The Pikes Peak PRSA Chapter Annual Workshop, Step Up Your Public Relations and Communications Game, is scheduled for Thursday, October 26, 2023 at the WhirlyBall in Colorado Springs.
Get ready to elevate your PR and communications skills to new heights at the Pikes Peak PRSA Chapter Annual Workshop! Join us for an unforgettable day of learning, networking, and growth. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting in the field, this event is your chance to step up your game, gain valuable insights, and connect with fellow PR and communications colleagues.
Get ready to elevate your PR and communications skills to new heights at the Pikes Peak PRSA Chapter Annual Workshop! Join us for an unforgettable day of learning, networking, and growth. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting in the field, this event is your chance to step up your game, gain valuable insights, and connect with fellow PR and communications colleagues.
Who: Pikes Peak PRSA Chapter
What: Annual Workshop - Step Up Your Public Relations and Communications Game
When: Thursday, October 26, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (stay later for Happy Hour)
Where: WhirlyBall, 3971 Palmer Park Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Why: A day full of professional development to improve your PR skills, learn new tips & tricks, hear from industry leaders, and more.
Cost: $75 for PRSA members and $100 for non-members; $50 for students. Breakfast, lunch and refreshments included. Click here to register.
APR Points: Those Accredited in Public Relations (APR) will receive .5 points toward accreditation renewal for continuing education and professional development.
What: Annual Workshop - Step Up Your Public Relations and Communications Game
When: Thursday, October 26, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (stay later for Happy Hour)
Where: WhirlyBall, 3971 Palmer Park Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Why: A day full of professional development to improve your PR skills, learn new tips & tricks, hear from industry leaders, and more.
Cost: $75 for PRSA members and $100 for non-members; $50 for students. Breakfast, lunch and refreshments included. Click here to register.
APR Points: Those Accredited in Public Relations (APR) will receive .5 points toward accreditation renewal for continuing education and professional development.
SCHEDULE:
9:00 am Doors Open - Network and Breakfast
9:45 am Janae Go, Access Media Group – Unleashing the Power of Video in PR
10:45 am Paul Dusseault, APR – Research for Writers: Finding the stuff of persuasive prose
11:45 am. Visit COS - TBD
12:30 pm Lunch and networking
1:00 pm Natalie Sosa and Scott Anderson, El Paso County - TBD
2:00 pm Janet Stevens, APR – Speechwriting 101
2:45 pm Cookie break and networking
3:00 pm Sherry Akhtar and Patrick Ward - The Future of PR and Communications in the Face of AI
4:00 pm Happy Hour to 4:15 pm
Speaker Bios and Presentation Descriptions
Unleashing the Power of Video in PR
The power of video in today's digital landscape is undeniable. With its ability to enhance a brand's storytelling, foster meaningful connections, and achieve tangible business results, this medium can’t be ignored. How do we practically accomplish the most advantageous way to use video as PR and Communications professionals? Join producer Janae Go as she guides us through the strategic planning process of developing creative and impactful videos for your business or clients. We’ll cover how to think visually while writing and planing video content, premier ways of prepping others (or yourself!) for being on camera, tools you can use to begin your strategy, and how to decide when to choose in-house production versus hiring professionals.
Janae Go is a producer and strategic communications professional who has worked in the creative communications field for more than a decade. She currently works for Access Media Group, with experiences spanning films to television to commercial work in the areas of development, production, and post-production. Above all, Janae is passionate about telling stories that deeply impact on a personal level and ultimately shift culture.
Research for Writers: Finding the stuff of persuasive prose
A company newsletter, a magazine article, a public blog post, a ghost-written op-ed, an executive speech...we all have occasion to commit to paper (well, pixels) copy that is clear, correct, and impactful. Join industry veteran Paul Dusseault, APR, as he walks through the discovery and assessment of the facts, details, and statistics that delight (and persuade) every audience.
Speechwriting 101
Janet Stevens, APR, spent almost 40 years in public relations, advertising and quality management at GTE, Fidelity, Verizon, Idearc Media and the Space Foundation before retiring in 2013. She grew up in Florida and lived in Illinois, Arizona, Texas and Massachusetts before moving to Colorado Springs in 2009. She has a B.A. in mass communications from the University of South Florida and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She now spends her time traveling, photographing and blogging about her adventures and serving on the board of the Pikes Peak Chapter of PRSA.
During her career, Stevens spent many years managing executive communications, including serving as the primary speechwriter for a cadre of top executives and an occasional celebrity, including James Earl Jones. Her broad speech repertoire included sales kick-offs, financial reviews for security analysts, performance reports for employees, video scripts for weekly and monthly employee information shows, retirement tributes, skits, press announcements, community presentations and a wide variety of programs for employee awards events.
Speechwriting 101 will cover how to plan, write and support a speech tailored to the speaker, the venue and the audience.
Unleashing the Power of Video in PR
What role does AI play in the PR and communications industry? How can AI help me in my role? Hear the answers to these any many more questions during this informative AI Q and A session. Workshop attendees are encouraged to bring questions to this interactive session presented by Sherry Akhtar of Prontopia and Patrick Ward of 104 West Partners.
Sherry Akhtar is a seasoned technology leader with 20 years experience and a keen focus on Artificial Intelligence. He's the Founder and CEO of Prontopia, where he's disrupting the video creation landscape with a game-changing AI-driven solution, enabling businesses to produce high-quality videos in less than a minute. It's a practical tool that allows businesses to create professional videos at scale, quickly and cost-effectively. Sherry's vision is reshaping how businesses approach video marketing and content creation.
In parallel, Sherry wears the hat of CEO at Cloutel, a team focused on AI, Cloud, Data, and Information Security solutions, where he partners with Fortune 1000 companies to bring their visions to life through tailored AI and Data-driven platforms. In the tech world, Sherry's known for his practical entrepreneurship, forward-thinking leadership, and deep-rooted expertise. He's not just a voice but an action-oriented advocate for innovation and technology, driven by the belief that technology should uplift businesses and communities alike. Sherry's journey is one of genuine passion, using technology to effect positive change and earning respect across the industry as he continually pushes the boundaries of what's possible.
Patrick Ward is the founder and CEO at 104 West Partners, and has more than two decades of experience in all aspects of technology communications. It has been his goal from the beginning to build a company that is a disruptor brand in tech PR. He believes that there has to be a better and more unique way to do public relations. There had to be something more than the status quo and doing business as usual. He also thinks that consistency outperforms magnificence. Learn more about Patrick here.
9:00 am Doors Open - Network and Breakfast
9:45 am Janae Go, Access Media Group – Unleashing the Power of Video in PR
10:45 am Paul Dusseault, APR – Research for Writers: Finding the stuff of persuasive prose
11:45 am. Visit COS - TBD
12:30 pm Lunch and networking
1:00 pm Natalie Sosa and Scott Anderson, El Paso County - TBD
2:00 pm Janet Stevens, APR – Speechwriting 101
2:45 pm Cookie break and networking
3:00 pm Sherry Akhtar and Patrick Ward - The Future of PR and Communications in the Face of AI
4:00 pm Happy Hour to 4:15 pm
Speaker Bios and Presentation Descriptions
Unleashing the Power of Video in PR
The power of video in today's digital landscape is undeniable. With its ability to enhance a brand's storytelling, foster meaningful connections, and achieve tangible business results, this medium can’t be ignored. How do we practically accomplish the most advantageous way to use video as PR and Communications professionals? Join producer Janae Go as she guides us through the strategic planning process of developing creative and impactful videos for your business or clients. We’ll cover how to think visually while writing and planing video content, premier ways of prepping others (or yourself!) for being on camera, tools you can use to begin your strategy, and how to decide when to choose in-house production versus hiring professionals.
Janae Go is a producer and strategic communications professional who has worked in the creative communications field for more than a decade. She currently works for Access Media Group, with experiences spanning films to television to commercial work in the areas of development, production, and post-production. Above all, Janae is passionate about telling stories that deeply impact on a personal level and ultimately shift culture.
Research for Writers: Finding the stuff of persuasive prose
A company newsletter, a magazine article, a public blog post, a ghost-written op-ed, an executive speech...we all have occasion to commit to paper (well, pixels) copy that is clear, correct, and impactful. Join industry veteran Paul Dusseault, APR, as he walks through the discovery and assessment of the facts, details, and statistics that delight (and persuade) every audience.
Speechwriting 101
Janet Stevens, APR, spent almost 40 years in public relations, advertising and quality management at GTE, Fidelity, Verizon, Idearc Media and the Space Foundation before retiring in 2013. She grew up in Florida and lived in Illinois, Arizona, Texas and Massachusetts before moving to Colorado Springs in 2009. She has a B.A. in mass communications from the University of South Florida and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She now spends her time traveling, photographing and blogging about her adventures and serving on the board of the Pikes Peak Chapter of PRSA.
During her career, Stevens spent many years managing executive communications, including serving as the primary speechwriter for a cadre of top executives and an occasional celebrity, including James Earl Jones. Her broad speech repertoire included sales kick-offs, financial reviews for security analysts, performance reports for employees, video scripts for weekly and monthly employee information shows, retirement tributes, skits, press announcements, community presentations and a wide variety of programs for employee awards events.
Speechwriting 101 will cover how to plan, write and support a speech tailored to the speaker, the venue and the audience.
Unleashing the Power of Video in PR
What role does AI play in the PR and communications industry? How can AI help me in my role? Hear the answers to these any many more questions during this informative AI Q and A session. Workshop attendees are encouraged to bring questions to this interactive session presented by Sherry Akhtar of Prontopia and Patrick Ward of 104 West Partners.
Sherry Akhtar is a seasoned technology leader with 20 years experience and a keen focus on Artificial Intelligence. He's the Founder and CEO of Prontopia, where he's disrupting the video creation landscape with a game-changing AI-driven solution, enabling businesses to produce high-quality videos in less than a minute. It's a practical tool that allows businesses to create professional videos at scale, quickly and cost-effectively. Sherry's vision is reshaping how businesses approach video marketing and content creation.
In parallel, Sherry wears the hat of CEO at Cloutel, a team focused on AI, Cloud, Data, and Information Security solutions, where he partners with Fortune 1000 companies to bring their visions to life through tailored AI and Data-driven platforms. In the tech world, Sherry's known for his practical entrepreneurship, forward-thinking leadership, and deep-rooted expertise. He's not just a voice but an action-oriented advocate for innovation and technology, driven by the belief that technology should uplift businesses and communities alike. Sherry's journey is one of genuine passion, using technology to effect positive change and earning respect across the industry as he continually pushes the boundaries of what's possible.
Patrick Ward is the founder and CEO at 104 West Partners, and has more than two decades of experience in all aspects of technology communications. It has been his goal from the beginning to build a company that is a disruptor brand in tech PR. He believes that there has to be a better and more unique way to do public relations. There had to be something more than the status quo and doing business as usual. He also thinks that consistency outperforms magnificence. Learn more about Patrick here.
