Razor Sharp PR

They lent a hand, so to speak:

Yesterday, I finished pulling together a ton of TV screen shots and pictures that I’ve coordinated over the years, so I thought I’d put together a collage:  

A visual representation of my PR experience with national and local TV outlets

I’ve known Tony for a number of years and was delighted to help coordinate media for him and the event described below:

When Tony Overbay, a Lincoln, Calif.,  father of four, found out that his daughters’ sports programs will likely be cut next year because of budget woes, he immediately volunteered to run in the recent Save Our Sports 4.2-mile fun run to help raise money for Glen Edwards Middle School (GEMS).

Tony being interviewed by KCRA 3's Adrienne Bankert

But unlike every other participant, Overbay did not begin his run on Saturday, May 14 at 8 am.  Instead, he started 24-hours earlier on the morning of Friday the 13^th.

Hoping for some good luck, Overbay believes his unique effort will raise awareness and crucial funds for the school’s sports programs, many of which will likely be eliminated as budget cuts continue to crush California schools.

Tony Live on Good Day Sacramento

“My oldest daughter, Alexa, 13, is on the cross country team and my other daughter McKinley, 11, will attend GEMS – and hopefully run – next year,” Overbay said. “So when I heard about the run to raise money, I figured I’d let my legs do the talking.”

Overbay is a seasoned ultra-marathon runner who’s completed more than 70 marathons and ultra-marathons – any distance of more than 26.2 miles – in the last 20 years.  But despite his race resume, which includes the Western States and Rio Del Lago 100-Mile Endurance Runs, as well as the Boston Marathon, he’s was nervous to take on this 24-hour effort.

“When I drove home after volunteering, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.  By opening my mouth, I realized that I committed to not just showing up at the starting line, but to make it to the finish line as well,” Overbay said.  “A DNF (Did not finish) is not an option because there are a lot of people counting on me.”

But not to worry, he ran 111.5 miles in just over 24 hours.  And he was amazed at how many different people came out to run with him, some as many as 10 miles.

KCRA 3's Adrienne Bankert interviewing Tony just before he starts his run

Overbay, a licensed marriage and family therapist, often recommends running to his clients regardless of the issues that cause them to seek therapy.

“The science is conclusive: running – or any exercise for that matter – can really lift you out of a funk. That’s why I’m truly hoping that some of the kids and their parents that saw me run will say, ’If this old, bald guy can run for 24-hours straight, then maybe I can try it for a few minutes.’

You can still make a donation by visiting www.supportgemssports.com and follow Tony on his blog at http://tonyoverbay.blogspot.com/

Lap total after 2 hours...

Young left Halldin in mid-March to start the one-man shop out of his home after eight and a half years. Young initially served as vice president at Halldin. He was promoted to senior vice president in 2005.

“There’s definitely a lot of opportunity in the marketing, public relations and social media world,” Young said, adding that the ubiquity of social media is driving a lot of business in the industry.

In fact, earlier this month public relations made an Inc. magazine list of the best industries for starting a business right now. According to the magazine, while revenue in the industry has been flat since 2008, IBISWorld forecasts the industry will grow by close to 6 percent a year over the next five years, and employment in the field is expected to increase 3 percent a year through 2016.

The Council of Public Relations Firms also indicates conditions are looking up. In a survey of its members at the end of third-quarter 2010, the council found that 80 percent of those surveyed indicated 2010 revenues would be higher than 2009 revenues, and 58.2 percent expect this year’s PR budgets to be higher still.

As the economy starts to recover businesses start to spend more on marketing and PR, Young said. Plus, he said, small agencies like his can often provide the same level of service as a larger agency, but for less money.

“Lots of companies want to spend money (on PR), but don’t want to spend a lot of money for a large agency,” he said.

Young, a public relations veteran of 14 years, has been thinking of striking out on his own for the past year. One big advantage is flexibility. He can call his own “shots on the creative side,” and set up shop any place there’s high-speed Internet connection. The father of seven recently worked from Tahoe while spending time with his family.

The [president-elect] of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the American Marketing Association, Young said his focus at Razor Sharp will be managing PR and social media campaigns. A lot of people offer social media expertise, but many of them lack the ability to blend those talents with traditional PR, he said.

Read the rest: PR executive Ray Young ‘calls shots’ on his own | Sacramento Business Journal

A big thanks to @jiffylubesac for the billboard ReTweet about the launch of Razor Sharp PR:

A creative way to combine old and new media

So it’s been an interesting week…

On Monday, I packed up at Halldin PR and struck out on my own after almost eight and a half years there.  It was a good long run, but time to do my own thing.

So for the past few days, I’ve been working around the clock to get my Web site up, the blog rolling, my Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin company profiles up to date…and care for six kids without my wife.

Hard at work in my new office, aka, the alcove adjacent to my bedroom

She’s on a junket to Disney World this week…something about mom bloggers or such.

Anyway, I’ve been doing the kids’ lessons with them, making meals and cleaning up and cleaning up and cleaning up…and then trying to get my new business – Razor Sharp PR – off the ground.

I love the kids, but can’t wait to nail down my new office space and get back to a regular work schedule.

For now, I’m on the laptop at home and somehow managing to be productive.

-Ray