By Landis Staff
What is your favorite PR campaign you’ve worked on at Landis?
If I had to pick one, it would be the Luke Armstrong campaign we worked on with our client, the Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS). Luke endured a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a tragic plane crash, in which he was the only survivor. CNS worked with Luke to regain his physical strength and independence so he could return to school for his senior year of college. As the one-year anniversary of the crash approached, we interviewed Luke, created a pitch package with b-roll, put together a media list that covered local media, Texas media and media that covered the crash and helped CNS develop a case study for their website. The campaign resulted in extensive media coverage, including a front-page Sunday feature in The Eagle and several network affiliates: Fox 26Houston; KXXV ABC serving Central Texas; KBTX CBS; KWTX, CBS Waco, which ran the KBTX story; and KAGS TV, an NBC TV station affiliate in Bryan, TX.
Can you tell us about your background?
Being from the Bay Area, I grew up with beauty all around me–the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands and wine country. However, when it came time to pick a college, I knew I wanted to go out of state to the University of Oregon. Originally, I went to school to become a forensic anthropologist (think of the TV show Bones), but I soon found a passion for communications in my gateway to journalism class. In the class, I put together a package on elderly health & fitness, including a video project, audio project, press release, pitch to local media, etc. Let me just tell you–this class was far superior to my chemistry and gen-ed classes. (Bleh!)
Before coming to Landis, I worked for the Marin County Cultural Services Department for two years. In the first year, I learned how to conduct interviews with local entertainers and artists to tell the Marin County Fair’s story. The second year, we, unfortunately, had to cancel the in-person fair due to the pandemic. With the fair being such a pivotal part of the summer in Marin, I decided to put together a virtual fair, providing virtual fun for families and children who wanted to participate in the comfort of their homes. I contacted the performers, farmers, artists and musicians to create videos for the fair. We also put on a bunch of weekly contests, encouraging families and kids to get creative! Overall, it was a huge success, with a 15 percent increase in Instagram followers, a 60 percent increase in Facebook page likes and almost a 400% increase in engagement on Twitter.
Then, the rest is history! I came to Landis to work on various accounts, including some in healthcare, nonprofit, environment, technology and food and beverage supply chains.
What is your favorite part of your job?
The clients. The nice thing about agency life is you get to dip your toes into a variety of industries, and you learn a lot about the clients and their domains. Not only that, but we also have stellar clients. I look forward to client calls every week because it’s my chance to get that face-to-face time with them and work with them as part of a team.
What is your least favorite part of your job?
The administrative work. Don’t get me wrong, it’s necessary, but it’s not nearly as fun or interesting as working with clients!
If you weren’t working at Landis, you would be…
A chef. During the pandemic, I found a passion for cooking. Not only the act of cooking but also the presentation of food. It’s an art form, and the best part is, it’s art you can eat!
What do you do in your spare time?
My friends and I recently decided it was time to get back into the swing of socializing after what felt like ages of being in lockdown. This resulted in us forming a variety of clubs. So far, we’ve put together a book club, trivia group and wine tasting club. Aside from that, you can find me cooking (I’m considering starting a food blog to post my creations), baking, camping or taking my dog, Indie, on adventures. My favorite places I’ve taken her are the beach in Pacifica, Golden Gate Park or Lands End in San Francisco.
What is a fun fact about you?
The house I grew up in is also my mother’s childhood home! My grandparents built the house in 1969.
What are some books you’ve read recently?
I’m actually in a book club! So far, we’ve read:
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. An incredibly sad book, but an important one. As a reader, you’ll travel alongside the main character, Cora, as she makes her escape through the Underground Railroad.
- The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang. Most of the people in Haven aren’t a fan of Leo Chao. Perhaps it’s because of his abrasive personality. When the family’s patriarch mysteriously dies following a Christmas celebration at the Chao’s restaurant, who is to blame? If you like fiction or murder mystery, this is a good, easy book to pick up at the end of the workday.