1,500 Miles Away From Everything Familiar

Startin’ to Get the Hang of It

I am a little tardy on what is supposed to be a weekly update, but like millions have said before me, better late than never. I’m sitting down to write this just a shade past 1 a.m. west coast time, winding down from another work week with a cold Bud Light and too hot to eat pizza pockets in my peripheral. I’ve spent the majority of the night job searching, a trend that I hope will end soon. For those who don’t know, my gig with Wicked Creative is only an internship, and will end once my bank account goes on life support. In probably 4 hours of searching, I found 3 jobs that I felt were worth applying to. Talk to me in two weeks and I’m sure that number will have increased drastically. For now, I reserve the right to be picky. I am dead set on starting my career as a publicist, but in this economy, the realization of it may having to wait is starting to set in. All of my applications went to hotels/agencies in the 702 area code which further convinced me that returning to Iowa is not an option. 

I know I’ve blabbered about how much I’ve learned each week, but the last two really have been particularly rewarding. I am now able to get most work done without having to be told, and because of that I have earned more responsibility. I will be filling in as a coordinator for a few events the next month and couldn’t be more excited.

I am settling in to my role as a ghost tweeter and must admit I kind of get a kick out of seeing them published due to the thousands of followers the accounts have. Also, a few of my press releases have made it into Vegas news over the last couple weeks, which has been neat to see. 

Overall I can say I am starting to grasp what this job is all about. It’s an exciting profession. There are the days where you have the “i don’t wannas,” but other than that, I love waking up and going to work in the morning. This has truly been an invaluable experience and I couldn’t be happier with where I am. 

Tomorrow night I am working the Ray J red carpet before taking an extended weekend. 

On Sunday, my brother, Meredawg and the Tripps are coming out for my brother’s birthday. SO jacked. I cannot tell you how refreshing it will be to see faces from home, let alone family. I took Monday and Tuesday off of work so I can spend the few days with them.

More news from home, my big sister and her family will be moving into a new home in Ankeny before the start of the kids’ school year. Really excited for them as they’ve been looking to move for quite awhile now. 

I talk to my dad on the phone and I’m not sure he fully understands the concept of the Internet. I’ll call him to talk about a local golfer who’s been playing well and he’ll be dumbfounded as to how in the world I could know that information. Ladies and gentleman, this is why I have yet to own a smartphone. haha

I plan on getting more in depth with this blogging in the coming weeks, so please check back! Thanks to everyone who has been following this closely!

 Best, 

Nick, Till, Chopper

Earned Some Vegas Scars, But Also Got Some Work Done.

There wasn’t much going on in the land of the Wicked this week, so work related, things were pretty by the book. When I say not much going on, I mean as far as events go.There is always work to be done. 

This week was no exception on the learning curve. Day by day, I become more comfortable with everything around me. I am trying to get to the point where I can complete an assignment without having to be told to do so. I still have plenty of glitches that need worked out, but I think that the coordinators are starting to trust me more. After week 4, I still love everything about the job, so that’s good. 

I wrote a ton of tweets this week for our clients. The 140 character limit was by far my worst enemy. I would finally come up with something clever and would have to scratch it and start over because of too many characters. So frustrating. 

Other than the tweeting, I wrote a couple press releases and clipped like crazy. If I haven’t shared what clipping is yet, here’s a rundown…

Any press that our clients receive over the week needs to be found. After finding it, we “clip” it by getting the source of the article, the date, the body of the article, and any pictures that come with it. At weeks end, I help the executives and coordinators prepare for their meetings by separating the press clippings by celebrity and whether it is local/national. It seems so simple, but it’s a huge part of what I do. 

To keep the little dignity I have left, I will only summarize the happenings of Saturday night and what was “Bethapalooza.” It was Boss Beth’s birthday this week, which led to Saturday night’s blowout. The night started with some hotel room pregaming in Planet Hollywood. After a good dose of that, we headed over to Sugar Factory for dinner. Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian were at the table next to us, which led to some wandering eyes while at the dinner table. After dinner, we headed to Gallery Nightclub where VIP bottle service was there to greet us. After 3 bottles of Grey Goose and some tasteful dancing, the night came to a close. In a nutshell, I haven’t been able to move in 2 days and I had to reactivate my flip phone. 

Things still need to fall into place, but I am pretty set on Iowa being just a vacation destination for the foreseeable future. Not sure if Vegas will be my landing spot come August, but it will definitely be somewhere in the western part of the US. I hope to come back to visit Iowa sometime in September! (Preferably Iowa/Iowa State weekend.)

As always, I hope everyone is doing well back home. 

Cheers,

Nick, Till, Chop 

A Drought In Music Therapy, But A Lifestyle Keeps Me Sane.

First things first, I miss my piano. I made the poor decision not to bring it with me, and it’s coming back to bite me in the ass. Instead of being here for my leisure, it sits in my parents unfinished basement collecting dust with all my other belongings that I had no choice but to leave. Not a fitting situation for something that has treated me so well over the last several years. Despite that and a few phone calls from my family that have left me feeling a tad homesick, life in Sin City continues to treat me generously.  

After week 3 (135 hours) at Wicked Creative, my confidence and quality/efficiency of work has continued to improve. Things that were new at the start are slowly becoming familiar. My ultimate goal at the end of this experience is to have the ins and outs of this gig be second nature, and to have all of my resources and contacts believe in my abilities. If I suck at this job, I want to know that I suck at this job. Too many people in this world get by because of favors. Although, “who you know” is what gets you started (and I will be utilizing all resources) I hope that my skill set will be able to carry me from there after. Long ways to go, but I am up for the challenge. 

On Friday, we took a half day at the office and the whole Wicked Creative crew went to the Palms pool for Ditch Friday, DJ’d by Pauly D. It was awesome. Food, booze, sun, and have I mentioned that I work with all girls? It was nice to get out of the office and let loose. 

Saturday night, I worked the red carpet for Taio Cruz and Nicki Minaj. After, I went with the coordinators and the appointed photographers to get shots of the celebrities inside the clubs. Minaj was at Gallery and Cruz was at Chateau. It’s crazy how much power people think you have just by holding a clipboard. Unfortunately for them — no, I do not know where the bathroom is, no, I cannot get you in VIP and no, I cannot let you touch the celebrity. The night was closed on a killer 3 song set by Taio Cruz, “I throw my hands up in the air sometimes!”

As always, I miss everyone back home and hope everything is well. Excited for all the visitors heading this way soon! Also, congratulations to Kayla Sabin on her new gig with Freestyle PR in Des Moines!

Best,

Nick, Till, Chop

The Kardashians, Strippers and A Million Dollar Lollipop

Time is flying. It is hard to believe that I am already a quarter of the way through my internship with Wicked Creative. This weeks theme: Learning.

I was lucky enough to be a part of some really awesome events the last week. On Wednesday, I went with one of our coordinators to a video shoot at The Sugar Factory in Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The shoot was a feature for Poker News and they got footage of unique things throughout the store. Before I go any further, let me off the record say that the host looked like a younger version of Nicole Kidman (Australian and all) and well, was gorgeous. Definitely made the experience that much better. The highlight of the shoot was when the manager brought out the Million Dollar Couture Lollipop (literally). The thing is covered from top to bottom in diamonds. If I had a smartphone, I would share a pic. 

Later that night, I shadowed one of our Account Executives at Industry Night at The Crazyhorse III (Strip Club). This was my first red carpet, and I was able to learn a lot just by watching. Laura Croft was the host of the event and she looked great! 

I’ll try and give a short rundown of what the publicists’ job is at events:

Account Executives: They basically run the show. It is there job to make sure everything runs smoothly. They are communicating with club owners, restaurant owners, celebrity managers, photographers, etc. On the red carpet, they escort the celebrity and allow the photographers to get the shots that they need. Once in the event, they still are in charge of communicating with everyone involved, and helping the photographers get the shots.

Account Coordinators: They assist the Executive in all their duties prior to the event, but once it gets started, they are writing down everything they observe or hear. After, they are in charge of preparing a full write up of the event. For example, the coordinator is responsible for recording what the celebrity was drinking, wearing, any unique moments, etc. 

Account Coordinators/Interns: Prepare celebrity tip sheets for the press, assist the Account Executive with tasks, snap photos, basically do anything that needs to be done. 

On Friday, The Kardashians celebrated Khole’s birthday at The Sugar Factory and Chateau Nightclub. This was another huge learning experience for me. They started with dinner at SF, and as soon as they walked in, the place became a zoo. I was in and out of the restaurant while they ate, getting things ready for when they walked the red carpet. I handed out the celebrity tip sheets and put down the order of where the photographers would stand. Once they were all there, they used me to get test shots. It was a pretty surreal moment to be honest. I never thought I’d stand on a red carpet with flashes going crazy, even if it was just for making sure the lighting was right on their cameras. It was pretty funny because once the photographers started shooting, tourists ran up phone in hand trying to see what celebrity was there. Needless to say, they were a little disappointed to see me standing there. haha I believe I heard one girl shout out, “Who the fuck is that?!” — good times. 

Khloe, Lamar Odom, Kim, Kris Humphries, Rob Kardashian, and Malika Haqq all walked the red carpet. My job was to take as many quality photos as I could (which I failed miserably at). I was within inches of all them, and although I don’t like to think I was starstruck…I was. Kim Kardashian, oh my. 

I learned this week that this business requires a certain level of confidence. Las Vegas entertainment PR is aggressive and there isn’t room for error. The people that run this town literally do not care who you are unless you do good work for them. As I continue to learn, I am already fully aware that my writing, confidence, and overall quality of work needs to drastically improve. I plan on learning a lot about myself in the next 6-8 weeks. 

Cheers To New Beginnings

I started this blog to make my “end of the internship” project a lot easier. By starting to write now, I’ll just be able to pull from these writings to organize my final paper. Also, for all those who are wondering what the hell I’m doing out here, this will explain. 

My main goal has always been to experience life outside of Iowa, so I’m glad as I sit down to write this, I am doing just that. Last Monday, I started my summer internship at Wicked Creative, an entertainment public relations firm in Las Vegas, NV. I couldn’t ask for a better situation in getting my last 3 credits of college. After only a week of being involved in the business, I know for sure that this is what I want to do with my forseeable future. 

Although I haven’t fully experienced it yet, entertainment PR is a no-day off gig. From finding press clippings, scheduling events, writing press releases, meeting with clients, setting up red carpets, working the events, etc. - 60 hour work weeks are the norm. My first few days have been spent writing press releases (Yelawolf, Larry Johnson, Sam Ronson, etc.) finding/organizing press clippings and handling social media for a couple of our clients. Although a little tedious at times, I love every minute of it. 

I am the only male in the office! No complaints here. 

This Wednesday, I’ll be working my first event at the Crazyhorse III (strip club) Industry Party hosted by Laura Croft (Holly’s World, Playboy Playmate).

I’ll follow that up by working the Miss USA After Party on Sunday, and Nicki Minaj @ Chateau on June 25th. (May sneak an event or two in before Nicki)

Other than that, I’m in the office 9-5, M-F, trying to make the coordinators and account executives lives easier. As I get more comfortable, I hope to have them rely on me more since I will be wanting to do what they do, somewhere out here, starting in August. 

I miss my friends and family back in Iowa, but I am thrilled at this opportunity of being able to do my own thing. It’s funny though, because although I am 1500 miles away, checking for Iowa State basketball updates is the first thing that I do when I get up in the morning. 

I hope to have multiple visitors this summer, so please let me know if you plan on coming out to Vegas! 

Best,

Nick, Till, Chopper