A First-Timer’s Experience at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

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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, …

Work/Life Balance: Intern Edition

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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 …

Paying Interns an Hourly Wage Is the Right Thing To Do

Alice Chapman Blog Leave a Comment

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 …

MP&F’s Javier Solano Leads Facebook Live Diversity Chat

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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 …

So, your brand wants to experiment with disappearing images?

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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 …

Our Time With the Marines During Marine Week Nashville

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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 …

There are bad ideas in brainstorms … And that’s good!

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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 …

The Marines are coming!

Stacy Alcala Blog, Insights Leave a Comment

More than 700 Marines are headed to Music City! MP&F Public Relations is working with the United States Marine Corps on their largest community outreach event of the year: Marine Week from Sept. 7 to 11. The events will feature hands-on displays, live demonstrations, time-honored Marine Corps traditions, an array of musical performances by the Marines and other artists, and additional events to showcase the history, military capabilities and community involvement of the Corps. All free. All open to the public. And all family-friendly. In preparation for this event, I had the chance to travel to Parris Island, S.C., to …

Mark McNeely Honored as the Nashville Emerging Leader 2016 Impact Award Winner

David Fox Blog, Inspiration Leave a Comment

MP&F’s founding partner, Mark McNeely, was recently presented with the Nashville Emerging Leader 2016 Impact Award by YP Nashville and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. The award honors a top Nashville leader who has made a significant impact on guiding and mentoring young professionals in the community. Since MP&F’s doors opened in 1987, hundreds of PR pros and interns have contributed to the company’s success. Mark has invested in the professional development of each and every one of them. Mark also supports communications students through his relationships with universities across the state and continued support of communications scholarships. In …

4 Things To Know About MP&F

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For the past two months, I have worked as an MP&F intern conducting research, creating social media calendars, writing blog posts and generally learning what it’s like to work in an agency setting. It’s been a great experience that I will always cherish. For those who are curious as to what it’s like to work here, I drafted a blog post about my time at MP&F. 1.) MP&F has a long list of clients, and you will work with a diverse group of them. On my first day as an intern, I was placed on five different client teams in various industries …