Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Foster Joins Leading Ad & PR Agency



Melissa Foster is learning how a leading PR firm promotes its clients through her internship with Dameron Communications. Chris Sloan photo


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Melissa Foster is developing public relations and social networking online strategies to advance the success of Dameron Communications clients. 

Foster has increased her skills and writes press releases for agency clients. She also promotes events for the company on many different social networks including Facebook, Myspace, Eventful, Zvents, and Entertainment Lifestyles.

Foster has had the opportunity to interview and work with government officials, business leaders, community leaders and volunteers.

Foster has realized print media is where you begin and is the foundation of all public relations communications. Foster’s university professors in public relations taught print media is outdated because people use online sources to get their information.

“Earning coverage in a newspapers and magazines is the foundation of good public relations. Many radio, TV and websites draw their content from newspapers. The information in the press release is then used in slightly different forms to promote events through online media,” Foster said.

As an example, a major local newspaper distributes 190,000 newspapers daily with 630,000 readers per day. That’s 18.9 million readers a month, offering more media hits than any Inland Empire online media delivers.

A press release allows for all the information to be in one place, permitting fast distribution of materials through all social networks and other online channels.

Foster joined Southern California’s leading public relations and advertising agency, Dameron Communications to build a foundation in public relations and decide if this is the career for her.

Foster is mentored by Carl Dameron, agency director of Dameron Communications and has learned the most important thing is to gather information, research, write a good press release and tell the story across all media including print, online, TV and radio.

“I have learned how to communicate information and learned that the foundation of communications is the same as it was 20 years ago. We just have new ways of getting information out,” Foster said.

“I know I am greatly expanding my knowledge and skills to be competitive in the field of public relations,” Foster said. “This has been a great experience and a wonderful opportunity.”

Foster began her communications major with a concentration in public relations, April of 2009. Now as a senior at Cal State San Bernardino, she hopes to land a job at a prominent public relations firm before graduation in March 2011.

“My university education has taught me critical thinking skills, effective communication and crisis communication,” Foster said.

At Cal State San Bernardino, Foster joined Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). She learned more about public relations and how new trends in the field of communications could be applied in the business world.

Activities included listening to guest speakers in the field of public relations and establishing networking connections.

Dameron said, “It is a pleasure to have Melissa work with us. She has quickly learned to write a good press release that has earned media coverage, a difficult task for people with years of professional experience. Every one of her stories has run in several local daily and weekly publications. She is a hard working young professional who I believe will be very successful in this business.”

About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron Communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. It is an award-winning agency that creates integrated advertising and public relations solutions to increase clients’ sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of potentially controversial issues.

Dameron Communications creates advertising for television, radio, newspaper, magazine, and billboards, web sites, mobile web applications, email and more. Public relations services include press releases, press conferences, media relations, television programs, web sites, opinion editorials, promotions, event creation and management, government relations and community relations.  

Dameron Communications has earned media coverage for clients from: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, CBS MarketWatch; Fox News, CNN, CNNfn, Nightly Business Report; The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Dow Jones News Wire, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press and many more.

For more information go to: http://www.DameronCommunications.com/ or call (909) 888-0017.

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