In Defense of Public Relations

Oh how time flies! It’s been a year since I posted the inaugural list of the ten hottest PR chick pics on twitter and I guess with this second edition, the list now becomes a tradition unlike any other.

I did make a few adjustments to the selection process. Instead of me being the sole judge on who makes the hot list, I brought in a committee of PR experts dudes to assist in the selection. For their own safety, they shall remain anonymous although a couple of them probably wouldn’t mind getting whipped by the ladies who didn’t make the cut.  In addition, a number of the sizzling yet smart PR ladies here made it because they pitched themselves and their pitches were on fire.

Unlike last year, this year’s crop of smokiness included a review of their last 10 tweets at the time of this writing (hey, it’s a top ten list) and whether those tweets brought some value to the PR profession. Of course, all of these ladies have engaged me on Twitter, which helped dwindle down the list. And none, I hope, know my true ID.  Yes, it’s still a subjective process, but just like PR, I never claimed this to be an exact science. I’ve also excluded those that were on the list last year not because they lost their sizzle, but because there are many PR chicks on Twitter.

Before you proceed to scroll down this post to see who’s in, I’d like all of you to know that I  have the highest respect for the women on this list. Our industry is composed of a majority of women and many whom I’ve worked with and currently work with are smart, creative, and dare I say it, attractive. I don’t believe anyone working in PR should be judged by their looks and/or physical attributes, but by what value they add to the table. But let’s be honest, there are those who have both (unfortunately, not me–you’ve all seen my pic).  On another note, I don’t refer to any woman as “chick” and never tell them their “hot” unless I’m referring to the weather.

So without further drivel from me, whether you love it or hate it (do let me know in the comments section), here’s this year’s prdude’s list of The Ten Hottest PR Chicks Based on Their Pics and Tweets (not in any order):

1. Julie Perry is the Social Media Director for BLASTMediaPR and has a very interesting background. Yes, she has thousands of followers on Twitter and she’s also the author of the book, “The Insiders’ Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess Confessions from My Years Afloat with the Rich and Famous.” Not sure if she rubbed elbows with the likes of Robin Leach or has ever been on, God forbid, Tiger Woods’ yacht, Privacy. And even though she’s an Android fan [check out her bio here] and what looks to be a typo in the title of her book (shouldn’t the apostrophe be before the ‘s’ if it’s a one insider’s perspective?], Perry makes the list for being “Little Miss Chaterer.” Blast-est tweet from the last ten here.

2. If the movie, Miss Congeniality, had a prequel, Kate Ottavio would be a shoo-in to play the young Sandra Bullock. Her road to PR included years in beauty pageantry as a contestant, and from what I gather from her tweets, as an adviser today for young ladies who want to compete in a beauty (and brains) competition.  She’d also win the Miss Patient prize if there is one in a beauty pageant because she should’ve been on last year’s list. See what a year of waiting does. She’s accomplished so much in that time frame, the least of which is being one of the founding members of the hottest PR blog today, PR Breakfast Club. Beautiful-’est’ tweet from the last ten here.

3. Stephanie Smirnov is probably the most powerful PR chick on this list. She heads up one of the most successful consumer PR firms in the country. If you haven’t heard of DeVries (pronounced De-Vrees not to be confused with DeVry), you haven’t been in PR long enough or you’re not in PR at all. She’s proud of her Russian heritage and sources say she may have been rooting for the Russian hockey team during the last Winter Olympics. She’s proudest being e a mom. Combining her PR profession and mommy duties, an interesting and entertaining hybrid blog was born, check out PR Mama. Mammochka tweet from the last ten here.

4. Don’t let the pink fool you…according to the first slide on J Public Relations’ web site. The only agency to make it on this list. Why? Well, because this and this. I’m sure JPR supports the Susan G. Komen Foundation too, not just because of its company colors, but because its entire team is female. Of course, it also made the list because the agency boasts that it  has won many awards. The fact that the firm has someone named Jamie Lynn Sigler and Sarah Evans [no, not that Sarah Evans who was on last year's list] managing the firm had nothing to do with it. I do wonder how an entertainment reporter reacts when getting a call that starts like this, “Hi, this is Jamie Lynn Sigler, I’m calling for…” Pink-est tweet from the last ten here.

5. Gail Sideman is the consummate publicist with a strong background in sports.  She’s been seen hanging out with some famous folks like James Brown, not the Godfather of Soul, but the CBS Sports broadcaster. She stays on the SIDElines and gives all her clients the glory. She engages everyone on Twitter that’s why a majority of her tweets from my observation are @replies. She’s creative at how she uses the SIDE part of her name (check out her web site). It’s SIDE this, and SIDE that. From this SIDE, it all works seamlessly together. She’s obviously no SIDE dish. SIDE-tweet from the last ten here.

6. Katherine Barna describes herself as “just a city girl figuring it out as I go.” Well, whatever ‘IT’ is, she’s got plenty of ‘IT.’ Kath, as she’s called by friends on Twitter, has found a little space to fill. She may have a little space to herself, but she’s got a big  job working as a publicist for Newsweek.  Yes that news magazine that we, PR dudes and dudettes, want to get our client in at least once in our career even if circulation has been cut in half (more on this here). I’m sure with Kath’s PR skills, she’s helped get circulation back up if that falls under her responsibility.  Space-filled tweet from the last ten here.

7. A Minnesotan that recently graduated at Florida Gulf Coast University who is now working in New York City, Abby Schoffman is hungry to learn more about PR (based on her tweets) and calls herself a social media enthusiast. Thank goodness, she didn’t write guru or expert. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made this list no matter how hot she is on her pic or in real life.  I don’t know much about her except that selection committee members who’ve met her are adamant she be on this list. I hope to get to know her more on Twitter in the future. Tweet why she belongs on list from last ten here.

8. Yes, Kellye is spelled with a ‘y’ and ‘e.’ Not spelled with an ‘i’ or just ‘y.’ Now that I’ve cleared up that it isn’t a typo, KellyE Crane has single-handedly changed the lives of solo PR pros for the better with #solopr and Solo PR Linked In group. One of the challenges faced by solo PR pros is not having a team to brainstorm ideas or share resources with.  Thanks to Kellye, they are now able to do so.  The Solo-ist tweet from the last ten here.

9. I have a lot of faith in Jessica Randazza who has taken on the task of changing the world, not just the PR world, but the entire planet. That’s a thousand times more challenging than what I’m trying to do [check this blog's tagline].  Her blog is a mishmash of all things PR, branding, social media and life. Based from what I’ve read, she likely hails from Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered, but is a lover of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, which is not available in Seattle. Thankfully, she’s now in New York City, where there’s Dunkin’ Donuts every few blocks.

10. The PR Tweeter crowd has spoken. Filling in the 10th and final slot is Tiffany Winbush. It was a close race between her and @SashaHalima to the end. Both are amazing young ladies who’ve accomplished so much at such a young age (not that I know how old they are–just taking an educated guess here) so kudos to them and their loyal followers. I’m sure none of them voted multiple times (hey, we live in the American Idol age).  Tiffany, who received 50 percent of the vote, has amazing credentials  (based on her Linked In profile) and runs a blog, Women Making Moves, that is devoted to the accomplishments of women. I’m thinking she should feature herself on her blog since she is one woman who is making moves (dudes, in your dreams, get your minds out of the gutter).  Tweet that moved the needle here.

The fabulous final five also included @missusP @rochelleveturis @FLASHrelations. All five were nominated among many to become on of the Ten Hottest PR Chicks Based on Their Pics and Tweets (2nd Ed.)  Final results here.

Calling all PR Dudes on Twitter: If you think you’re a PR Dude with the Smoothest Moves (on Twitter), feel free to pitch yourself as long as you weren’t on the last year’s list. Please send pitches to prdude@indefenseofpr.com.  Post slated for Friday, April 30.

Disclaimer: Any similarities of descriptions to anyone living or dead is not intended and must be taken with a large dose of humor.

[From original post: 10.]Don’t act so surprised.  Haven’t you heard crowdsourcing is the ‘hot’ buzzword of the season?!?  We live in a social media world so the last, but not least PR chick to grace this list, will be your choice. Simply send your suggestions in the comments section of this post or tweet me @prdude.  The PR Dudes selection committee will collect and select five of the ‘hottest’ PR chicks you suggest, then we’ll open the floor for a vote. There are only two rules to follow when nominating: 1) Nominee must be a woman or at least looks like a woman working in PR and 2) She must have a Twitter handle.