http://questprblog.com Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:12:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Yesterday's Pre-budget report has been the subject of intense media speculation about what it may contain - and funnily enough, when Alistair Darling opened his red box surprises were hard to find. The Chancellor's PBR had been comprehensively leaked before the Parliamentary statement this afternoon - unlike any other budget before. ... http://questprblog.com/157/pre-budget-report-and-leaking-stories-to-the-media/ Following my recent lecture at Leeds Met I promised to help people make their first moves in to the hugely competitive PR jobs market. Over the course of the next few weeks I'll do a few posts on topics such as handling interviews, writing CVs and what to expect from your ... http://questprblog.com/154/tips-for-writing-covering-letters/ Last night I enjoyed the great opportunity to be invited to conduct one of Leeds Metropolitan University CIPR guest lecture slots, giving over 100 first, second and final year undergraduates an insight into my experience with an in house PR, a full service agency and a boutique business to business ... http://questprblog.com/152/lecture-on-the-right-career-path-for-pr-students/   How uplifting it is to read positive success stories in the Yorkshire Post's special supplement recognising the achievements of the region's vibrant PR and advertising companies. Our client ICM Creative Communications is showing above average growth in an industry in which fees increased on average at 9.8 in 2008 compared with an 8.5 ... http://questprblog.com/151/celebrating-yorkshire%e2%80%99s-top-pr-and-advertising-companies/ So the two latest casualties of the trial by media culture we have are Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand. Depending on your take on the issue it's likely you care little or not at all for the welfare of these highly-paid media stars but that misses the point. Many commentators (nods ... http://questprblog.com/148/jumping-on-the-media-bandwagon/ Wednesday's This Morning appearance by former Atomic Kitten-cum ubiquitous reality star Kerry Katona left many people concerned for her health and state of mind. Watching the clip on Youtube raises serious doubts about whether she should even have appeared - indeed my posting of it on Facebook lead to a slew ... http://questprblog.com/145/kerry-katona-max-clifford-and-pr-client-relationships/   Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak to second-year PR students at Leeds Metropolitan University about getting the most from their placement year in industry. The students raised a number of interesting issues - from checking up on potential recruits on Facebook to what kind of clients different agencies ... http://questprblog.com/143/thinking-of-a-pr-placement/   Sometimes you come across a story that is truly inspirational. When ordinary people tackle extraordinary challenges you can't help but feel a sense of admiration, and our recent work with retired Harrogate fireman Tim Ralph underlines that impression. Tim decided to climb the seven continental summits (the highest mountains on each continent) ... http://questprblog.com/139/using-pr-to-fundraise/ The news that that our regional ITV news coverage could be further eroded due to a shortage of advertising prompts fears of quality of output being compromised - particularly as it was not that long ago that a television news team in our region underwent the trauma of re-applying for their own positions and cutting jobs. As a former regional TV journalist with organisations including the BBC TV news ... http://questprblog.com/135/prs-battle-for-regional-tv-coverage-intensifies/ Having just returned from a long weekend in Italy I've spent a lot of time taking photos (see above) and returning to work I was greeted with The Times' front cover snap of David Milliband and Gordon Brown. The power of photography is unquestionable - journalists are always on the lookout ... http://questprblog.com/127/the-power-of-photography-for-pr/