PR Blog

This blog was first published by Eric Bergman of the Bergman Group in 2011 and is re-posted here with permission of the author. Bergman is the creator of the At Ease with the Media corporate media training system which the Tartan Group uses as its media training program.

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For the past year I have toiled over the books, chased after receipts, and herded the occasional cat here at the Tartan Group. And, what fancy felines these “Tarts” truly are!

This has been a dynamic opportunity to learn how integration should happen when it comes to a public relations firm in Victoria, BC and I am honored to have been part of the process. The occasional black tie event didn’t hurt either.

That said, the time has now come for me to pass the Tartan Torch. Introducing Eric Jourdan! Eric has made a great impression on us so far. His first day was ’month-end’ (accountant speak for time spent in purgatory) and yet he is still here. Eric is a CGA Student, looking to put in his professional hours as a Tart himself.  Ultimately Eric’s role will be to make sure the books are balanced. However, coffee runs when “James the Intern” is not available are not completely off the task sheet!

As for myself, my son and I have traded in our crab traps for cowboy hats. We are heading to Calgary. So drop us a line if ever in the neighborhood!

Oh and I told Eric you would all promise to go easy on him; he is new after all.

The Tartan Group is a Victoria BC public relations and communications firm specializing in tourism and hospitality. Contact Tartan for inquires and corporate media training.

I have always been fascinated by current events. In my spare time I’m often pouring over news websites or reading magazines. When Brian told me that a huge part of my job would be media monitoring, I was ecstatic. That was one month ago… 

I have been with Tartan for a month now and have done many different jobs since starting here. It’s always tough to explain to people what I do as an intern at a public relations firm. I often start out by telling people about media monitoring, writing itineraries or researching clients, but the reality is my job is so diverse there is no typical workday.

Since arriving at Tartan I have had the opportunity to engage with clients, media representatives, research future projects and participate in social media efforts, among many other tasks. One of the biggest advantages for any intern is networking within the industry and Tartan has given me every opportunity. Some of these networking events have also provided some great food and drink, thanks Victoria Taste .

Being an intern does have some drawbacks, as any intern could tell you. On my first day at the office Terry proudly announced the plan her and Brian had devised that had me delivering coffees to contest winners. As luck would have it the charming Carolyn from KoolFm was the recipient, thank goodness it wasn’t someone with an intern superiority complex! In my time at Tartan I have progressed from ordering “A large coffee” two months ago to “…two extra hot venti green tea lattes, one grande medium roast coffee in a venti cup, and a grande americano with room”. That is an education!

I’ve realized through my time here that the role of an intern is perhaps a little too vague. Since nobody is quite sure what the role encompasses, it tends to encompass everything. Drowning an intern with work is like an office team building exercise akin to a company retreat. Although they deny it vehemently I am quite sure my coworkers have placed wagers on the date of my breakdown.

The positives of my job drastically outweigh any negatives and I’m very lucky that I got the job that I applied for. I enjoy doing different things every day, talking with new people and working with a talented team. Thanks for the great first month Tartan.

Follow James the intern on Twitter at: @JamesWDAnderson

I had the distinct pleasure of running a digital marketing session in the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula. I met the pioneer of Costa Rica eco travel, and owner of Lapa Rios at the Eco-tourism and sustainable tourism conference or ESTC. Karen Lewis invited me to present digital marketing concepts to her staff…in the rainforest.

How could I refuse?

Arriving at Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula, I was greeted by Lapa Rios staff and a slice of much appreciated home made banana bread since I was at the airport before I could grab breakfast! The 18 kilometre trek into the remote Osa Peninsula resort  means fording creeks, dodging potholes and motorcycles with passengers who I hope were attached with bungy cords for the amount of bouncing around that they do.

And then I arrived and immediately put my feet up. The  Osa Peninsula accomodations and rainforest bungalows are completely private; private garden, private deck, your own hammock, outdoor shower,  and did I mention, how private it is? Lapa Rios is total decompression from urban life to the tunes of macaws, monkeys and crickets. Located in the middle of its own rainforest reserve near Corcovado National Park, Lapa Rios offers a variety of in-house and community provided nature tours in the Osa Peninsula. I did the self guided tour and when I did the same trail at night with guide, Edwin, I was a little dismayed to realize how much I had missed on my own ! Thanks to Edwin for helping me see the details!

A not to be missed activity is the sustainability tour called Pigs, Twigs and Garbage. Lapa Rios is an authentic eco-lodge where nothing is wasted and no opportunity to reduce their footprint is left unexploited. The kitchen compost is fed to the pigs, the pig feces are collected to create methane and the gas is used to fuel the staff kitchen stove. A word to the wise, if it rained the night before, be sure to poke the water out of the tarp over the truck bed before the truck moves. I learned that lesson the hard way! My clothes dried quickly though.

If you haven’t had a chance to experience a tropical rainstorm, green season in Costa Rica is the place to be. I loved the sound of the pounding rain and thunder plus the camaraderie in the restaurant while we all pretended to be calm during the sky shattering booms! Only one person was reduced to tears, but he was nine years old and was running around by the salt water pool the next day – so no permanent damage done.

And finally, I got to run my digital marketing session in just about the best office in the world!  My hair was frizzy from the humidity, I chattered in a bizarre mixture of Portuguese, bad Spanish and English and had one of the best interactive sessions I have every had with the Lapa Rios staff.

While Lapa Rios is an amazing place, I enjoyed travelling there just as much as staying there. The 45 minute flight on Nature Air, the world’s first carbon neutral airline from Tobias Bolaños  airport in San Jose started with a safety briefing video narrated by children from the airlines airline’s educational foundation NatureKids. NatureKids provides English language instruction to children from the remote Osa Peninsula town of Drake Bay, a stop on the way to Lapa Rios and Puerto Jimenez. The view on route to the Osa Peninsula was remarkable that most of the photos from this trip are from inside the plane!