michelle's pr portfolio

MICHELLE TIM PR PORTFOLIO

2013

RESUME

Michelle Tim

Phone:'905.391.7480''/'''Email:'[email protected]''

Objective '

Seeking'a'coordinator'position'where'my'strong'interpersonal,'organizational'and'creative'skills'can'be'used'to'achieve'communications'and'

business'goals'

Highlights of Qualifications

■'Driven'and'proactive'with'a'proven'ability'to'work'well'in'a'team'setting'as'well'as'individually''■'Superior,'effective'and'professional'communications'skills'(written,'oral,'and'visual)'able'to'be'used'across'various'platforms'(podcasts,'A/V'production,'written'content)''■'Strong'design'and'content'creation'capabilities,'well'immersed'in'Creative'Suite''■'Exemplary'knowledge'and'application'of'social'media'platforms,'including'Twitter'(@michelletim),'Facebook,'Tumblr,'Pinterest,'Blogger,'G+,''LinkedIn'and'Wordpress''■'Excellent'working'knowledge'of'Cision,'Saleslogix,'FPinfomart,'Thomson'Reuters'and'MRP''

Education

Ontario'Graduate'Certificate:'Public'Relations,'Centennial'College' ' ' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''June'2012'(High'Honours)'

■'Selected'courses'included'PR'writing'and'copy'editing,'media'relations,'measurement,'event'management'and'online'PR'

BA'Sociology,'York'University'' ' ' ' ' ' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''June'2009'(Honours)'

■'Focus'in'sociology,'psychology'and'criminology'

Professional Development

TFC$Game$Crew' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' April'2012`'Present'

Maple'Leaf'Sports'and'Entertainment,'Toronto,'ON'

■'Enlisted'the'help'of'kids'during'opening'ceremonies'to'further'MLSE’s'community'relations;'trained'them'and'helped'lead'the'game'time''execution''■'Conducted'in`game'promotions'(half`time'shows,'giveaways)'to'help'strengthen'relationships'between'our'fans'and'our'sponsors/partners''Communications$Intern$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ April'2012`'October'2012$

Corus'Entertainment,'Toronto,'ON'

■'Drafted,'assembled'and'coordinated'the'internal'and'external'distribution'of'press'kits'and'media'releases'to'assist'the'team'in'generating'local'and'national'coverage'

■'Assembled'the'daily'electronic'media'highlights'to'help'keep'Corus'stakeholders'knowledgeable'and'current'about'the'company,'the'brands'and'the'industry'

■'Assisted'with'talent'and'media'relations,'helping'to'secure'interviews'and'public'appearances'to'increase'publicity'of'Corus'shows'and'networks'

'Fundraiser$Marketing$and$Communications$Strategist$ $ $ $ $ $ September'2011`December'2011$

Centennial'College:'Empower/Dress'For'Success,'Toronto,'ON'

■'Developed'press'releases,'promotional'materials'and'online'content'to'raise'awareness'of'‘The'Ugly'Holiday'Sweater'Party’'fundraiser'and'its'benefitting'charity'Dress'For'Success'Toronto,'resulting'in'increased'exposure'(radio,'online,'television'and'newspaper'coverage)''■ Event'raised'$5000'in'donations'and'won'a'2012'CPRS'ACE'Award'(Student'PR'Campaign'of'the'Year)''Experiential$Promotional$Representative' ' ' ' ' ' ' January'2009`'August'2011'

Match'Marketing'Group/'Response'Solutions,'Toronto,'ON'

■'Interacted'with'consumers'on'behalf'of'Fortune'500'clients'(L’Oreal,'Kraft,'Universal,'Diageo,'Corby,'Canada'Dry`Motts)'to'drive'key'messages''resulting'in'sales'and'brand'loyalty''■'Performed'market'research'on'behalf'of'all'clients'in'order'to'help'improve'sales,'brand'perceptions'and'future'XM'executions'

Master$of$Ceremonies/$Activity$Staff$ ' ' ' ' ' ' ''''''''''''''''''January'2010`'April'2011'

Celebrity'Cruises,'International,'Miami,'FL,'USA'

■'Created,'organized'and'executed'onboard'events,'which'led'to'favourable'guest'responses'to'the'‘Celebrity'Life’'activity'program'

■'On`camera'host'of'daily'news'feeds'and'promotional'materials'designed'to'enhance'guest'experiences'and'increase'onboard'revenue'

Volunteer Experience

Street$Team/Social$Media$Volunteer''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ' ' ' ' ' June'2011`'July'2012'

Honda'Indy,'Toronto,'ON'

Media$Volunteer' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' September'2011`'June'2012'

Magnet'Creative'Management,'Toronto,'ON'

Talent$Host$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ June'2012$

MMVA'VOCAB'Lounge`'VOCAB'Communications,'Toronto,'ON'

Student$Steering$Committee$Member$ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' September'2011`'June'2012'

Canadian'Public'Relations'Society,'Toronto,'ON'

Media$Relations$Volunteer$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ February'2012`'March'2012$

Social'Media'Week,'Toronto,'ON'

Marketing$Volunteer' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' June'2011`September'2011'

Toronto'International'Film'Festival,'Toronto,'ON'

Promotional$Representative$and$OnGsite$Staff' ' ' ' ' ' ' December'2008`'July'2009'

Breakaway'Tours,'Toronto,'ON'

Professional Associations

Canadian'Public'Relations'Society' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Member'since'September'2011'

Michelle Tim IN THE PUBLIC

Michelle Tim REPRESENTATION

WRITING SAMPLE

Michelle'Tim'

American'girl'shows'she’s'bigger'than'American'Apparel'

Nancy&Upton,&24,&from&Dallas,&Texas&has&been&made&famous&by&her&stance&against&American&Apparel’s&online&‘Next&BIG&Thing’&plusCsize&model&search.&Offended&by&words&in&the&copy&like&‘bootylicious’&and&‘XLent,’&Nancy&created&saucy&photographs&of&herself&lying&in&a&bathtub&filled&with&ranch&dressing&and&standing&in&a&pool&eating&a&roasted&chicken.&She&won&the&competition.&

Unhappy&with&the&results&of&online&voting,&American&Apparel’s&creative&director&Iris&Alonzo&issued&a&letter&to&Upton&that&read,&“It’s&a&shame&that&your&project&attempts&to&discredit&the&positive&intentions&of&our&challenge&based&on&your&personal&distaste&for&our&use&of&lightChearted&language,&and&that&‘bootylicious’&was&too&much&for&you&to&handle.&While&you&were&clearly&the&popular&choice,&we&have&decided&to&award&the&prizes&to&other&contestants&that&we&feel&truly&exemplify&the&idea&of&beauty&inside&and&out,&and&whom&we&will&be&proud&to&have&representing&our&company.”&&Alonzo’s&response&started&a&public&relations&firestorm&against&American&Apparel&with&the&company&ultimately&apologizing&and&offering&to&fly&Upton&to&their&corporate&head&office&in&Los&Angeles&to&discuss&marketing&to&plusCsize&women.&“I&didn’t&understand&why&they&had&to&be&so&silly.&Why&are&thin&girls&‘beautiful’&and&plusCsize&girls&‘bootyCful?’&Why&can’t&we&be&beautiful,&too?”&said&Upton.&&Upton’s&meeting&with&the&creative&team,&the&organizers&of&the&‘Next&BIG&Thing’&was&less&than&ideal.&“They&weren’t&excited&to&meet&me.&The&room&was&icy,&but&there&were&cream&puffs.&The&irony&isn’t&lost&on&me&at&all.&They&asked&me&what&I&wanted&to&know,&which&was&confusing&because&I&think&they&wanted&everyone&to&believe&that&they&were&bringing&me&out&to&L.A.&to&ask&me%about&how&they&could&have&done&things&better.”&&Despite&the&tensions,&Nancy&really&felt&as&though&she&got&her&point&across,&“I&just&wanted&them&to&realize&they&should&market&to&plusCsize&women&as&they&would&to&anyone&else.&If&they&had&run&ads&with&sexy&plusCsized&women&and&simply&said&'now&available&in&sizes&through&2XL,'&the&impact&would&have&been&huge&(no&pun&intended).&I&left&there&believing&they&had&learned&something&useful&from&me.”&&Then&came&the&email.&&“Iris&sent&me&an&email&saying&that&she&couldn’t%remember%what%we%talked%about&during&the&meeting.&She&blamed&it&on&all&the&‘late&night&fun’&from&when&we&went&out&drinking&(two&nights&before&the&meeting)&and&all&the&cream&puffs,”&said&Upton.&&So&where&does&Upton&stand&with&the&company?&“My&perception&of&American&Apparel&at&the&beginning&of&this&was&‘they&know&not&what&they&do.’&After&my&discussions&at&the&office&it&changed&to,&‘they&know&not&what&they&do,&but&boy&are&they&trying&to&fix&that.’&After&their&recent&email&it&turned&into&‘how&can&you&possibly&not&understand&what&you&do?’&I’m&done&with&them.”&&With&a&book&about&unconventional&beauty&in&the&works,&Nancy&offers&her&advice&to&girls&and&women&who&are&taught&how&they&should&be&and&how&they&need&to&look.&“Find&role&models&who&haven't&become&successful&because&of&their&appearance.&Have&confidence&in&yourself&and&your&individuality&and&don’t&let&what&men&(or&other&women)&want&out&of&you&be&a&deciding&factor&in&the&way&you&dress,&groom,&speak&or&behave.”&&You%can%view%Nancy’s%winning%contest%photos%online%at%extrawiggleroom.tumblr.com/page/5.%Photos%are%courtesy%of%Shannon%Skloss.&

INTERVIEW Michelle Tim

NEWS RELEASES

Everything Is At Stake When True Blood Returns to

HBO Canada for Its Fifth Season

• Christopher Meloni and Scott Foley join the cast for Season 5, premiering Sunday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET/MT, day-and-date with HBO in the US

• Truebies can sink their teeth into the True Blood Season 4 marathon beginning

June 5 on HBO Canada (May X, 2012 – Toronto, Canada) – The Vampire Authority is unleashed, an old king is about to rise and Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with the possibly fatal consequence of her showdown with Debbie Pelt after last year’s season-ending cliffhanger. Things are about to get bloody in Bon Temps when HBO’s hit drama True Blood returns to HBO Canada, a multiplex channel of Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada), for a fifth season, Sunday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET/MT day-and-date with the U.S. The new season picks up as Sookie and Layfayette struggle with the emotional aftermath of Tara’s shooting while attempting to clean up and conceal the murder of Debbie. Meanwhile, Bill and Eric are visited by the Vampire Authority and encounter a woman from Eric’s past; in search of the missing Marcus, Alcide’s werewolf pack comes after Sam; Jessica enjoys her new freedom by partying with local college kids; Jason is visited by the recently turned Rev. Steve Newlin; Terry’s posttraumatic stress disorder is reignited by Patrick Devins, an old Iraq War comrade; and Alcide turns up at Sookie’s to warn her about the recently resurfaced Russell Edgington. Nominated for four Emmy® Awards in 2011, True Blood follows the on-and-off romance between waitress and part-faerie Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and vampire Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård). Alan Ball (creator of the Emmy®-winning HBO series Six Feet Under) created and executive produces the show, which is based on the bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. True Blood also stars: Ryan Kwanten; Rutina Wesley; Sam Trammell; Nelsan Ellis; Chris Bauer; Carrie Preston; Todd Lowe; Jim Parrack; Deborah Ann Woll; Kristin Bauer van Straten; Joe Manganiello; Lauren Bowles; and Janina Gavankar. New cast members for Season 5 include: Scott Foley (Grey's Anatomy) as Patrick Devins, an Iraq war veteran out to track down Terry Bellefleur, his former comrade; Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as Roman, the Guardian of the Vampire Authority; as well as Valentina Cervi and Lucy Griffiths as Salome and Nora, Chancellors of the Vampire Authority. True Blood Season 4 Marathon Subscribers can get their fill of True Blood and catch up on the series with a Season 4 marathon leading up to the premiere on Sunday, June 10. From June 5 to June 9, catch back-to-back episodes beginning at 10 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada. The entire fourth season is also available on HBO Canada On Demand. In Western Canada, True Blood will be available in High Definition on HBO Canada HD, and on demand and online with HBO Canada On Demand where available through participating

broadcasters. In Eastern Canada, True Blood will be available in High Definition and On Demand, and on HBO Canada OnLine with Bell TV Online, Rogers On Demand Online and Videotron’s Illico Web. HBO Canada is a multiplex channel offered by Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada). HBO Canada brings Canadians the current slate of signature dramatic programs for which HBO is known, together with new and never-before-seen programming including comedy series, live specials, sporting events, behind-the-scenes content and titles from HBO’s extensive library – all in an uncut and commercial-free environment. HBO Canada is offered in high definition on HBO Canada HD and programming is accessible on demand and online where available by service provider. For more information, please visit www.hbocanada.com. The Movie Network is a member of the Astral family. Astral Media Inc. (TSX : ACM.A/ACM.B) is one of Canada’s largest media companies. It operates several of the country’s most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and interactive media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com. Movie Central is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc. (CJR.B), a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing and children’s animation. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com. For access to The Movie Network’s media room or Movie Central’s press site, please visit http://press.astral.com or http://mediacentre.corusent.com.

-30- Media contacts: The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) Movie Central (Western Canada) Nicolle Balen Owen McCorquodale (416) 956-8638 (416) 479-6068 [email protected] [email protected]

Top 2 Finalists to be Revealed Tonight on CMT’s Big in a Small Town

(September 6, 2012 – Toronto, Canada) Tonight, live from Corus Quay in Toronto, CMT Canada’s Big in a Small Town will announce its Top 2 finalists beginning at 7 p.m. ET. In a national competition that celebrates extraordinary hometown musical heroes, last week’s show saw 30 candidates narrowed down to six. In tonight’s episode, the Top 6 finalists vying for the title are: Todd Richard, a maintenance man from British Columbia; Quentin Reddy, an oil rig worker from Alberta; Catherine Lewans, a school secretary from Saskatchewan; Leanne Pearson, a singer and songwriter from Manitoba; Mark Cameron, a truck driver from Nova Scotia; and Johnee Rae Whalen, an airline and hair salon worker from Ontario. The Top 2 finalists announced in tonight’s episode will be flown to Saskatoon for the 2012 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards. The winner of Big in a Small Town will be revealed live during the ceremony airing Sunday, September 9 at 8 p.m. on CBC and repeated at 10 p.m. ET on CMT. The crowned musician will present the coveted CCMA CMT “Video of the Year” award during the broadcast, as well as win a singles-based exclusive artist agreement with Slaight Music Inc., an opening slot on the CMT Tour and the production of two music videos funded by CMT. CMT Canada, available in over 9.5 million homes, is Canada’s source for country music lifestyle programming. Exploring themes relevant to country music and country music fans, the network offers an exciting mix of comedy and dramatic series, movies and country music news, videos, concerts and specials. CMT’s Video Advantage Program, established in 2000, supports the production of original music videos for Canadian artists. The station’s website, www.cmt.ca, is Canada’s number one website dedicated to country music. CMT Canada is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing and children’s animation. The Company’s multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

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For high-resolution images, please visit http://mediacentre.corusent.com. Social Media Links: Big in a Small Town on Twitter @BigInASmallTown CMT Canada on Twitter @CMTCanada Corus PR on Twitter @CorusPR For more information, images or screeners, please contact: Michelle Tim Corus Entertainment 416.479.6536 [email protected]

Matt LeBlanc Returns in His Golden Globe®-Winning Role for Season 2 of

Episodes, Only on Movie Central and The Movie Network

• Showtime’s Emmy®–nominated comedy premieres Monday, July 2 at 9 p.m. ET /PT • Free sneak peek of the first episode of Season 2 available now at www.themovienetwork.ca

and www.moviecentral.ca

(June 18, 2012 – Toronto, Canada) – Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) present Season 2 of Showtime’s Emmy®–nominated comedy series Episodes. Starring Matt LeBlanc in his Golden Globe®-winning role as a fictionalized version of himself, the nine-episode second season of Episodes premieres Monday, July 2 at 9 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 9 p.m. ET on The Movie Network. Season 1 of Episodes centred on Sean and Beverly, a husband and wife producing team forced to navigate the many pitfalls of the Hollywood television business when their successful British show is brought to America, and the U.S. network insists on making the show more audience friendly by replacing their venerable thespian lead with Matt LeBlanc. The series left off with Beverly sleeping with Matt in a moment of drunken madness, leaving her marriage as bruised and battered as the state of her and Sean’s TV show. The second season picks up four months later with Sean and Beverly no longer living together, but forced into an awkward working relationship with Matt, as Pucks! goes from a pilot to full-blown series. As Beverly struggles to save her marriage, Matt is determined to save his “bromance” with Sean, and all of them are forced to try to save Pucks! as its ratings start to plummet and the pressure mounts. FREE SNEAK PREVIEW The first episode of Season 2 is now available for free at www.themovienetwork.ca, and www.moviecentral.ca, and will also be available via the free video on demand services of participating television providers later this week. Movie Central and The Movie Network subscribers can also watch the second episode on demand starting Monday, July 2, immediately after the premiere of Episode 1. INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES Kathleen Rose Perkins (Carol Rance) will be available for telephone interviews leading up to the premiere. To book an interview, please contact Owen McCorquodale (Movie Central) or Nicolle Balen (The Movie Network). Interviews are subject to availability. Along with LeBlanc, Episodes also stars British actors Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig as Sean and Beverly Lincoln; John Pankow as the network president, Merc Lapidus; Kathleen Rose Perkins as Carol Rance his second in command and mistress; and Mircea Monroe as Morning Randolph, Matt’s sexy co-star in Pucks!. The series is created and executive produced by the award-winning writing partners David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (Mad About You), the series is executive produced by Jimmy Mulville and Hat Trick Productions. A co-production of Showtime and the BBC, season two of Episodes was filmed in London and Los Angeles.

In Eastern Canada, all episodes of Episodes will be available in High Definition and On Demand, and on The Movie Network OnLine with Bell TV Online, Rogers Anyplace TV and Videotron’s Ilico Web. In Western Canada, all episodes will be available in High Definition on Movie Central HD, and on demand and online with Movie Central On Demand. The Movie Network is a pay television service available in eastern Canada. With premiere access to Hollywood hit movies, new and exclusive HBO content, critically-acclaimed Showtime series and first-rate Canadian programming, this pay-television service presents Canadians with some of the best television entertainment available. The Movie Network service includes five 24-hour multiplex channels - M, HBO Canada, MExcess, MFun! and MFest - which deliver diverse and entertaining programs in an uncut and commercial-free television environment. The Movie Network also offers The Movie Network HD, HBO Canada HD, MExcess HD and MFun! HD, four dedicated high-definition channels providing hundreds of titles in HD; The Movie Network OnDemand, a Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) service, available in select areas across eastern Canada; and, TMN OnLine an Internet-based content streaming service available to BellTV, Rogers and Videotron subscribers. For more information, please visit www.themovienetwork.ca . The Movie Network is a member of the Astral family. Astral Media Inc. (TSX : ACM.A/ACM.B) is one of Canada’s largest media companies. It operates several of the country’s most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and interactive media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com. Movie Central is a commercial-free premium pay TV service available in western Canada. Movie Central premieres the best in Hollywood, international and Canadian films across nine 24-hour movie channels, including dedicated high-definition feeds, a Movie Central On Demand service and exclusive HBO content on HBO Canada. Movie Central is also the first window for Showtime content and home to cutting-edge Canadian series. A major force in the Canadian independent film and television production industry, Movie Central, through The Corus Made with Pay Fund, supports many critically-acclaimed and award-winning Canadian series and films. Visit the Movie Central website at www.moviecentral.ca. Movie Central is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing and children’s animation. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com. For access to The Movie Network’s media room or Movie Central’s press site, please visit http://press.astral.com or http://mediacentre.corusent.com.

-30- Media contacts: The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) Movie Central (Western Canada) Nicolle Balen Owen McCorquodale (416) 956-8638 (416) 479-6068 [email protected] [email protected]

ABC SPARK IGNITES THE 2012 SUMMER SCHEDULE

WITH THREE NEW SERIES FOR ITS PRIMETIME LINEUP

• Bunheads, from Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of Gilmore Girls

• Canadian heart throb Jean-Luc Bilodeau is Baby Daddy on ABC Spark • Follow five nannies in the most exclusive zip code in Beverly Hills Nannies • New episodes of The Lying Game, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and

Melissa & Joey

(May 22, 2012 – Toronto, Canada) Corus Entertainment’s ABC Spark has announced highlights from its 2012 blockbuster summer schedule, featuring a primetime lineup of three new series including Bunheads, from Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Baby Daddy starring Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Kyle XY) and docu-series Beverly Hills Nannies. In addition, viewers can look forward to new episodes of The Lying Game and new seasons of Melissa & Joey and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. NEW SERIES BUNHEADS – WORLD PREMIERE Premieres (day-and-date): Mondays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT beginning June 11 Bunheads follows Michelle, a former prima ballerina turned Las Vegas showgirl, who impulsively marries a man, moves to his sleepy coastal town, and takes an uneasy role at her new mother-in-law’s (played by Kelly Bishop) dance school. From Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, the series will be headlined by Tony Award®-winning actor Sutton Foster as Michelle. For a sneak peek of the series, click here. BABY DADDY – WORLD PREMIERE Premieres (day-and-date): Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT beginning June 20 A half-hour original comedy series about Ben, a young man in his 20s, played by Vancouver actor Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Kyle XY) who becomes a surprise dad to a baby girl when she is left on his doorstep by an ex-girlfriend. Ben decides to raise the baby with the help of his mother Bonnie (Melissa Peterman), his brother Danny (Derek Theler), his best buddy Tucker (Tahj Mowry) and his female friend Riley (Chelsea Kane), who his harbouring a secret crush on him. For a sneak peek of the series, click here. BEVERLY HILLS NANNIES – WORLD PREMIERE Premieres (day-and-date): Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT beginning July 11 Viewers will get a glimpse of the luxurious world of Beverly Hills from the help’s point of view. A docu-series that explores the lives of the young and outgoing caregivers of families in California’s most exclusive zip codes, Beverly Hills Nannies follows five nannies each with their own unique personalities. Watch Kristin as she struggles to start her own Beverly Hills nanny agency (The Nanny Society), Amanda the Midwestern transplant nanny, who attempts to juggle the 90210 lifestyle while holding on to her small town values and Justin “The Lady Sitter” who isn’t afraid to remind Beverly Hills families where their priorities should lie. Rounding out the cast are Scott, the Australian “manny” and Lucy, the aspiring pop star who seeks a life in the spotlight. The show is produced by Evolution Media, the production company known for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County.

...2

-2- CONTINUING SERIES MELISSA & JOEY – Season 2 Premieres (day-and-date): Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. PT beginning May 30 Starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, season two of Melissa & Joey picks up with Mel’s (Hart) house in disarray after the bathtub crashed through the living room in the season one finale. Joe (Lawrence) continues to help Mel raise her teenage niece (Taylor Spreitler) and nephew (Nick Robinson), while she pursues her career in local politics. The second season features such guest stars as Debi Mazar (Entourage), Cody Linley (Dancing with the Stars, Hannah Montana), Gregg Sulkin (Wizards of Waverly Place) and comedienne Rita Rudner. THE LYING GAME – Season 1 – New Episodes Premieres: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT beginning June 5 When Sutton’s (Alexandra Chando) car is discovered at the bottom of the lake containing some of her things, Emma (also played by Chando), Ethan and Thayer question if Sutton is actually dead. When Emma receives a threatening note for Emma to keep pretending to be Sutton or Emma will be killed, they start to realize Sutton might just be playing a lying game on them after all. Emma, Ethan, and Thayer start to question each other’s involvement in her disappearance. Eventually Sutton surfaces denying any attempts at a lying game and she begins to reclaim her life back. Meanwhile Emma goes into hiding. Despite needing to find the mystery killer, Sutton continues to make plays on Ethan such as coercing him into being her escort at the Debutante Ball, but he only wants to be with Emma. THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER – Season 5 Premieres: Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. PT beginning June 11 Secret Life, starring Golden Globe ® nominee Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), returns for a 5th season, taking the show into over 100 episodes! This season, viewers will see Ricky and Amy continue to bond as a family with John and the question on everyone’s mind will be revealed – will Amy and Ricky get married? Meanwhile, Ben struggles with the knowledge that he may have contributed to burning down Dylan’s school. There is also a new freshman student, Kathy, who is pregnant and Amy becomes her mentor at school. Please visit on the following social media sites: Twitter: @ABCSparkCanada and Facebook.com/ABCSparkCanada ABC Spark is available in Canada through a license agreement between Corus Entertainment and Disney/ABC Television Group. Built on the foundation of the successful U.S. brand ABC Family, ABC Spark is a multiplatform offering featuring original series and movies, as well as general entertainment programming. The 24-hour channel will have the same values, look, tone, essence and feel of ABC Family in the U.S. Visit www.abcspark.ca. Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing and children’s animation. The Company’s multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

-30- For high-resolution images, please visit http://mediacentre.corusent.com.

…3

DESIGN

Putting the Pieces Together

Michelle Tim 1

Life is one big personality puzzle. As people we are con-stantly shaping and reshaping ourselves, striving for hap-piness, security and a sense of belonging. My story is no ��ơ��Ǥ

Since I was 13, I’ve dyed my hair in every colour imagin-able. I’ve dressed like a rock-er, dressed glam and dressed like I had no money. I wanted to be a forensic scientist, a spy, an animator.

Now I can’t imagine being any of those things.

I’ve always believed that everything in life happens for a reason, that we become exactly what we were meant to become. For some, this happens quite quickly. For others it takes years. For me it happened months before my 25th birthday. In a moment of need the pieces of my person-ality began to join together to solve the puzzle.

My name is Michelle Tim and I belong in the wonderful world of public relations.

It wasn’t an easy puzzle to solve, in fact the advice came from a man I had never met. After watching me host for a while he came up to me and said, “Michelle, you could be making much more money using your skills in public rela-tions.” I had no idea what pub-lic relations was, so I whipped out my handy-dandy smart-phone and checked it out.

He was right, whoever he was. From the descriptions that jazzed me to the characteristics ��Ƥ��ǡ��job I needed to pursue. I had been seeking this job all my life. I just didn’t know that it existed or what it was called. Funny enough, in high school I had a love for communications technology class where I’d ex-cel in writing proposals, creat-ing podcasts, photo-shopping images, designing brochures and key messages for target audiences and nobody ever bothered to tell me a good ma-jority of this was code-named corporate communications and public relations in college. Again, everything happens for a reason. The timing might not have been right back then, my experiences were limited. But

now, armed with my bag of tricks, I’ve proven myself a versatile communicator, a jack-of-all-trades ready to begin an exciting career.

“I’ve always believed that everything in life happens for a reason,

that we become exactly what we were meant to

become.”

“You have to openly engage to get ahead.”

Buzz

Michelle Tim 2 Michelle Tim 3

Michelle's big bag of tricks

Since the day I was born I’ve been a right-brained creative-type. My imagination has always been lim-itless. As a young girl I would perform for everyone, including myself in front of the mirror. I loved the mirror. It was often my babysitter.

I grew to appreciate music, drama and art, my fa-vourite classes in high school. I never quite grasped at the time how the skills I honed in these areas could contribute to a future career. When it came time to choose a path for university, I knew I didn’t want to be a starving musician, actor or artist so I acted on the ‘family business,’ law, and wound up a York University graduate of criminology and sociol-ogy (I can be left-brained and logical when needed).

��Ƥ��ǡ��had forked out over $24,000, I was introduced to something that would change my life and career path forever. Promotional modeling. It was a fun job where I donned fortune 500 branded uniforms (L'Oreal, Budweiser, Diageo, Kraft, Universal, Cor-by) and spoke the key messages of amazing prod-ucts to anyone and everyone who would listen. I was essentially being paid to act!

I was loud, I was proud, I was in the public, in music videos and on TV. I started guiding groups of high school and college students through their March and spring break vacations with Breakaway Tours, beginning to form the very foundation of public relations; storytelling. From there more pieces started to bind together.

My Mouth

My H ead

My Hands

My story-telling was catapulted to a whole oth-er level once I was hired as an activity host with Celebrity Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean’s prettier sister. Though it may seem like a carefree life-style in paradise, cruise ship employees are the ��Ƥ��Ǥ��six months straight, banking close to 250 hours a month. That’s 180 days of bringing an upbeat attitude and smiles with you everywhere you go, because there’s no room for frowns on someone’s vacation.

Being an emcee for an international crowd taught me a lot about target audiences, something that can make or break a PR campaign. If any trivia I held had too many American questions, the Brit-ish would get upset and vice versa. If we didn’t call out the Bingo numbers in various languages, not everyone could understand or play the game (lost revenue). And if I didn’t consistently read the comment cards that came in at the end of every cruise, I would never know that my audience wanted more Zumba and less line dancing.

In paying attention to these details in perfor-mance, my line, Celebrity, was acknowledged as the ‘best large-ship line’ in the industry by Conde Nast, with my ship the Equinox and our activities ��ƪ��Ǥ

Being an on-stage host teaches you a lot about

presentations and pitching. It teaches you how to captivate and hold an audience. Because you become a recognizable face, it’s up to you to continue the engagement once the show, presen-tation or activity is over much like a brand tries to do once an advertisement, contest or campaign is over. In our case this meant sending hand writ-ten letters and presents to rooms, or just plain face-to-face socializing. I once sent one of my favourite guests a backpack full of Cheerios from ��ơ��-fast on the day he was leaving the ship. I also took a formal photograph with two sisters that came to every single one of my events and bought it for them with my own money. We all still keep in touch and they are advocates of Celebrity. You have to openly engage to get ahead.

I’ve always been a writer, though never profes-sionally. From my young pre-teen years of hav-ing a physical diary, to the moment I signed up ��Ƥ��ǡ��ǯ��to disclose my thoughts. Of course, things have gotten a lot more advanced since then and so has my HTML, so I recently purchased my very own domain.

I’m a social media enthusiast contributing in all ways to all of the platform frontrunners. Besides my website, which houses my online portfolio of work, I have my very own Facebook page (430 likes), a Twitter account where I post everything I’m thinking in 140 characters or less, as well as Pinterest and Tumblr to curate my content. If you take a peek, you’ll note I’ve branded my-self. I’m a stickler for the details, so everything from the colour scheme to the logo remains consistent. This is all made possible through my abilities in Adobe Creative Suite.

Recently, I put my writing and design skills to good use to create promotional materials and event listings for The Ugly Holiday Sweater Party

��Ƥ��Success Toronto. Myself and four other Centennial students initiated this event that is set to become an annual occurrence. These promotional pieces were picked up by multiple ��ǡ��ǡ��Daytime and most notably, Post City Magazine and CBC Radio’s Sunday Edition (36:25) with Mi-chael Enright. Ultimately $1750 was raised for the charity as well as over $4000 in in-kind donations to help run the event.

This event has been shortlisted for a CPRS ACE award.

“Michelle can do it all. She was my go-to when-ever I needed something done right, done well and done quickly.Consider yourself lucky if you have the opportu-nity to manage her.”��Ǧ��ǡ��

“Michelle was part of a high achieving entertain-ment team onboard one of our multi award win-ning vessels and worked with a diverse mix of dis-cerning international guests. She was very much involved in creating and designing the plans for many new events onboard. ..Feedback from her guests and peers alike was always outstanding, and of particular note was her ability to create memorable, fun and engaging experiences.” - Darren Tiller, Celebrity Cruises

��ǡ��ǡ��Ƥ-nition of a go-getter."-Matisse Hamel, School Colleague

" Michelle is a great leader who motivates those around her in a positive way."-Megan Robertson, AMC Entertainment

" Michelle is very sparkly, energetic, fun, sociable and fearless! She's an inspirational leader with a creative mind. Her positive attitude is conta-gious!"

-Kathy Lisle, Family Friend

“You can have all the skills in the world; all of the puzzle pieces can

be in the right place, but if you don’t have the passion or the

drive, you’re not going to get any-where.”

Michelle Tim 4

My

Hear

t

@michelletim

Michelle Tim

Michelle Tim

www.michelletim.com

[email protected]

My feet have taken me places in life that I’m grateful for. In my 25 years of life I’ve experienced over ��ơ��ǡ��them with a lesson to be learned or a story to be taken away. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to mush huskies with members of the Iditarod on top of a glacier in Alaska, skydive over volcanoes and the ��Ƥ��ǡ��

Dead Sea between Israel and Jordan and ride my ��Ǥ

These experiences taught me more than any sociol-ogy class in university ever could. I met people from all over the world. Some I could speak English to, some I had to use my hands to explain myself more thoroughly. Some were rich, some were working as much as they could to have something to send home to support their families.I had to work in various situations to really learn about people. Befriending those of various ethnici-��ơ��Ǥ��teaches you to be sensitive to beliefs and opinions ��Ǧ��Ǥ��ǡ��Ƥ��public relations in terms of knowing your audience. To plan a successful campaign you have to consider others, never yourself.

My feet also move a lot faster now than they did before. Working all day, every day, you develop a need to stay busy, even once you’ve moved away from that lifestyle. Being in such fast-paced envi-��ǡ��ǯ��ƥ��Ǥ��order champagne and glasses for a party, write a

thank-you card and change my clothes at the same time.

Travel was key in determining where I belonged ��Ǥ��Ƥ��wanted to come back to it. My feet led me back to Toronto and through the doors of Centennial College to discover how I could become a great PR practitioner and I've never looked back.

My Feet

You can have all the skills in the world; all of the puzzle pieces can be in the right place, but if you don’t have the passion or the drive, you’re not going to get anywhere. This is where my heart comes in.

As Steve Jobs said in his Stanford University ad-��ǡ�ǲ��Ƥ��what you believe is great work and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” When I set out to achieve something, I give it 200 per cent of my time and energy, usually because my achievements are something I believe in or some-thing that I know will better me. Because I’m so eager to throw my entire being into everything I create, I know I love what I do. I love PR. I belong in this industry.

Michelle is currently seeking an internship in enter-tainment PR beginning in late April or early May. Click the links below to connect.

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

Communications Plan

Summary

Coco Cosme(cs is a new and mobile business in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), specializing in makeup applica(ons for proms, weddings, performances, shoots and par(es from the comfort of your own home or studio space.

Coco Cosme(cs also offers in-‐home makeup applica(on seminars with personalized colour recommenda(ons and techniques (using either consumer or professional-‐grade products as per personal budget) for each aDendee of any age or ethnicity.

This communica(ons plan outlines key objec(ves, opportuni(es and challenges and the strategies and tac(cs that should be used to reach the desired audience.

The business seeks to aDain 15 clients for start-‐up through the owner’s personal rela(onships, word of mouth promo(on and social media efforts. Evalua(on of the plan will stem from the 15 secured clients as well as audience engagement within selected social media plaKorms; figures such as followers on TwiDer and YouTube channel views will be used for measurement.

Situation Analysis

The mission of Coco Cosme(cs is to ‘change lives, one face at a (me,’ much like the business aims to grow with one tes(monial at a (me. Having never aDended school for cosmetology and therefore lacking professional creden(als, the owner will ini(ally rely on clients recommending the services to other clients and her ability to partner with established in-‐home business ‘Sherren Hair Moments’ as an event hair and makeup duo. Because of the current lack of public recogni(on, the business may be slow to start.

To improve the speed of growth at minimal cost, a long-‐term, highly visual and comprehensive social media plan will take effect to help publicize the talents of the owner and create rela(onships with poten(al future clients. Because the business is newly conceived, a brand iden(ty must also be established including tone of voice and styling as is reflec(ve of the owner’s personality. This personality will be beneficial in helping the owner to stand apart from the other in-‐home cosme(cians opera(ng in the GTA.

Objectives

The objec(ves for Coco Cosme(cs’ communica(ons plan spans awareness and behavioural goals. Awareness

-‐ To increase online rela(onships by aDaining 50 likes on Facebook, 50 followers on TwiDer, 100 channel views on YouTube and 500 webpage views within the first three months of opera(on.

Behaviour

-‐ To obtain and book 15 clients within the first three months of opera(on (by April).

Strengths Weaknesses

Oppor tunities Threats

SWOT Analysis

-‐  Affordable pricing structure (op(on of inexpensive consumer brands for teens/those on (ght budgets or professional brands)

-‐  All-‐ages and backgrounds -‐  Ability to team-‐up with Sherren Hair

Moments for the full in-‐home hair/makeup experience (more comfortable)

-‐  Mobility to move in and around the GTA area

-‐  Educa(onal component (technique seminars) and special-‐event applica(ons

-‐  Friendly and personalized consulta(ons -‐  Owner’s full-‐(me job provides great makeup

discounts to help with business expenses -‐  Proposed start-‐up investment from owner’s

parents

-‐  Create long-‐term rela(onships and a sound client base (expand)

-‐  Busy, double-‐day (9-‐5 and at-‐home) mothers are becoming increasingly interested in relaxing stay-‐at-‐home-‐services

-‐  Lack of adver(sed, mobile makeup ar(sts (majority of ar(sts work in studios, spas or salons)

-‐  Opportunity to gain recogni(on and credibility despite lack of formal training with the era of the ‘YouTube star’ and weekly makeup vlogs

-‐  Company has liDle to no market presence or reputa(on (will ini(ally be reliant on social media and word-‐of-‐mouth)

-‐  Aside from being a former pharmacy cosme(cian and general makeup hobbyist , the owner has no professional schooling or creden(als

-‐  Self-‐reliant (one person business means business suffers if owner is sick)

-‐  Only opera(onal on weekends as owner works full-‐(me during the week

-‐  Growth of online makeup tutorials on YouTube has people becoming their own expert without the need of a teacher (owner will need to join and add out own tutorials for industry recogni(on)

-‐  Compe(tors who are trained professionally in makeup and higher priced services like special effects, airbrushing and body pain(ng

-‐  Poten(al health threats stress the need for insurance as clients could form allergic reac(ons to products and form rashes, etc.

Target Audiences 1) Toronto (and GTA) Online Community Because the owner has no previous clients or reputa(on, the focus will be on crea(ng recogni(on with the Toronto (and GTA) online community through promo(on on various social media plaKorms. These will ini(ally include TwiDer and Facebook, with the owner solici(ng promo(on from friends and family to help spread word of the new business. As friends of friends are invited to ‘like’ the Facebook page and follow the Coco Cosme(cs account on TwiDer, the owner will engage online with other makeup ar>sts, makeup hobbyists and beauty bloggers in the area, establishing credibility through the share of (ps, tricks and visuals. Examples of Toronto beauty bloggers/TwiDera(: @hipurbangirl (hDp://www.hipurbangirl.com) @beautycrazedcan (hDp://www.beautycrazed.ca) @facesbyfarah (hDp://www.facesbyfarah.com) @TracypMakeup (hDp://www.tracypmakeup.com) @MakeUpDavida (hDp://www.davida.myarbonne.ca) @funnyfaceblog (hDp://www.funnyfacebeauty.com) @stephaniefusco (hDp://www.stephaniefusco.com) @Listen2Lena (hDp://www.listentolena.com) 2) Females (10+) This communica(ons plan targets women and girls over the age of 10 and includes all ethnici(es in the GTA. Coco Cosme(cs will seek to integrate itself with the following groups: Women -‐  Brides Teens -‐  Sweet Sixteen/Quinceañeras

Women, teens and Girls -‐  Birthday -‐  Bridal party -‐  Models/Actors -‐  Dancers -‐  Graduates/Prom

Key Messages -‐  Coco Cosme(cs offers gorgeous makeup applica(ons from the comfort of your own home, so keep ea(n’

what you wanna eat and watchin’ what you wanna watch! -‐  Coco Cosme(cs offers pricing structures to fit your budget (choose from professional and consumer-‐

grade products) -‐  Makeup applica(ons for all ages and ethnici(es -‐  All clients will receive product recommenda(ons to con(nue the look afer the makeover -‐  Learn from Coco! Ask how you can host a makeup party with your friends to learn the hoDest (ps and

tricks! -‐  *Hairstyling is available on request

Strategy Statement Coco Cosme(cs seeks to become a recognized and trusted makeup applica(on service in the Greater Toronto Area. Strategies -‐  Create an online community -‐  Encourage discussion about Coco Cosme(cs (form rela(onships) -‐  Enhance the owner’s credibility and reputa(on through social media

Tactics

Twitter Facebook -‐  TwiDer will be used to create rela(onships by

relaying links to content (blog posts, vlogs, lookbook content) uploaded by the owner.

-‐  Posts: Makeup Review Mondays Tips Tuesdays ‘Would You Rather…’ Wednesdays Thursday (random) Face-‐of-‐the-‐day Friday Sexy Saturdays Sunday (random)

-‐  As followers progress, contests (RT to win/quiz ques(ons) for product will emerge as the occasional ‘Surprise Sunday’ (give-‐a-‐ways must be valued under $40 as per TwiDer requirements).

-‐  Help cross promote cosme(c brands and ar(sts on TwiDer, as well as Sherren Hair Moments (partner for hair).

-‐  Facebook will primarily be used for news related pos(ngs as decided by the owner such as behind the scenes images of photo shoots, embedded vlogs, links to blog posts and reitera(on of any contest held on TwiDer.

-‐  Used to congratulate clients on their special day (in sending a personalized message on Facebook to the client using ‘@their name’ the content will be posted to their wall for others to see who their makeup ar(st was).

-‐  Promo(onal posts made to target audience Facebook groups (high school prom groups, dance companies, etc).

Website YouTube

Traditional

Other -‐  Web-‐ads on free classified sites (Kijiji, Craig’s List etc).

-‐ Flyers provided to wedding/event planners, dance companies, schools -‐  Business cards

Tactics Continued

-‐  Website is used mainly for educa(onal content (blog posts centered around the hoDest (ps and tricks in products and applica(ons).

-‐  Website features content from all other plaKorms (YouTube vlogs, TwiDer feed present, capabili(es to contact the owner and join the Facebook page).

-‐  Contains a lookbook as photo content to help improve the credibility of the owner as she has no creden(als in cosmetology (before and afer shots against branded backdrop).

-‐  Lookbook will feature women of various ages and ethnici(es as is highlighted in the key messaging.

-‐  Features pricing informa(on for interested clients. -‐  Improve SEO by tagging posts.

-‐  Sof-‐sell of services -‐  Tutorials (vlogs) filmed and uploaded to YouTube to

showcase skill and to help improve reputa(on and recogni(on of owner.

-‐  Links posted at end of videos to encourage contact (and ‘likes’ and ‘followers’).

-‐  Posted videos simultaneously integrated to blog and linked to from other plaKorms.

-‐  Video theme requests taken from audience to encourage rela(onships (“what celebrity look do you want to see done in my next tutorial?”).

Budget

Evaluation The first objec(ve sought is to increase online rela(onships by aDaining 50 likes on Facebook, 50 followers on TwiDer, 100 channel views on YouTube and 500 webpage views within the first three months of opera(on. This will be measured via the plaKorms directly and success will depend on whether or not the targets are reached upon analysis. To ensure posi(ve rela(onships, visitor comments both posi(ve and nega(ve will be monitored and three-‐way communica(on will take place. In addi(on, Google Analy(cs will be used to track where the majority of the audience is coming from (target audience is the Toronto area) and what is the most successful means of obtaining traffic for the website (links on TwiDer, Facebook, YouTube, SEO?). The second objec(ve for Coco Cosme(cs is to obtain and book 15 clients within the first three months of opera(on (by April). Once more, success in this area will be dependent on the ability to hit the target in the (me frame requested. As this is more of a marke(ng objec(ve, in terms of communica(ons a follow-‐up will be conducted with these first 15 clients in order to obtain feedback and tes(monials for online promo(on and growth.

Online images (for content and logo crea(on) $12 Business Cards (1000) $34 Flyers (1000) $99 Accessories for photo shoot (online porKolio content) $59

Total $204 x 20% $41

$245

Deliverables

Logo Creation Business Card Creation Front Back

Web Presence

Website-‐ www.cococanada.com Facebook-‐ Coco Cosme(cs

Your product recommendations Face _________________________ _________________________ Eyes _________________________ Lips _________________________

Coco Cosmetics

2.indd 1 12-01-30 1:00 PM

Corinne ‘Coco’ Tim Makeup Ar tist

p. 905.903.2200 e. [email protected] w. www.cococanada.com

Coco Cosmetics

1.indd 1 12-01-30 1:01 PM

Web Presence Continued... TwiDer-‐ www.twiDer.com/cococosme(csca YouTube-‐ www.youtube.com/user/CocoCosme(csCa

p. 905.903.2200 e. [email protected] w. www.cococanada.com

Changing the world, one face at a time.

Glam PartyMakeup less

ons for girls!

EVENT PLANNING

MichelleTim UGLY HOLIDAY SWEATER PARTY

The Ugly Holiday Sweater Party was a charity event created by myself and four other Centennial College Corporate Communica(ons and Public Rela(ons students. Being as we are all women, we chose to benefit Dress For Success, a charity designed to help disadvantaged women get into the workforce by providing them with professional aure and job-‐seeking resources. In imagining a way to incorporate men into an event centred around women, the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party was created. The name and premise was ironic when contrasted to Dress For Success and its professionalism, but ‘dressing for success’ was the underlying theme as guests were asked to dress in ugly holiday sweaters and could then have the opportunity to win prizes through costume-‐related contests. The trendy theme also lent well to the (me of year (December) and was popular with our intended audience (post-‐grad students). Beginning with absolutely no money in our budget, my team and I were able to obtain dona(ons from over 25 businesses in the Toronto area. With this we were able to hold an event at a free venue complete with signature drinks, adult holiday photos with Santa, a silent auc(on, 50/50 draw, contests, balloon drop, a caroling performance of Victorian-‐dressed singers, free food and candy bar! Never losing sight of our event objec(ves, which were to raise both money and awareness for Dress For Success Toronto, we consistently projected their images, logos and mission statement throughout the venue and on all takeaway items. Members of the Dress For Success team were on hand to give a speech about the goals of the charity.

MichelleTim PROMOTION INITIATIVES To aDract our target audience we harnessed the powers of tradi(onal media and social media. Tradi(onally, we strategically placed posters and mailed out VIP invites (in gif boxes complete with ugly sweaters). Armed with a solid news release, we joined the community events board of the daily Rogers day(me Toronto news program. We were also hit up by Global, 24H Toronto, CBC Radio and Post City Magazine who were interested in doing a story on the event because of the current ugly sweater party trend. The fact that the trend was coupled with a bunch of do-‐good students made for something newsworthy and our event guests were interviewed randomly. We aimed to join Boom 97.3 as partners in promo(on as they simultaneously ran an ugly Christmas sweater photo-‐submission contest to win $5,000, but that went no further than a few retweets and Facebook men(ons. Owing to the age group our event was targe(ng, our social media plaKorm was much more intricate. With a TwiDer, Facebook and Wordpress account ((nyurl.com/ccprparty) under our belt, my team and I pushed these tools in as many ways as we could to gain awareness and aDendees. Our first ini(a(ve on Facebook was ‘Sweaterize-‐Me.’ Sweaterize-‐Me encouraged people to send in photos to our team’s email account. They would then be photo-‐shopped onto the body of someone wearing a hideous sweater (see below). In sweaterizing the photos, tagging the owners and having the photos show on the owners Facebook profile page, we were able to extend our reach and aDain comments from a wider range of people than ini(ally an(cipated. These photos were later projected onto the wall during the event for a more personalized touch. The second online ini(a(ve was our ‘Win your way in’ strategy that resembled a children’s colouring contest. To win a free admission to the event, people were asked to colour in a template of a sweater by any means necessary (crayon, Crea(ve Suite). This was great for our (cket sales stage as people who might not have had the means to aDend had an opportunity (and those who were on the fence as well). Finally, the infamous TwiDer fall made an appearance at the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party. All guests were handed our TwiDer feed info in the event registra(on area and the conversa(on ensued. ADen(on was called to it a few (mes throughout the night to help probe people to start spreading awareness. It’s all about integra(on. We worked the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party as the brand it was from beginning to end and stressed our awareness objec(ves along the way.

Web

TwiDer

Facebook

MichelleTim EVENT COVERAGE

EVENT SPONSORS

MichelleTim EVALUATION Amount Raised and donated: $1750 What it means It costs $200 for one woman to get a sui(ng and the full set of Dress For Success workshops. We raised $1750 for the event, afer expenses, which means that due to our fundraising, at least eight women will be able to benefit from the full set of Dress For Success workshops and clothing efforts. Post-‐Event Survey Results A survey was submiDed to guests who had provided an email address at the registra(on desk at the event. The survey was emailed to 58 guests on Dec. 10 and by Dec. 14 there were 13 responses, approximately 22 per cent of those requested. The following results are the findings of those respondents. We asked the guests a number of ques(ons about the event, the charity benefactor Dress for Success Toronto and demographic ques(ons to determine if we reached our objec(ves. Ques(on 4: Had you heard of Dress for Success Toronto before the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party? 53 per cent of respondents had some knowledge of the charity before the event. We an(cipated fewer people would be already aware but this is an encouraging number for the charity. Ques(on 5: Afer aDending the event, do you feel you beDer understand the needs and goals of Dress For Success Toronto? 92 per cent of respondents felt that they were now knowledgeable about the charity thanks to our event. An increase of 40 per cent. Ques(on 7: How did you interact with the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party online before the event? To track our social media engagement, we asked respondents how they had interacted with the party before the event. 73 per cent of respondents were aware of the Facebook event page, making it our top source of informa(on, TwiDer came in second with 45 per cent of our respondents aware of its existence. Demographics: We had an(cipated our event would skew female due to the focus of the charity and we were correct. Out of all our respondents, 69 per cent were female and 31 per cent were male. We also met our target age range, 69 per cent of respondents were between the ages of 22 to 29. Hype “One of the best events I’ve seen done. There was always something happening -‐ you were always wondering what was going to happen next. Many events don’t have that same energy. You can tell a lot of planning went into this.” -‐ Bartender at WAYLA bar “Great concept to draw a crowd. Happy about the media aDen(on too, this is great for our awareness! All from a great group of students!” -‐ Shahira Amer, Dress For Success Toronto Bou(que and Outreach Manager “Awesome (me. Everything flowed so well. You’d never know this was put on by five students without a budget.” -‐ Winner of the Ugly Sweater Contest “What a great event. Great turn out on a MONDAY night-‐ despite horrible rainy, wet and cold weather condi(ons. LOVED the ac(vi(es and the variety for all ages...the charity chosen was excellent and it was great to see a rep from Dress for success there!!” -‐ Survey response

michelle's pr portfolio

Documents

volunteer september2011

resume michelle tim

michelle tim pr portfolio

volunteer june2011

crew april2012

usa experience street

toron january2010