PRSA Georgia Chapter Hosts Seminar and Luncheon June 12

ATLANTA, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Public Relations Society of America Georgia Chapter (www.prsageorgia.org) will hold two informative events on Thursday, June 12, at Maggiano's Buckhead in Atlanta: a seminar covering media relations expertise followed by a luncheon spotlighting the state's entertainment PR industry.

In the morning, the Chapter hosts an interactive media relations seminar, "Grab Your Megaphone and Venture into Media Relations." Authors Debbie Fitzgerald, president of Fitzgerald PR, and Ed Van Herik, principal at Van Herik Communications, will discuss ways to maximize the potential for favorable coverage in an evolving media landscape.

This workshop is geared toward the beginning practitioner or a supervisor with media relations responsibilities but no practical experience.

Attendees will learn:

• How to build and maintain good working relationships with media
• What to put in a news release and how to extend its life
• How and when to follow up
• What needs to be done before the news release goes out

Participants will receive the speakers' new book, Megaphones Be With You: How Your Organization Can Play the Media Relations Game – And Win.

Check in for the seminar begins at 9:15 am, it runs from 9:30 to 11:00 am. Seminar details and registration: http://bit.ly/1kx7TrT Online registration is available until June 11.

Luncheon: Spotlight on Georgia's Entertainment PR Industry Boom
Following the seminar, the Chapter hosts its monthly luncheon focusing on the booming film and television production industry in Georgia. Entertainment is big business in the Peach State, with television networks, Hollywood studios, production companies and independent producers investing more than $3.3 billion in Georgia last year alone. The panel discussion, "Lights, Camera, Georgia: Entertainment PR Southern Style," will give a behind-the-scenes look at the communications challenges and opportunities facing this growing industry.

Four professionals from entertainment PR, media and production will discuss how they generate publicity for projects, enhance client visibility, manage crises, report on local entertainment news and encourage industry growth in Georgia:

• James Anderson, SVP of communications for Turner Broadcasting System's Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media Group, has supervised the campaigns of over 30 primetime series including That 70's Show, 3^rd Rock from the Sun, Roseanne and The Cosby Show.
• Denise Godoy is a unit publicist for television productions filming in Atlanta including Rectify and Red Road for Sundance TV and Survivor's Remorse for STARZ, a new scripted comedy series set in the world of professional basketball from NBA All-Star LeBron James, Tom Werner, Mike O'Malley, Maverick Carter and Paul Wachter premiering in fall 2014. She has also worked on projects for Lifetime and Discovery networks.
• Rodney Ho is an entertainment writer and blogger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he has worked 15 years. His TV and radio blog is the most popular blog on the AJC web site, generating more than 10 million page views a year. He has chronicled the rise of the TV business in town, especially since the tax credits were improved in 2008. He has recently broken news about The Walking Dead, Being Mary Jane, Single Ladies and The Real Housewives of Atlanta as well as bringing readers the latest information about Atlanta connections to long-running series such as The Bachelorette and American Idol.
• Lee Thomas, Director of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, has worked with films such as The Blind Side, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil and Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

The moderator will be Stephen Brown, APR, managing director at Cohn & Wolfe and chief film critic for SilverScreenCapture.com.

Check in begins at 11:30 a.m., and the luncheon runs until 1:00 p.m. Luncheon details and registration: http://bit.ly/1rLclZm Online registration is available until June 11. Maggiano's Buckhead is located at 3368 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30326.

PRSA Georgia (www.prsageorgia.org), the second-largest local chapter in the national society, consists of some 850 professionals throughout Georgia. Its mission is to enhance the profession, provide continuing education and offer networking opportunities for its members. The Chapter has regular monthly meetings and seminars, an Annual Conference for professionals and an annual Real World PR collegiate conference day.

The Chapter includes eight Special Interest Groups (Corporate and Employee Communications, Healthcare, Independent Counselors, Leader Board, Nonprofit, Technology, Travel and Tourism, and Young Professionals) that meet at various times. It also supports 10 PRSSA (student society) groups at the following colleges:  Berry College (Rome), Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta), Columbus State University (Columbus), Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville), Georgia State University (Atlanta), Georgia Southern University (Statesboro), Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw), Savannah State University (Savannah), University of Georgia (Athens), and University of West Georgia (Carrollton).

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SOURCE Georgia Chapter, Public Relations Society of America