figured out that experience is everything and internships are priceless – literally. (Most are unpaid.) Finding the right internship is difficult, but a whole new challenge arises after you accept a position.   While business professionals discuss the importance of work/life balance, students like me should think about a work/life/school balance. Interns must keep up with their professional responsibilities on top of …

MP&F recently welcomed a new class of interns. These talented young people were chosen to spend the fall semester at MP&F after a competitive round of interviews with our team of intern coordinators. Like every intern class before them, they are eager to get to work and grateful for the experience. In my opinion, however, the experience they are getting – as important as that is for their careers – is not an equal trade for the work they produce, and I cannot imagine not paying them for what they do on behalf of our clients. In 2013, MP&F moved …

Earlier today, MP&F Vice President Javier Solano led an online “diversity chat,” presented by the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Solano, also the vice president of the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce, was the guest expert during a Facebook Live discussion about diversity and inclusion initiatives in the communications industry. Born in Santa Marta, Colombia, and raised in metropolitan Washington, D.C., Solano graduated from Columbia University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in English. A former print journalist, he has been with MP&F since 2001. Photo: PRSA Nashville Diversity Chairwoman Ivy Johnson, a Tennessee …

Disappearing images are all the rage on social media lately, starting with the increasingly popular 5-year-old Snapchat and, more recently, Instagram’s disappearing stories feature. So now that there are two platforms doing the same thing, which one should brands use? The bottom line is deciding which platform is more effective for reaching your audience. Snapchat was introduced as a platform to let users send honest and sometimes embarrassing photos with the comfort of knowing they would disappear after 10 seconds. In 2013, they updated the app to have fun filters like puppy ears and flower crowns, along with a stories …

Marine Week, the Corps’ largest community outreach event of the year, was held in Nashville, Sept. 7–11. MP&F had the honor and pleasure of working with the Corps on this large-scale project. There were more than 80 events across the city celebrating “Community, Country and Corps,” during a five-day span. Without getting into too much detail in this blog post, there was a lot of planning and communicating in the months leading up to and during Marine Week Nashville. We couldn’t have been happier with the results and the community’s embrace of the Marines. Thousands of visitors and residents participated …

You are doing yourself and your fellow creative professionals a disservice if you embrace the mantra of “There are no bad ideas in a brainstorm.” Almost every idea in a brainstorm is bad. That’s why only a few – at best – survive. Don’t go negative on me though, bro! All of these bad ideas are not a bad thing. What really is bad is ignoring the opportunity that comes along with a bad idea. Understanding why a bad idea is a bad idea helps to clarify why a good idea is a good idea. Why might an idea be …