Search for episodes from Off the Rock, On the Record with a specific topic:

Latest episodes from Off the Rock, On the Record

PRedictions for 2022

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 23:42


Starting to make plans for your outreach efforts in 2022? Start first by assessing trends and the predicted landscape for the next year. Kelli and Christina talk with Taylor about what they anticipate 2022 will bring while also running through the entire Obsidian team's insight.

Having an attitude of gratitude

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 18:49


Creating a workplace that prioritizes thanks and support is no small feat, but for more than 15 years, Courtney has done just that at Obsidian. Businesses and professionals looking to take their gratitude to the next level should tune in to hear how you can sow seeds of thanks into your corporate soil.

Pay my name, pay my name

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 18:05


Burgeoning college athletes, listen up. If you want to capitalize on name, image and likeness deals, you first need to sharpen your communication skills. OPR's resident sports enthusiast, Murray, joins Taylor on the eve of their two-teams colliding on the gridiron to discuss how athletes can secure (and maintain) the bag on NIL contracts.

How to move past the crisis that continues to haunt you

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2021 20:33


If you work in public relations, you know what it feels like to pray a crisis away. After all, no one wants to navigate the intense tightrope that is responding to questions about something bad that's happened at no fault of your own. But that's our job as communicators, and we have to respond no matter how many times the topic is brought up. Lauren Hannaford and Whitney Nolan, directors of client services at Obsidian Public Relations, provide *sage* advice to help cleanse your company of the crisis that continues to haunt you.

A few of our favorite things

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2021 14:17


We're getting into the holiday spirit early...because why not? This episode of Off the Rock, On the Record is all about giving. If you're looking to shop or support a Memphis business or organization this holiday season, we have a list for you. Our team shares insight on some of their favorite local gifts that should top your holiday shopping list.

A conversation with public relations educators

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2021 25:04


Public relations professors share how they adapt to the ever-changing natures of our industry, world and the needs of PR students.

Lessons from a tenured PR professional

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 26:42


Lauren Hannaford shares the lessons she's learned throughout her decade-long tenure at Obsidian Public Relations.

Professional lessons learned through internships

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2021 16:41


Madison Mullis, public relations graduate student at the University of Memphis, shares lessons she's learned as a communication intern.

Professional lessons from an account manager

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2021 20:33


Murray Lace, senior account manager at Obsidian Public Relations, shares the lessons she's you learned throughout her first five years as a professional.

Impactful lessons from PR studies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2021 19:40


Abbie Hancock, public relations student at Mississippi State University, shares lessons she's learned throughout her undergraduate PR curriculum.

Endearing your largest audience

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2020 12:05


When you treat your employees well, they treat your customers well. That is why maintaining employee morale is critical to the success of businesses. Brittany Mizell shares how your employee communication plans can adapt to the times and meet the shifting needs of your team in this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record.

Caring beyond four paws

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 13:21


When it comes to the wellbeing of animals, The Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County’s Ellen Zahariadis is an expert. As the Humane Society works to eliminate animal homelessness, they develop programs that meet evolving community needs – both human and animal. She shares how the Humane Society stays relevant in this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record.

Words carry weight

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2020 15:29


We’ve moved past the childhood mantra stating words can’t hurt you – they carry weight and can make or break a company’s reputation. Addison Walker joins Off the Rock, On the Record to discuss how companies can craft messages that relay genuine empathy.

Executing stellar events

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 14:35


From weddings to retirement parties, Memphis expert Toni Williams of Spring Creek Ranch has planned it all. She shares how you can create unique customer experiences for events of all types in this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record.

Bringing something new to the table

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2020 11:10


How do you ensure that your new product or service is a success? Meaningful communication as you prepare to launch is key. Gracie Lee shares her expertise with us in this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record.

Social media as a customer service tool

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2019 16:58


As a brand, social media is a great tool to connect with your audience in a personal way. Obsidian’s own Twitter-famous employee, Addison, sits down to discuss how businesses can use social media as a customer service tool to build brand connections.

Customer service with pizzazz

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2019 16:07


When it comes to customer service, some brands go above and beyond. Differentiates good customer service from great customer service? On this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record, Murray shares how you can add pizzazz to your excellent customer service plan while staying true to your brand.

Customer service in a crisis

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2019 24:21


Crisis management may be the toughest part of a PR practitioners role. So, how do we support customer service on top of our other crisis roles? In episode three, Whitney walks through the best practices for working through a crisis situation. She also breaks down how to navigate customer service and outreach during a crisis.

Digital reviews: Bullies or opportunities?

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2019 15:08


How do you connect with your consumers in a digital era? Gracie joins the podcast to discuss digital reviews and how they can make or break a company’s reputation. She also provides professional insight on ways to use reviews as an opportunity to connect with your consumers.

The basic roadmap to customer service

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2019 28:37


In this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record, our director of client services – Lauren Hannaford – underscores the importance of customer service as a PR function. She also discusses why customer service is lacking in some businesses, how to rethink customer service in a digital era and how to start a customer service plan when one isn’t already in place.

Season Four – Episode 1: Do internships matter?

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2019 20:15


This mini-season of Off the Rock, On the Record was written, recorded and produced by Obsidian’s 2019 summer interns – D’Marius Gillespie and Anna McGuire. The duo sat down to navigate some of the most pressing topics related to interning in the modern workplace, the value of the process and how to make it through your internship! Whether you’re looking for an internship, currently are interning or are an intern-at-heart, this podcast will provide comfort and a laugh, or two!

Season Four - Episode 2: Is what I learn in the classroom relevant to the working world?

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2019 17:45


This mini-season of Off the Rock, On the Record was written, recorded and produced by Obsidian’s 2019 summer interns – D’Marius Gillespie and Anna McGuire. The duo sat down to navigate some of the most pressing topics related to interning in the modern workplace, the value of the process and how to make it through your internship! Whether you’re looking for an internship, currently are interning or are an intern-at-heart, this podcast will provide comfort and a laugh, or two!

Season Four - Episode 3: How can I survive my internship?

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2019 17:56


This mini-season of Off the Rock, On the Record was written, recorded and produced by Obsidian’s 2019 summer interns – D’Marius Gillespie and Anna McGuire. The duo sat down to navigate some of the most pressing topics related to interning in the modern workplace, the value of the process and how to make it through your internship! Whether you’re looking for an internship, currently are interning or are an intern-at-heart, this podcast will provide comfort and a laugh, or two!

Small Business Week – Al Austin

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2019 12:39


Al Austin of Mid-South Ice House joins Gracie Lee of Obsidian Public Relations to discuss the impact of social media advertising on small businesses.

businessweek small business week mid south ice house
Small Business Week – Beverly Walker

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2019 21:47


Beverly Walker, founder of Lil' Bit of Country, talks with Account Executive Murray Lace about starting a business that's close to her heart! Starting with recipes her grandma made, Beverly has created a Memphis condiment classic. Learn how she did it in this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record.

Small Business Week – Maggie Strom

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2019 17:27


Maggie Strom, principal at Tioga Environmental Consultants, sits down with Christina Babu of Obsidian Public Relations to discuss strategic business growth.

Small Business Week – Tom Lawrence

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2019 13:06


Tom Lawrence is a small business owner and a mountain climber. At the time this podcast is published, he's currently climbing Mount Everest in his attempt to complete the Seven Summits. On this episode of Off the Rock, on the Record, Tom shares how mountain climbing and being a small business owner have a lot in common.

Professional development with Whitney

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2018 24:03


The modern digital landscape has made professional development easier than ever. But, technology has also caused trends to change quickly, making it more difficult than ever to stay on top of the latestest happenings. How do you strike a balance between staying up to date on the latest industry trends and falling victim to information overload? Whitney shares how she balances her workload, professional development and media consumption, and why the latter two are critical to your everyday life.

Career Transitions with Lauren

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2018 21:46


Lauren, our director of client services, has held every role our firm has to offer. Through her time at Obsidian, she’s gained valuable insight into what it takes, and what you should do, to move up in your company and love it all along the way. No matter your industry, Lauren’s insights will prepare you to step into a new role or take a leap of faith and put yourself up for a promotion. She also shares some of the pitfalls professionals face when transitioning into a new position. You don’t want to miss her advice!

Managing client relationships with Murray Lace

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2018 26:00


One of the most difficult facets of the working world is relationship management. As a PR firm, we’re no stranger to these difficulties, as we often support our clients in developing stronger relationships with their clients. Internally, we know that staying on the same page with clients can be difficult, but there are things you can do to keep even the longest relationship moving forward. No matter your industry, this podcast will provide insight on setting yourself up for success when working with new clients, and how to right track relationships that have gone off track.

Social media and the impact of millennials on PR with Gracie

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2018 20:30


Social media – it’s nearly unavoidable, personally and professionally. If you’re a business owner or in the communication industry, you know the importance of a strong presence on social media. Beyond a strong presence, there are social media nuances to navigate depending upon your business’ industry, products, target market and digital assets. That’s where we come in. Gracie lays out how and why you should be using each social media platform. This need-to-know podcast will help you decide what social media platforms to use.

B2B communication with Christina

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2018 22:41


We’re in the business of telling stories. Each client has amazing content to share, but some client audiences are harder to reach than others. When working with a client whose services are B2B or niche, it can be challenging to identify where and how to produce content. Don’t grow weary, there are plenty of ways to create content that add value to your business. Christina Babu works with a number of B2B clients on our roster, and she sat down to share insight on content marketing, social media and the state of media relations for B2B businesses. Intro and outro music is "Ingenuity" by Lee Rosevere (licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License.)

Public relations education with Ashley and Carlee

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2018 21:04


If you’ve worked in PR for a while, you’ve likely encountered coworkers with degrees in strategic communication, advertising, marketing, or even journalism. While each college and university seems to have a different name for their program, enrollees are seeking positions in the same field – public relations. I spoke with Carlee Smith, a recent graduate of Arkansas State University, and Ashley McDuffie, a current student at Mississippi State University, about public relations education and their specific programs. Visit https://obsidianpr.com/podcast-s2-ep1/ for more information on today's podcast.

Episode four - Event management with Murray Lace

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2018 13:20


Our go-to event expert, Murray Lace, shares recent successes and tips for you to use in this episode of Off the Rock, On the Record.

Episode three - Nonprofit PR with Taylor Jolley

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2018 14:25


Join Taylor and Kerri as they discuss all things related to nonprofit public relations and communication.

Episode one - Client relationships with Lauren Hannaford

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2018 16:17


Lauren Hannaford shares insight on maintaining healthy, profitable client relationships.

Episode two - Media pitching with Whitney Albert

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2018 14:36


Whitney Albert shares her media relations expertise in this episode of Off the rock, On the record.

Claim Off the Rock, On the Record

In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

Claim Cancel