(W)right On Communications Promotes One and Hires Two

SAN DIEGO; Dec. 7, 2017–(W)right On Communications, Inc., an integrated strategic communications agency with offices in Solana Beach, Los Angeles and Vancouver, has added Communications Strategist Sandra Wellhausen and Graphic Designer KeAsha Rogers while promoting Kara DeMent to Communications Strategist.

Wellhausen is supporting nonprofit clients Radiant Health Centers of Orange County, Tri-City Hospital Foundation and New Haven Youth and Family Services of Vista as well as energy efficiency communications for the City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department. Wellhausen brings 14 years of public relations experience and started her career with the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and local Swedish American chamber. Fluent in four languages, Sandra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree (magna cum laude) from San Diego State University, and is recipient of the Communicator Award of Excellence; Bernay’s Award of Excellence; and the American Chamber of Commerce Executive Award.

Rogers brings (W)right On’s client partner brands and stories to life through her print, digital and multimedia design strategies. She has over eight years of brand identity, digital content strategy, SEO and analytics, and motion graphics experience with a background in and passion for cause-related projects. Most recently, she worked in-house for NPHS, a community development non-profit that serves families in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles and San Diego with housing and financial services. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Visual Communications from Westwood College. Additionally, she is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army Reserves including deployments to Bosnia.

DeMent supports the agency’s hospitality public relations clients such as Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, San Diego Tourism Marketing District and Visit Oceanside as well as its healthcare public relations practice including WESTliving senior living communities and Tri-City Medical Center. She has over four years of experience and joined (W)right On in 2015 following her experience working in an agency environment as well as in-house for the Orlando Magic. She graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an emphasis in PR and mass communications.

“Sandra and KeAsha are great additions to the agency’s roster of creative, strategic leaders making a positive impact for our client partners, and client partners are already benefiting and achieving more wins from their contributions and Kara’s expanded capabilities and responsibilities,” says President and Founder Julie Wright.

About (W)right On Communications, Inc.

Founded in 1998 with client partners coast to coast, public relations and marketing communications agency (W)right On Communications provides award-winning public relations, community outreach, graphic design, social media, employee communications, video production, presentation and media training, and crisis communications services to a diverse client community in the B2B, energy, healthcare, hospitality, infrastructure development, nonprofit, professional services, technology and clean tech sectors. For more, see www.wrightoncomm.com.

 

(W)right On Communications Opens Los Angeles Public Relations Office

 

Los Angeles public relations office
(W)right On Communications Los Angeles public relations office

Downtown Los Angeles public relations office will support the agency’s client partners across Southern California

SAN DIEGO; May 30, 2017 — (W)right On Communications, Inc. has expanded operations with the opening of a new Los Angeles public relations office.

“Downtown L.A. provides easy and centralized access to client partners all over the Los Angeles region,” says Grant Wright, CEO and Managing Partner, and the downtown continues to undergo a vibrant resurgence. We are excited to be in the heart of it all at Bunker Hill’s Gas Tower.”

“A number of our San Diego-based client partners also do business and have operations in the Los Angeles area, so this is a natural progression to ensure the agency best meets their and future partners’ needs,” adds Wright.

The agency is currently seeking new team members for the Los Angeles public relations office.

About (W)right On Communications, Inc.

Founded in 1998 with client partners coast to coast, public relations and marketing communications agency (W)right On Communications provides award-winning public relations, community outreach, graphic design, social media, employee communications, video production, presentation and media training, and crisis communications services to a diverse client community in the B2B, energy, healthcare, hospitality, infrastructure development, nonprofit, professional services, technology, manufacturing and clean tech sectors. For more, see www.wrightoncomm.com.

 

(W)right On Communications adds University of Redlands to its client roster

SOLANA BEACH, Calif.; April 26, 2017—(W)right On Communications, Inc. has partnered with the University of Redlands to share the stories of its remarkable alumni, students and personalized learning programs. The private, nonprofit liberal arts school based in the Inland Empire educates over 5,000 graduate and undergraduate students annually with one in 10 members of its freshmen class last fall drawn from San Diego. In addition to a scenic 160-acre campus in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, the University of Redlands operates seven regional campuses across Southern California offering degrees in business and management to working professionals. Its San Diego campus recently relocated to 2020 Camino Del Rio North in Mission Valley.

UoRSan Diego alumni making a difference include restaurateur and Chef Carl Schroeder (’91) of Market Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar; San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine Publisher Mark McKinnon (‘91) and Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego CEO Kathryn Kanjo (’86).

Ninety-five percent of all University of Redlands’ undergraduates receive financial aid. Its students also extend their learning beyond the classroom to complete more than 120,000 hours of community service annually, in the Inland Empire and abroad. Studying abroad is encouraged at University of Redlands, and the school has been ranked 11th nationally for its undergraduate study abroad participation rate estimated to be over 55 percent.

Business students can travel to Leeds and Dublin in the United Kingdom to perform a consulting engagement as part of a capstone class offered twice each year to qualified candidates. Through another program, they can also be paired with a successful local business leader as a mentor to support their studies and career goals.

UoR2

The main campus was founded in 1907 in Redlands. Its satellite campuses for working professionals are in Burbank, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Riverside, San Diego, South Coast Metro and Temecula. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate programs, as well as 20 graduate programs in business, communicative disorders, education, geographic information systems and music—blending liberal arts and professional programs, applied and theoretical study, traditional majors, and self-designed curricula. Its NCAA Division III athletic program contributes to the many extracurricular opportunities available, while its distinctive Johnston Center for Integrative Studies enables self-motivated undergraduates to negotiate their own interdisciplinary course of study with a faculty/peer committee. For more, see www.redlands.edu.

About (W)right On Communications, Inc.

Founded in 1998 with client partners coast to coast, public relations and marketing communications agency (W)right On Communications provides award-winning public relations, community outreach, graphic design, social media, employee communications, video production, presentation and media training, and crisis communications services. The agency supports a diverse community of client partners in the B2B, energy and clean tech, healthcare, hospitality, infrastructure development, nonprofit, professional services and technology sectors. It has offices in Los Angeles, Solana Beach and Vancouver, Canada. For more, see www.wrightoncomm.com.

(W)right On Communications Adds Four Team Members

SAN DIEGO, Calif.; Oct. 20, 2016 – San Diego public relations agency (W)right On Communications has added four new team members. Aisha Belagam joins the agency as Communications Strategist, Collin Chappelle as Video Producer, Phelan Riessen as Lead headshot_aishaDeveloper and Teronda Williams as Marketing and Administrative Coordinator. With a multi-cultural background, Belagam brings experience in public relations, marketing, social media and advertising most recently with Vitality Medical and ViTRO Agency. She graduated magna cum laude from San Diego State University. Chappelle has been shooting both video and stills since 2004 and specializes in community journalism, business to business storytelling and commercial advertising.
Using the latest digital cinema equipment, including 6K-capable headshot_colincameras and aerial drones, Chappelle has collaborated with client partners such as Coca-Cola, the United States Marine Corps, AMWAY, Milk Life, NASCAR and many others. Chappelle holds a Master of Art in Commercial Photography degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. Riessen is a well-established web developer and known locally for his support of various technology and business events around town including RefreshSD, March Mingle and Startup Week. Williams’ experience in marketing and administration includes positions with La Vida Del Mar, CW6 Channelheadshot_phelan and the Rock Church, and she is a Cal State University San Marcos graduate.

“Our new team members bring excellent practice area knowledge and technical skill to help us provide the full spectrum of communications expertise to our client partners,” says Grant Wright, CEO of (W)right On Communications.

About (W)right On Communications

headshot_ronda

Founded in 1998 in Vancouver, British Columbia, (W)right On Communications is among California’s largest communications and public relations agencies. Supporting the hospitality, healthcare, energy, technology, professional services, government agencies, land development and other industries, San Diego-based (W)right On has produced results-driven media relations, social media, crisis communication, graphic design, videography, branding and marketing campaigns for client partners including hotels, hospitals, major utilities, startups, clean tech and renewable energy providers, land developers, city governments and universities among many others. To learn more about (W)right On, visit wrightoncomm.com.

Hospitality PR 101: How to Nail that TV Interview

lights_camera_action_by_protoprimus-d57naey

By Shae Geary, Senior Communications Strategist

Working with local TV stations is a great way to promote hospitality client partners. From special events to staycation specials, hotels and destinations often produce interesting fodder for morning news programs that want to share unique local personalities and fun activities with their viewers. Getting the attention of TV producers and reporters requires the right pitch, and there’s more than one way to do it. For a chance at an on-camera spotlight, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Visuals! Movement!

One of my most memorable segments involved a reporter broadcasting from a plush hotel bed on the deck of a newly opened ocean view hotel pool. It was not only quirky and fun, but also succeeded in showing off both the hotel pool and its world-famous bedding in a way that was more visually interesting than a bed in a hotel room. TV is a visual medium, so anything that plays to the camera, whether interesting, unexpected, unusual or just bright and colorful, has a better chance of nabbing a reporter’s interest. It’s equally important for segments to have movement and activity, such as a chef cooking up a signature dish or guests playing in the pool. In your pitch, offer some ideas for the types of activities that can be featured on camera. The more likely a reporter is to visualize the segment, the better your chances of securing coverage.

Bring The Hotel to The Studio

In-studio TV appearances are a great alternative when a TV station can’t come to you. In your pitch, offer ideas for bringing a destination experience to the studio. We recently had success working with a local TV station to promote a romantic sunset beach picnic program. The picnic scene was recreated on the studio’s back lot and paired with a live chef’s demonstration of making an easy, aphrodisiac inspired salad. It was a pretty close second to actually doing the segment on the beach and succeeded in conveying the program’s dreamy, coastal vibe.

Exclusive Access

Viewers love to go behind the scenes, so seize the day when the opportunity arises. To generate excitement and positive community buzz for a new TV show filmed in Oceanside, (one of our destination client partners), we invited a local reporter to spend a day on-set with special access to wardrobe, props, cast trailers and show producers. The segments were a hit because the audience was able to experience the show from a perspective usually limited to cast and crew. For a hotel client, ideas for segments could include access to an exclusive Presidential Suite or over-the-top guest experience.

Partnerships

If a hospitality client partner doesn’t have a particularly compelling story to tell, all is not lost! Linking up with complementary non-profits or local businesses can be just the ticket for nabbing some airtime. A good example is the recent partnership between Cape Rey Carlsbad resort and Project Mermaid. The ocean view hotel pool was the perfect backdrop for a live TV remote that highlighted special mermaid photo sessions, where a local TV personality joined in on the fun. The project helps raise money for ocean conservation, a cause also supported by the hotel. In each segment, the hotel was identified by beautiful shots of the pool and surrounding coastal view. The TV segments drew huge interest, as did social media posts from the shoot.

If you are looking to get your business on TV, let us help! We’d love to chat, so give us a call or visit us here.

Meet the Team: Kat – Communications Strategist

We’re giving you the inside scoop on the entire WOC team with our “Meet the Team” series. This month, the spotlight is on our new Communications Strategist, Kat Beaulieu.

Kat Beaulieu has been creating communications for diverse audiences since 1996. She cut her teeth working in the communications department of North America’s #1 ski resort – Whistler Blackcomb. Since then she’s worked with a variety of organizations, from schools to governments to international corporations. Kat’s background includes work in the specialized field of Human Resources communications, where she crafted employer brands and programs to attract and engage talent. Kat has developed employer marketing campaigns for digital and traditional media and has influenced audiences through social media, reputation management and internal communications strategies. Kat has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. On weekends she enjoys pushing the limits of her communication abilities by practicing dog and horse whispering.

Kat_headshot-e1459269621670

What would you be doing if you weren’t at your current job?
Horseback riding.

What’s one word you would use to describe yourself?
Enthusiastive….I know that’s not really a word, but I wanted to say both enthusiastic and creative and was only allowed one word!

Fill in the blank. “If you really knew me, you’d know ____.”
I love to eat. A lot.

What super power would you like to have?
To make time stand still.

What would a “perfect” day look like to you?
Coffee. Horses. Lunch. Horses. Beer. Dinner. Sleep.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in the past year?
“Fake it ‘till you make it.” I probably should contextualize that by saying it’s something that comes from my horseback riding coach, but has been remarkably effective in non-horsey situations as well. Except work of course. Would never fake anything at work. Ever.

Best vacation you’ve had?
There have been many excellent vacations. All have their awesome moments, so it’s impossible to pick one as the best.

What’s your most embarrassing moment at work?
Back in college when I was a server I accidentally spilled prime rib au-jus on the train of a bride’s gown while I was serving her at the head table. Yup. That really happened. I was mortified.

Favorite quote?
“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” Mark Twain

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would be cast as you?
Uma Thurman, because I look just like her. JK, it would probably be a muppet with fine stringy hair and spindly arms and legs.

What’s your drink of choice?
A cold, hoppy IPA.

What’s one thing you can’t live without?
Animals.

Favorite line from a movie?
“Have fun storming the castle!”

What do you like to do in your free time?
Did I mention horses?