The Human Rights Campaign’s annual National Dinner is always a star-studded, glamour-filled night of celebration and inspiration, and this year’s event was no different.
Let the fall festivities begin! Join Dale Curtis Communications and the Public Affairs Council’s Political Involvement Network (PIN) for their upcoming Pumpkin Spice Happy Hour!
Spice up your night on Tuesday, October 3rd from 5:30-7:30 PM in the private library space of The Darlington House near Dupont Circle! Guests will enjoy delicious cocktails, conversation and networking with your fellow public affairs professionals.
The Public Affairs Council is a nonpartisan, nonpolitical association that serves public affairs professionals all around the world. The Political Involvement Network (PIN) is a subsidiary of PAC that provides networking and idea-sharing opportunities for the council’s more politically active members.
Please join us!
What: PIM Pumpkin Spice Happy Hour
When: Tuesday, October 3rd from 5:30-7:30pm
Where: The Darlington House
1610 20th Street, NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20009
When I was an undergraduate at Harvard and active in the Harvard University Institute of Politics (IOP), I dreamed of the day when I could be a mentor to young people, just as the IOP staff, fellows, and Student Advisory Council leaders were mentors to me. Since then, I have had the opportunity to employ and mentor many young people, but this week, I had a chance to lead an actual IOP activity.
On July 20, I had the honor of hosting an after-work discussion with colleagues from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in collaboration with the Harvard IOP.
The Harvard IOP is a "living memorial" dedicated to President John F. Kennedy, designed to help Harvard students discover their passion for politics and public service through speakers, study groups and other opportunities. The IOP's Summer in Washington program provides social, educational and networking opportunities for students interning in D.C.
As a Harvard alumnus who participated in the Summer in Washington program in 1982, I am always delighted to have the opportunity to meet current students and help them to build their careers.
The discussion I led featured three of Washington's smartest PR professionals: the BPC’s VP of Communications, Robert Traynham; the BPC’s Content and Branding Manager, Rachael Gresson; and HRC’s Senior Vice President of Communications & Marketing, Olivia Alair Dalton. All three offered unique insights into how their communications teams operate, how their careers unfolded, and what the Washington PR game is really about.
A special thanks to our panelists for taking the time to speak to the students and to the IOP for helping to coordinate this event with DCC!
DCC is pleased to announce that we were included on the Washington Business Journal's list of Top LGBTQ-Owned Companies in the D.C. area. We are tied for #22, ranked by number of employees. Check out the complete list here (subscription required).
We are proud to announce that Dale Curtis Communications is now certified by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) as an LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE®)!
The NGLCC is the nation’s certifying body for LGBT owned and operated businesses. Co-founders Justin Nelson and Chance Mitchell wanted to showcase that LGBT people are business owners, employers, taxpayers, and corporate citizens, too. We are a vibrant, essential part of America’s small business engine.
With this certification, DCC joins a growing group of more than 800 certified LGBTBE’s across the United States, and one of only a few certified PR firms in the public affairs arena.
Although DCC has not done any paid client work in the LGBTQ space, Dale has been a proud and active supporter of groups including the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC); Human Rights Campaign; Metropolitan Community Church of Washington DC; Q Street; SMYAL; Victory Fund; and the Walk & 5K to End HIV.
Team DCC loves to put our PR skills and experience to work for great causes, and this certification will help us grow and evolve our role in the market. It's also a wonderful way to celebrate the end of Pride Month!
If you are interested in learning more about the certification process, visit the NGLCC's Get Certified page.
It’s not a surprise that an internship at Dale Curtis Communications will teach you basic, tactical knowledge about communications and public relations work.
In my year at DCC, I learned how to write and format a press release. I learned how to create and maintain media lists, compile and summarize news clips, and pitch stories to media outlets. I learned how to format e-newsletters in MailChimp, draft and schedule social media, perform website updates, and copyedit communications materials.
But my internship at DCC gave me something much more important: confidence.
I began my internship at DCC with no experience in public relations. It was my first summer internship in Washington, DC, and even though I was a rising senior at Georgetown University with previous internship and work experience, I was nervous to begin this particular job. The team at DCC is small, and if I made a mistake, it would not go unnoticed.
During my first week, however, I quickly discovered that I had nothing to worry about.
On my first day, Team DCC encouraged me to speak up at our all-hands meeting. Also on my first day, my colleagues asked me to sit in on client phone calls and introduced me to the client over the phone. They gave me clear tasks and goals and offered nothing but support and help on that first day. I knew immediately that I would be nurtured at this small PR firm.
And I was not wrong.
This sort of work environment encourages better and stronger work from its employees. Knowing I could ask questions or make a mistake here and there without feeling pressured or anxious was empowering to me. Being encouraged to give my thoughts, opinions and ideas allowed me to forge a voice for myself and grow confident in my ability to contribute to the firm’s goals. I never, ever felt like a lowly intern doing grunt work at DCC; I felt like a full-fledged member of the team.
By the end of my year at DCC, I was being asked for ideas on strategies and tactical plans. I was coming up with marketing tactics for the firm itself and had a lead role in DCC’s social media accounts. I grew confident enough in myself and my role at DCC that I could confidently begin my own projects and know I’d be supported along the way.
Going forward into my career, not only will I have polished communication skills – I will have greater confidence in myself and know that I am a valuable member of whatever team I end up working with in the future.
I know that my voice and my ideas matter.
And I owe that all to Dale Curtis Communications.
DCC is excited to announce that we are now ranked on the 2017 O'Dwyer's List of Top PR Firms in America! We’re ranked #120 in the nation, #16 in DC, and #53 in the nation among firms with a specialty in high-tech clients. Check out the complete lists here .
Dear Colleagues:
What a whirlwind these last few months have been! Q1 and Q2 are always busy in public affairs, and the turmoil of 2017 has brought new challenges on top of old. As always, we’re also going through changes in our own offices. Let's catch up!
Perhaps most exciting is that DCC now is ranked on the O'Dwyer's List of Top PR Firms in America! Check out the list here. We’re ranked #120 in the nation, #16 in DC, and #53 in the nation among firms with a specialty in high-tech clients. Woohoo!!
We moved!
In other big news, we have moved again, but we’re still in the 20036 zip code!
Our previous host organization, Results for Development, is growing rapidly, so DCC had to move, and we found a great spot around the corner at 1901 L Street NW, Suite 300. Our new host organization is Xenophon Strategies, a public relations firm headed by David Fuscus, a longtime colleague of Dale's from the Hill days. We're excited to share this art-filled space with an organization in the same field!
A big thanks to our commercial real estate agent Mordecai Scott of Savills Studley, who helped us find our new location. If you or anyone you know needs help with commercial real estate matters in downtown DC, please call Mordecai and tell him we sent you.
In the Human Resources department...
In other news, Peter Morscheck recently departed after almost three years at DCC. Peter was an invaluable asset, managing several of our big accounts and supporting our business development. We wish him luck as he moves on to Qorvis MSLGROUP.
Meanwhile, we're happy to welcome Ram Uppuluri back to the team! Ram is a longtime colleague and previously worked for DCC, bringing 30+ years of expertise in public policy and communications. Ram will help us continue to provide great client service as we transition into the second half of the year.
Kudos Corner
The first half of the year is “fly in” season, when hundreds of associations bring their grassroots members to Washington for advocacy and education. Recently, IPC -Association Connecting Electronics Industries will have convened its biggest-ever advocacy event in DC, called IMPACT. Hot topics included taxes, federal R&D programs, and environmental regulations. Head here to get a glimpse of this well-organized and "IMPACT"-ful event.
Speaking of successful Washington fly-ins, kudos to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) for a successful “9-1-1 Goes to Washington” event this year. Roughly 200 leaders of local 9-1-1 centers descended on the capital to make sure lawmakers support the goal of advancing Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911).
About the same time, NENA CEO Brian Fontes had an op-ed published in The Hill newspaper on the urgency of NG911. Read it here.
April is 9-1-1 Education Month! If you're in New York City, stop by Times Square to keep a lookout for Thank You 9-1-1's Times Square ad this month!
Looking ahead, NENA has its annual conference this year in San Antonio, Texas, in June! As usual, DCC is thrilled to attend and provide support for this annual event that brings together 9-1-1 professionals from across the country. To learn more about it, check out NENA's webpage here.
In yet another story of “fly-in” success, Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) recently held its first-ever “Fixed Wireless Day on Capitol Hill.” Fixed wireless broadband providers and equipment vendors spoke with members of Congress about how small businesses are working to close the broadband gap in rural America.
A few weeks before that, Dale attended WISPAmerica in Memphis, Tennessee. The three-day event included classes and seminars for WISP operators and a record-breaking exhibit hall. Dale moderated a discussion with rural broadband expert Drew Clark and spoke on a panel about social media strategies. Congrats to WISPA on this successful event!
Congratulations to founder Jason Grumet and the entire team at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) on their 10th anniversary! DCC was happy to attend the beautiful, packed party at the Newseum last month. It was thrilling to see former Vice President Joe Biden accept the BPC Patriot Award. If you haven’t seen Biden's speech online, you can check it out here, along with highlights of everything BPC has accomplished in the last 10 years.
As always, thank you again for your friendship and support. If you or anyone you know needs a little extra support in the communications department, please let us know. We would be happy to provide a free consultation and explore how we might help your organization reach your key audiences more effectively.
All the best,
Dale
We are just over two months into the Trump administration, and lobbyists and PR professionals all over Washington are still trying to get their bearings.
Will we see decisive, disruptive action this year on major items like health insurance, corporate taxes, immigration, and infrastructure? Will battles over appropriations and the debt limit come to the fore? Might a foreign policy crisis or even a constitutional crisis crowd out all other discussions?
No matter which issues dominate the public debate in any given week, smart government relations professionals know that it’s best to take a long-term approach, and lobbying isn’t the only way to advance your agenda.
According to the Public Affairs Council, public affairs is an art in which “lobbyists, grassroots advocacy specialists, policy experts, political involvement specialists and communications professionals coordinate their activities to achieve advocacy success.”
Put another way, lobbying goes hand-in-hand with strategic communications, policy analysis, and grassroots advocacy, and the total package is worth more than the sum of its parts.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, National Journal’s Michael D. Gottlieb recently called this “building a Washington brand.”
“Just like consumer and employer brands,” he wrote, “a Washington brand captures how the audience perceives a company. … Do these policymakers respect a given company? Do they care what that company thinks, and actually listen? Is that company their first call when they have a question? As it relates to DC, a strong brand offers an upper hand in influencing policy outcomes.”
Here at Dale Curtis Communications, we work closely with client-side executives – and often with a large cast of characters that may include attorneys, lobbyists, marketing and branding experts, activists, and others – to develop and implement smart, strategic, integrated communications programs that enhance their Washington brands.
A few of the tactics we have used and might recommend for your organization’s Washington brand building are:
- Developing compelling, plain-English messaging and materials such as fact sheets, issue briefs, research reports, videos, and PowerPoint presentations to educate your target audience;
- Applying beautiful graphic design to impress your audience with effective branding, visual aids, and easy-to-navigate websites;
- Managing and growing social media accounts to grab the attention of stakeholders on the sites they frequent most;
- Convening events that complement the print and electronic outreach with face-to-face relationship building; and
- Reaching out to reporters and editors at outlets large and small, providing interviews and ghost-written articles to help educate key audiences on your policy agenda.
Our case studies offer a bit more insight into how we have applied these strategies and tactics to achieve success in specific policy battles.
If your organization is struggling to clarify its Washington brand and have greater impact in its advocacy communications, please give us a call. We’re here to help.
Well, it certainly was an eventful year, wasn’t it? I’ll skip the political and social commentary, but I think most people would agree that the past year has left us a bit perplexed.
Here at the worldwide headquarters of Dale Curtis Communications, our biggest change was the move from 1250 24th Street NW (which will soon become the office of “former” President Barack Obama) to 1111 19th Street NW, in the heart of downtown DC. We’ve loved our new offices – a sublet in the suite of Results for Development (R4D). It has great light, all-new workstations and amenities, and access to many lunch and shopping spots.
Unfortunately for us (but fortunately for their clients and causes), R4D is growing rapidly and needs its space back, so DCC faces another move by April 1.
In the human resources department, we welcomed Breyana Franklin as an Associate, with strong experience in PR and journalism and an uncanny ability to stay cool under pressure. The other new face was our Intern, Emma Gross, a senior in Economics and Journalism at Georgetown University, who seems adept at every project we give her.
The rest of the team remained the same: Director of Operations and “House Mother” Marsha Smith; Senior Account Supervisor and utility player Peter Morscheck; and our “go-to” partners Deborah Sauri of iSpy Creative; Paul Farrell of National Capital Video; Steve Clawson of Validus Public Relations; and Andrew Gagliano.
The entire team has risen to the many challenges of 2016 – juggling multiple demanding projects and delivering solid results for our clients – all while keeping the business moving full steam ahead.
We were pleased to take on several new assignments, including media and content support for a rapidly growing association in the broadband industry; a writing and thought leadership program for a global association CEO; websites for advocacy groups and professional firms; and commencement addresses for corporate CEOs. In general, our work involves strategy, messaging, materials in all formats, media, online, video, and events.
Clients this year included InterDigital, a leading wireless R&D company; IPC, an association uniting the global electronics industry; NENA-The 9-1-1 Association and especially its Friends of 9-1-1 program; the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA); Chavez Schools for Public Policy; the Bipartisan Policy Center; the Alliance of U.S. Startups and Inventors for Jobs (USIJ); LyondellBasell, a top global chemical company; and SAP, the software giant.
In other new and noteworthy developments in our business:
- We expanded our video capabilities, including partnerships with great vendors and delivery of several effective video pieces;
- We joined the Public Affairs Council, the leading nonpartisan, nonpolitical association for public affairs professionals worldwide, which provides a wealth of best practices and contacts.
- We sponsored the 10th Annual Book Festival at For Love of Children (FLOC).
- And we were active in a variety of organizations, including Q Street and the Public Relations Society of America, National Capital Chapter.
In 2017, we anticipate additional growth and development in our business, and a lot of challenging but fun assignments for great companies and causes. My personal resolutions include more discipline about time management, more networking, more writing and video-ing, and an always-open mind to new innovations and talent.
From all of us to all of you, we wish you health, peace and prosperity in the New Year!