• Matter Celebrates International Women’s Day 2018

    Matter Celebrates International Women’s Day 2018

    International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is #PressforProgress. By continuing to press forward, we can turn the momentum of this movement into an unstoppable force for positive change. According to IWD, #PressforProgress is a strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive. In honor of this day, we sat down with some of our Matter employees to find out about the women who have influenced their professional lives. 

     

    Robin O’Leary

    Assistant General Manager at Prouts Neck Association

    As a 23-year-old, newly minted econ and poly sci double major with no intention of going to law school, I was working nights and weekends as a case worker at a residential program for violent-aggressive boys. Clearly, a career in marketing was in my future!

    While I didn’t have the pedigree, I always had an interest in marketing. Thanks to my mom, I got an internship at Agfa (case working doesn’t exactly pay the bills). I was later made aware of a marketing position in a different division.

    Enter Robin. Smart, accomplished, boisterous and with a laugh that can heal the sick, she was willing to take a chance on me, despite my lack of credentials. While we only worked together for a year, Robin was instrumental in laying the foundation for my entire career.

    She gave me assignments that pushed me, but always provided just enough encouragement and input to succeed. She let me make the mistakes so crucial to learning, but helped me clean up after them (and made it clear they shouldn’t happen again!).

    She encouraged me to experiment, be creative and never once acted like she had all the answers.

    She taught me that standing up for what was right and treating people with respect matters just as much in the workplace as out.

    She taught me that character matters more than credentials.

    Thank you, Robin, for taking a chance on me – and setting me on the course for success. While it’s been too long since we’ve connected, I remain more grateful than I could ever express!

    -Jesse Ciccone

     

    Jennifer Karin Sidford

    VP of Precision at Matter / Middlebury

    It’s not often that you get to work with one of your role models. When I started at Matter two years ago, I got to do exactly that: work alongside one of the most poised, well-spoken and smart women I have ever met, Jennifer Karin Sidford. I’ve known Jennifer for quite a few years — in fact, I used to babysit her boys.Her grace and kindness has always struck me as one to emulate. Upon starting at Matter, I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that I’m not the only one who looks up to this strong, beautiful and courageous woman. Jennifer is not only a published author, she’s an accomplished PR pro, dedicated mother and caring friend. She taught me about what it means to be true to yourself, to trust your instincts and to believe in the value of hard work. On top of all that, she’s a die-hard feminist and activist who speaks her truth proudly and strongly. If that doesn’t constitute a real-world hero, then I don’t know what does!

    -Alexandra Foley

     

    Sister Margaret Ann Laechelin

    Principal at Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School

    After Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Miami, Sister Margaret Ann picked up a chainsaw to help open a road blocked by a fallen tree. She had never used a chainsaw before, but knew she needed to jump in and help any way she could. I am inspired by the Sister’s resourcefulness and can-do attitude, as so much of our professional success depends on those two factors. I keep a photo of Sister Margaret Ann (with chainsaw in hand) on my desktop to keep me charging forward. Fallen trees, beware!

    -Jennifer Karin

     

    Emma Walter

    Marketing Manager at First Insight (previously Matter)

    I worked closely with Emma when I first started at Matter, and she quickly became my professional role model. She has an impressive knowledge of PR and the industries she works in, always took the time to guide me and share her invaluable feedback. Emma is a prime case of leading by example and doing what she can to help other women succeed.

    -Kelley Flynn

     

    Vikki Spruill

    President/CEO of The Council on Foundations

    My mom has had such a tremendous impact on my professional life. Ever since my sister and I were little, we watched her pursue her passions (personal and professional) with incredible tenacity and grace. It is because of her influence that I can attack my goals to get me where I am today. I’m grateful for her support in everything that I do and hope to return the favor someday!

    -Susannah Spruill

     

    Sara Allen

    Associate Professor of Communication at Endicott College

    Professor Allen, my teacher, advisor and faculty club leader, has been one of the biggest influences in my professional life. From my first day of class in Advertising 101, to advising the creation of my portfolio for job applications, she was there to support me throughout my entire college career.

    One specific memory I have is from my junior year at the National Student Advertising Competition. Our team had planned and worked for months, and it all came down to one presentation in front of an audience and esteemed panel of judges. As I stepped onto the stage, I froze. She knew something was wrong and immediately grabbed me, looked me in the eyes and said, “you can do this.” I went back up, shook off the nerves and presented without a flaw. Thank you, Sara Allen, for being more than just a professor and leaving a long-lasting, great impression on all of your students.

    -Sara Pudvelis

     

    Maureen Green

    Vice President, Human Resources at Comcast

    My mom is the most influential female role model in both my professional and personal life. She is strong, smart, driven, poised, generous … I could go on and on, this woman does it all! She taught me the value of persistence and hard work, the art of negotiation, effective and confident communication, and the power of a well-crafted to-do list. My mom is a successful, savvy businesswoman with a big job that demands a lot of time and attention, and yet somehow, she always finds time to be the most present and supportive mom. She is someone I admire beyond measure and as a female professional, I am profoundly lucky to have such a positive example to learn from.

    -Kirsten Minnon

     

    Dr. Susan Russell

    Associate Professor, Penn State University

    Ever since my first class with her, Dr. Susan Russell taught me to see the world differently. She preached three important life rules: remove denigrating language from our vocabulary, make eye contact and choose not to go to war (with yourself and others). It was these three pillars that began to tear down the walls of the world around me and open my eyes to a new set of values. I realized the potential of a single person and the power within all of us to make an impact. When you have passion for what you are doing, the results are monumental. I channel these values at work every day and seek out the moments, both big and small, where my passions and professional skills intersect. As an actress, educator and activist, Dr. Russell was the most influential professor I had the pleasure of learning from and continues to be a resourceful mentor to me in my professional career.

    – Erin Brooks

     

    Matter

  • Media on the Move: Week of March 6

    Media on the Move: Week of March 6

    As we enter March, newsrooms everywhere are continuing to shrink. Vox Media announced a plan to layoff around 50 employees, as reported by CNN. The decision is allegedly due in part to a pivot away from its video services, with the changes mostly impacting publications including Racked, Curbed and SB Nation.

    Also reported by CNN, Newsweek Media Group fired multiple staffers from their publications, including Newsweek’s editor-in-chief Bob Roe, executive editor Ken Li and reporter Celeste Katz. Nancy Cooper, managing editor at the International Business Times, one of Newsweek’s sister sites, has taken on the role of acting editor at Newsweek, according to Huffington Post.

    On the flipside, The Atlantic announced its plan to hire 100 new staffers over the course of 2018, increasing their headcount by 30%.  Half of those additions are set to join the editorial team. This growth will also include the formation of a “Talent Lab” to find diverse writers consisting of both full-time writers and contributors, as reported by TechCrunch.

    Another notable change to the media landscape is the sale of The Los Angeles Times, along with The San Diego Union-Tribune and other newspapers, to local billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.

     

    ABC: Zachary Kiesch joins as a correspondent in New York.

    Barron’s: Michael Kahn left the publication after 15 years.

    Business Insider: After almost three years, Chris Weller is leaving the publication to work at the NeuroLeadership Institute.

    Buzzfeed: Molly Hensley-Clancy is now a news reporter covering national politics and the democratic party.

    CNBC: Angelica LaVito was hired as consumer health reporter and Lauren Thomas was hired to cover retail and real estate.

    CRN: Dylan Martin joins as an associate editor covering IoT.

    Deadspin: Megan Greenwell became the site’s first female chief editor.

    Forbes: After three years as tech editor, Miguel Helft left the publication. No word on his next steps.

    NBC News: Jason Abbruzzese left Mashable to join NBC as senior tech editor.

    New York Times: Quinn Norton joins the editorial board as the lead opinion writer on power, culture and the consequences of technology. Kim Murphy joins as an enterprise writer. Jack Nicas leaves The Wall Street Journal to join as a tech editor.

    Outline: Adrianne Jeffries left the publication to freelance, while Casey Johnston joins as an editor.

    Time: John Patrick Pullen joins as the magazine’s West Coast news desk editor.

    The New Yorker: Carolyn Kormann joins as a staff writer covering the environment and Naomi Fry joins to cover a wide-range of culture topics.

    The Atlantic: Natasha Bertrand joins as a staff writer and James Somers as a contributing editor.

    Washington Post: Sara Sorcher joins as deputy editor of Power Post.

     

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  • Matter Communications to Sponsor and Present at Health IT Marketing and Public Relations Conference

    Public relations and digital marketing agency to share best practices for PR agency and client collaboration at HITMC

    BOSTON – March 1, 2018 – Matter Communications, a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, social media, creative services and digital marketing, will sponsor the Health IT Marketing and PR (#HITMC) conference in New Orleans on April 4-6. In addition to supporting the event, Matter director and healthcare practice lead, Ryan Lilly, will present on best practices for building a media-facing thought leadership bench. Lilly will be joined by Tara Auclair, senior marketing communications manager at Modernizing Medicine, to discuss real-world lessons gained from their experience collaborating on a successful media relations program.

    Now in its fifth year, HITMC is a first of its kind healthcare conference focused on marketing and public relations strategies specific to doctors, practice managers and hospital executives. The event was founded by renowned health IT industry influencer, John Lynn, and is supported by numerous other well-known health tech influencers, including Colin Hung and Shahid Shah, among others.

    “With sponsors like Matter, we continue to expand the Healthcare IT Marketing and PR community,” said John Lynn, founder and editor at Healthcare Scene. “As the pace of change in strategic communications, digital marketing, branding and media relations accelerates, healthcare organizations can rely on professional teams like the one at Matter to bring knowledgeable resources and industry best practices to every engagement.”

    Lilly and Auclair’s HITMC presentation: “How to Build a Diverse Media-Facing Thought Leadership Bench” will take place on Thursday, April 5 from 10:45 – 11:30 a.m. at the New Orleans Marriot. Attendees will learn how specialty-specific health IT leader, Modernizing Medicine, partnered with Matter to create engaging and impactful platforms for its spokespeople.

    “HITMC brings together an impressive group of marketing and PR professionals from across the healthcare continuum. The culture and tone of the event is heavily focused on education and growth, and we are honored to have the opportunity to contribute and learn,” said Ryan Lilly. “We look forward to bringing the knowledge gained at HITMC to our client partners.”

    With headquarters in Newburyport, Mass., and additional offices in Boston, Providence, R.I., Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore., Matter is one of the fastest-growing public relations and social media firms in the country. Matter has won seven ‘Agency of the Year’ accolades in the past three years, and has been recognized numerous times as a best place to work.

    To see Matter at HITMC this year, stop by the booth in the exhibitor area. To learn more about HITMC, visit this page or register here.

     

    About Matter Communications

    Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying public relations, social media, creative services, and search and digital marketing into strategic, content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with five offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, please visit: https://www.matternow.com

     

    Contacts

    Michael Byrnes
    Matter
    617-391-9898
    [email protected]
    www.matternow.com

     

     

    Matter

  • Behind the Booths at Outdoor Retailer

    Behind the Booths at Outdoor Retailer

    A beach blanket and sandals that drain sand, a magnetic peel-away balaclava, and folding ski poles — these are a few of the amazing active lifestyle innovations on display at the recent Winter market Outdoor Retailer Show.  And the rookies’ products were not to be outclassed – newcomers launched bold, three-in-one kiddie footwear, a zero emissions motorcycle and a slow burn energy bar.

    Equally creative were the booth designs. Outdoor Research used a tiny house as its centerpiece, decorated with hand painted wooden plaques that could be purchased to support Conservation Alliance. Optic Nerve Sunglasses plopped an Airstream into their booth for retailer appointments and Yeti Coolers incorporated an old steel water tank – very cool.  But Best of Booth was snagged by Keen Footwear, with a newly designed, hyper-recycled space, featuring a fabric dome with images of trees and sky projected overhead, complete with rippling clouds and sporadic flares of lightning.

    Tactics to draw booth traffic were also clever.  Over 100 people lined up at the Otter Box booth to spin the wheel and possibly score a cooler. A graffiti artist at a snowboard booth wowed the crowds. And with a prominent nod to the company’s public lands and climate change agenda, Keen installed an upcycled phone booth—with a working line and book of legislators’ phone numbers and call scripts – aptly signed Call to Action.

    From the products to the exhibitor booths to the events, this is an industry that isn’t afraid to express itself in bold and beautiful fashion. And it doesn’t stop at creative marketing.  Members of the outdoor industry are committed to causes.  Conservation is probably number one on the docket but other issues including the marginalization of indigenous populations took center stage.

    Show exhibitors also paid tribute to outdoor legends, both living and deceased. The death of the iconic ski filmmaker Warren Miller occurred on the first day of the show and the media was rapid and generous in their praise.  The industry also honored snowboard legends Donna Carpenter and Jake Burton Carpenter with an Inspiration Award for “decades of innovating organizing and always staying true.”

    What’s abundantly clear at this show is that it is a way life not a job for these exhibitors and retailers, and, for any lucky visitor who loves the outdoors, it’s a “kid in a candy store” kind of experience.

    Check out some quick snap shots from the event:

     

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