I was lucky enough to tag along with Chad, our office manager, to a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman this past week. He scored tickets due to his love for the band, The Joy Formidable. Having attended multiple concerts with Chad, I knew this would be a great experience. And I was right! Even though we were in a slight car accident on the cab ride over, it was quickly forgotten when we realized we were among the VIP. After we were ushered into our prime seats, Dave came out and thanked everyone for coming. It made me realize why everyone should attend a taping.

So, in typical Late Show fashion, here are my Top 10 reasons to attend a taping of the Late Night Show with David Letterman …

10. It’s free!

9. The warm up comedian and house band are awesome

8.  Dave makes you feel like you’re a part of the show

7. The behind the scene action. There are producers, sound guys and even someone to buff the floors between guests!

6. “Even if the jokes not funny, it’s hilarious tonight!”

5. Sitting in Ed Sullivan Theater, the site of the first U.S. performance by the Beatles

4. For New Yorkers, it’s a nice break from the craziness of the city or a fun place to take your out of town guests

3. “Laugh now, think later!”

2. You get to be up close to some of your favorite celebrities

And the number one reason to attend a David Letterman taping…

1. You might get the chance to meet your favorite band!

-Cassie

I’m always looking for new music.  But who has the time to ask all your friends for suggestions, search the web or iTunes for the top artists in a genre, or really hear everything the radio has to offer? 

Fear not, music junkies!  Spotify has landed in the U.S and taken the free music streaming competition by storm upon experiencing great success in Europe (I was introduced to the service by my co-worker Brittany.) Spotify allows you stream from their portal of music of over 15 millions songs.  All music saves to your account, which you can access anywhere as long as you’re logged in.  I’ve become addicted to artists including Foster the People and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Spotify lets me listen instantly (over and over again!)

Curious as to what your friends are listening to?  You can link your Spotify profile to Facebook to see their playlists, then click the playlist and drag into your own library. 

If you want to avoid commercials every 10 songs (this service is ad-based), upgrade to an Unlimited account for $4.99 a month.  If you can’t go anywhere without your Spotify playlists, you can also upgrade to a Premium account.  For $9.99 a month, you can access your music from any computer, your mobile device or offline. Everyone from Mark Zuckerberg to Demi Moore to the LA Times and TIME Magazine are raving about this service, so check it out to see what you’re missing!

Spotify lets me check out new artists that without spending the money first.  You can sign up for an invite on Spotify.com, and check out more about the service here.  Have fun with it!  As Spotify says, “it’s how music was meant to be shared!”

-Stephanie

This year marked my first visit to BlogHer, an annual conference that brings together thousands of bloggers from all walks of life.  Here, they can interact with brands & distant friends, learn about new & existing products, and get advice from fellow bloggers & PR professionals. 

This year’s event was held in sunny San Diego from August 4^th–6^th and attracted bloggers & brands from all over the world.  Since it began in 2005, BlogHer has grown to more than 3,500 attendees and attracts people who blog about everything from parenting to technology to finance.  You name it, you’ll find someone there who blogs about it!

If you are like me and have never attended BlogHer, here are some helpful tips for surviving next year’s event:

Wear comfortable shoes!  No matter if you’re attending or working, you’ll be on your feet throughout the day so be sure to dress for function.

Pack lightly…because there is tons of swag for attendees that you will want to bring back with you.  From food to personal care products to glassware, you’ll want to save room to bring back all of the goodies to try (and blog about!).

Bring plenty of business cards.  Think about how many you think you’ll hand out.  Now, double that.  No matter if you’re a brand representative or a blogger, BlogHer is all about networking so it’s important to have your contact information easily accessible to share at all times.  They run out quicker than you think!

Download the BlogHer App.  The smartphone application will help you navigate the many sessions, demos and parties that are offered.  Also included are a map of the expo floor, a list of sponsors and a live twitter feed of all tweets about BlogHer ’11.

Till next year!

-Melody

It’s a little known fact around here that I’ve always had a can-do attitude toward crafty do-it-yourself projects (not to mention an inexplicable affinity for glitter which goes hand in hand with said crafting). For these techniques, I mostly credit my mom’s penchant for ‘weekend art projects’ and Martha Stewart’s omni-media presence.

Lately, my Martha intake has increased ten-fold thanks to Twitter. With 2,162,682 followers, Martha Stewart is one of the most popular celebrities on Twitter and in following @MarthaStewart, I’m privy to Martha’s thoughts, TwitPics, whims, questions and contests, the latter of which I recently won.

What was my prize you ask? It wasn’t her latest Easter Egg Dying iPhone App, nor was it a subscription to one of her fabulous magazines, it was a VIP invite to attend a live taping of Martha’s Sirus XM Radio show. Her guest? The ‘tastemaker of technology’ and Tri-Founder of Twitter, Mr. Biz Stone.

With my iPhone charged, a front row seat and my trending hashtag ready (#MarthaBiz), I was able to live-Tweet the entire event along with the rest of the listening world. Below, I’ve compiled some of my favorite Tweets from the interview, Tweenjoy!

Fun fact: @biz 's real name is Christopher Isaac Stone. #MarthaBiz "my mother used to tell people it's short for Elizabeth."

"We'll always keep Twitter totally free." @biz #MarthaBiz

"We don't monitor content or screen Tweets but we do have policies in effect re: violence" - @biz (paraphrased) #MarthaBiz

"I make pocket Tweets and butt Tweets all the time." - @MarthaStewart #MarthaBiz

"Having a lot of followers doesn't necessarily affect influence." -@biz #MarthaBiz

"The constraint (140 char) breeds creativity in Tweets." - @biz #MarthaBiz

"...And you could use a little haircut." @MarthaStewart to @biz #MarthaBiz

@Jenna_Galloway

I appreciate a good prank every now and then… as long as the appreciation is done from a spectator seat faaaaaar away from the action [read: no one come near me with whoopee cushions, silly string, or whatever newfangled items kids these days are using].

In celebration of the time-honored holiday known as April Fools’ Day, let’s revisit some of my favorite hoaxes perpetuated by now-legendary prankster, Google (which I may or may not fell for):

1.  Gmail Paper: Who says you have to sacrifice physical copies in this digital revolution? Request a hard copy of any email and have it delivered to your door. Of course, this isn’t cheap, so the costs are offset by advertisements displayed on the back of your prints… just like your supermarket receipts.

2. Google Romance: It only makes sense that the world’s most-renowned search engine would help you find your one-and-only with its Soulmate Search service. Then Contextual Date pays for date night, as long as you and your honey don’t mind sponsored ads. It’s like Match.com partnered with… well, Google.

3. Gmail Custom Time: Calling all liars, this is the solution for you! By utilizing an e-flux capacitor, Gmail lets you send email to the past, showing up in your recipient’s inbox in the proper chronological order. Caveat: you can send only 10 pre-dated emails per year before messing with the fabric of time.

After years in the hoax biz, it’s expected that Google will announce something on April 1 and we probably won’t even fall for it anymore. Despite being jaded, here’s hoping they come up another doozy to make us forget the date (and recover from last year’s Topeka non-funny joke). 

In the meantime, please watch out for saran wrap, tripwire, and coworkers who have read this article!

- Kelly

Happy St. Patty’s Day everyone! With the last name Sullivan I may automatically qualify as official culture ambassador, so allow me to entertain you with some fun factoids to satisfy your yearly interest in all things Irish. 

It might not come as a surprise that a holiday named after a saint actually started out as a religious holiday, and the iconic shamrock with its three leaves was originally cited as a symbol of the holy trinity. These days the number one symbol for St. Patrick’s Day is drunkenness, and there are plenty of bars you can get your Irish on with some green beer. But how else can you celebrate the nation that brought you such wonders as U2, James Joyce and the magical money-hoarding sprites called leprechauns?

Well you could run a record-breaking marathon dressed as such a leprechaun. Running may not be associated with St. Patty’s Day, but breaking world records should be. The Guinness Book of World Records itself is brought to you by Ireland, and it’s no coincidence that it shares the name with the famous Irish brew. The book was founded by the managing director of Guinness Breweries in 1954 and was originally given away as a marketing gimmick for their beer.  Now the Guinness Book holds its own record as one of the best-selling book series of all time (thanks Wikipedia!).  So if you can beat a 4 hr 22 min 08 sec marathon time in a handsome green suit, you can gain a world record and celebrate authentic Irish culture all in one go. I’ll drink (Guinness) to that!

If long distance running isn’t your thing, enjoy the holiday festivities by attending the St Patrick’s Day parade, go green, or irk your friends by pranking them with rubber snakes. Either way, enjoy the day and remember: Everyone’s Irish on March 17th!

Meg

Is it just me or has the Charlie Sheen story jumped the shark?  Coming from someone who typically can’t get enough of entertainment news, I find myself desperately channel (and web) surfing to find out about the power struggle in Egypt or how the current crisis in Libya is unfolding.  At first, I found Charlie Sheen’s rants amusing, borderline psychotic (ok, perhaps full on psychosis) but, most recently with a current custody battle involved, disturbing.  It’s a train wreck and I want to look away which leads me to my question of the day – has news become entertainment or is entertainment news?

I can’t argue that Charlie Sheen is not news, but when my news programs devote more time and space to Warner Brother’s firing of Charlie Sheen versus the innocent civilians fighting for democracy and losing their lives in Libya, I question the state of news in America.  I am not sure the media is “#winning.”

Joanne

In 1989 at age 62 I started a new business! Thinking about it now, it seems so crazy, but after leaving Ogilvy & Mather I was unsatisfied and not ready to retire.  Moreover, I wanted to prove to myself that I could realize the kind of PR agency I envisioned.  With two people willing to take the risk with me, Hunter MacKenzie Cooper was born in my apartment on East 38^th Street. 

 That first year was a scramble – euphoric when McIlhenny Company decided to move its business to us, frantic in locating decent affordable space, funny when trucking in used furniture from the United Wrecking Co., triumphant when we lured Grace (then Thompson, age 20 something) to join us.

 For our first assignment from Kraft we staged a formal Washington Dinner Party for 140 food writers at the Willard Hotel.  George and Barbara Bush look-alikes greeted everyone, satirist Mark Russell performed, and Miracle Whip appeared in every course, including dessert.  It was a blast, a total success.  That event plus our work for Tabasco sauce provided the credentials to build the business.  And the clients started coming our way - Dannon, Pillsbury, Nabisco, Planters/LifeSavers, Haagen-Dazs and several more in just the first few years. The company grew and changed, evolving into what it is today.

I’m so very proud of the success you have achieved while maintaining a culture that nurtures and fulfills.  It’s way beyond what I could possibly imagine those many years ago.  I’m truly honored that my name is still on the door.  Congratulations …and may the next 22 years be even more fantastic!

It seems that everything in New York has its own week – Fashion Week, Restaurant Week among others. So why should the ever-developing field of social media not have its own designated seven days?

 New York wasn’t the only city that jumped on the bandwagon. February 7th-11th was designated Social Media Week in more than nine cities including Rome, Hong Kong, Istanbul and more. This global event was attended by 30,000 people.

This conference is overarching, covering almost every aspect of technology and emerging trends by presenting panel discussions on a variety of social media subjects. Due to my responsibilities with the entertainment department here at Hunter Public Relations, I decided to check out a panel called “Celebrity Spokespeople in the Digital Age.”

Moderated by Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the panel featured participants like actress Denise Richards and bloggers Rob Shuter (PopEater) and Bryanboy (Bryanboy.com, fashion). The discussion shed some insight on how to leverage celebrities, who themselves have become brands. Outlets like Twitter provide stars with a direct channel to engage with their fans to promote their projects, charitable initiatives and their own public image.

The panel gave the example of the Kardashians, specifically Kim Kardashian.  According to The Hollywood Reporter the clan brought in over $65 million dollars last year, all because of their smart branding. The family has a collective 13 million Twitter followers which Kim Kardashian took advantage of during the designing and launching of her fragrance. She gave her fans a direct say in her product by posting two options for her perfume packaging and let them decide which one would be produced. Check out the panel to learn more!

Although Social Media Week may be over, don’t fret! Thanks to LiveStream.com, you can check out many of the over 200 events and panels online. Happy browsing!

Paulina

As a child, my favorite Christmas tradition featured a single VHS tape of Christmas specials recorded from television. It was a time capsule of the late 80's, complete (now vintage-looking) commercials for Teddy Ruxpin, Holiday M&M’s, and something called Kodak film. To commemorate this forgotten family treasure, which was a casualty of the great Losh family outdated technology purge of 2000, here's a flashback to my three favorite recordings from the tape:

 A Claymation Christmas Celebration - 1987

By one of the original claymators, Will Vinton, this rarity was hosted by a bantering pair of odd couple dinosaurs named Rex and Herb. It was a collection of music videos including "Carol of the Bells" and a soulful version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by the California Raisins—easily the most famous dried fruits of that year.

A Muppet Family Christmas - 1987

In what starts as a quiet visit from Fozzy Bear to his Ma's house for the holidays, this special turns into the mother of all Muppet crossovers, uniting the Muppet Show cast, Sesame Street gang, and Fraggle Rockers in joyous song. Newcomers to Ma's include a jive talking Christmas turkey, a stand-up comedian snowman, and one hilariously-slippery icy patch.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special - 1988

This masterpiece is a star-studded spectacle with appearances by Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Charo, K.D. Lang, Little Richard, Zha Zha Gabor, and Magic Johnson. During the festivities, Pee Wee gets too many fruitcakes, discovers that his claymation dinosaurs are Jewish, and gets help from Cher reading the secret word (shhh! Don't say it or we'll all scream!).

For my long-lost VHS tape and on behalf of the Raisins, Muppets, and Mr. Herman, I wish everyone a safe and warm holiday season and a very happy new—year! (AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!)

 Eric