Tips and Tricks from a College Intern

Interning with The Zoldak Agency this summer, then returning in the fall as a Fellow, is one of my proudest accomplishments. I was nervous on my first day – with it being my first internship and all. But I quickly learned my daily tasks and became close friends with my fellow interns. At the end of August, I completed my summer internship and returned shortly after to rejoin the team as a Fellow for the fall semester. Here are five tips and tricks to have a successful internship.

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Starting a Podcast and Owning Your Narrative

At the start of the Covid-19 shutdowns it became a running joke that everyone was starting a podcast! People were in the midst of finding new ways to connect and communicate virtually and various podcast platforms filled the gap in the marketplace. Podcasts have become a powerful resource for policy centers and advocacy groups to communicate their message directly to the public and bypass the challenges of pitching to the media. However, there are several tricks of the trade you should be familiar with in order to succeed in the world of podcasting!

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Navigating the 117th Congress and President Biden’s First 100 Days with The Zoldak Agency

January 2021 brought Democrat control of all three branches of government, which means that Washington is a vastly different place than it has been over the past four years under former President Donald Trump. The question on everyone’s mind: if you’re an advocacy group looking to have influence in this new administration, do you have a fighting shot?

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Did you know? Las Vegas is one of our founder's favorite cities

This year’s Public Affairs Council Advocacy Conference, a gather of more than 450 professionals in grassroots, advocacy, public affairs, government relations, communications, and more, is being held from February 3 to February 6 in Las Vegas. And luck would have it that this is one of our founder’s, Sue Zoldak, second homes!

So check this page each day as she reveals her #LasVegasConcierge tips for conference goers who will be staying at the Aria and exploring The Vegas Strip this week! Questions? Tweet your #VegasConcierge questions at @SueZoldak and she will answer them in real time! Don’t forget the conference hashtag #Advocacy20.

Speaking of the conference hashtag, check out our Social Wall so that you can keep up with all that is going on whether you are here or following from afar!

Wish to book a one-on-one with Sue during the conference? Click here.

Issue #1: Welcome to Vegas

Hi, Sue here! Here are my first set of Vegas tips:

  1. Have plenty of cash if you plan on grabbing a cab from the airport. Taxis may attempt to collect a $3 fee for every credit card fare. Also, beware of the “should I take the freeway to avoid traffic?” scam. The answer to that is always, “No!”

  2. Looking for a great breakfast away from the Aria, check out the wonderful breakfast Market Café inside the Vdara right across the way! They make some of the best Brioche French Toast and they serve breakfast all day. The Vdara is also entirely smoke free.

  3. Did you know? The air inside the Aria has a slight vanilla scent! It has one of the most advanced air filtration systems on the entire strip.

  4. If you can, a visit to the Aria Spa is never a disappointment. The Ganbanyoku Heated Stone Beds are some of the best places on earth to take a nap. Just not during conference sessions! Don’t forget to take advantage of the hot and cold plunge pools, the Shio salt room, and the view from the spa exclusive pool.  No question, this is one of the highest rated spas on the Strip.

  5. Looking for a quiet place to read or check emails? There is a bank of couches flanking a fireplace in the walkway leading towards the secret spa entrance. Just follow the signs to the Spa and you’ll see it on your right. This is the quietest spot inside the hotel.

  6. The air is dry in Nevada! Don’t worry, there is a Pressed Juicery on site, right across from the Starbucks. Perhaps an Elderberry Wellness Shot will help you stay on your toes in session and avoid that caffeine crash!

  7. Looking for a fun scavenger hunt find? In the lobby of the nearby Waldorf Astoria, rumor has it there is a mini Veuve Clicquot vending machine. The golden coins needed the operate the machine are available at the…??

  8. Crystals Shopping is for more than just luxury goods. Check out the mixed media installation by James Turrell while you are there, and other art on display in the permanent and rotating collection.

Tweet me questions at @suezoldak for ongoing tips during the conference and think of me as your #Advocacy20 #vegasconcierge. xoxo, Sue

 

Sue Zoldak explains how the NFL was ill-prepared on Twitter to handle #KroenkeComplaints

If you anticipate producing an emotional reaction in your audience, be prepared to meet them on their terms, and on the platforms they use to vent their frustrations and gloat over their successes.

Twitter is a huge avenue for football fans. Six of the top ten tweeted sports events of 2015 were football games, and Super Bowl XLIX was the top-tweeted event of all television programming in 2015, and the most tweeted-about sports event of all time.

So, it makes sense that football fans would take to Twitter to express their outrage at the recent relocation of the St. Louis Rams, inspiring viral hashtags such as #KroenkeComplaints and #staySTL.

It also would have made sense for the NFL and Rams owner Stan Kroenke to meet their audience on their own playing field online. Instead, officials resorted to a “duck and hide” strategy that cost them the opportunity to build stronger rapport with fans and control the conversation around its sensitive relocation decision.

Read the full story here: http://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/6242/2016-01-29/how-nfl-ignored-twitter-audiences.html