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Meet Dominique!

April 19, 2013 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

DominiqueAs KDC’s Controller, “Keeper of Coin” and my fellow Prius partner in eco-friendly crime, Dominique Del Sarto handles so much more than your mileage and paychecks. Think of her as a big gear that keeps this well-oiled machine running. She monitors cash flow, pays the bills and basically handles anything with a dollar sign attached to it.

So where are you from? What brought you to Vegas?

I’m from Phoenix and moved here with my parents at 18 when my dad took a job at The Tropicana. I went to UNLV.

So when you’re not busy keeping the lights on at KDC, what do you love to do?

I’m a cyclist. I love to ride…and play with MegaBloks. I have a 12-year-old son, Holden, and we try to spend as much time together as possible so lots of MegaBloks. We also have a beautiful blue-eyed cat named Queen Penelope Rodriguez.

That’s exciting! So where are some of your favorite places to ride? Do you take any dangerous trails?

The river mountain loop in Henderson is one of my favorite road rides and my new favorite for off road is the McCullough Trail that just opened last month in Henderson.  Cottonwood, which is west of Red Rock, is another of my favorites for mountain biking.  I’m headed to Oregon in September to “Ride the Rogue.” I’ve done the Viva LV and The Tour de Palm Springs. I’m not at all competitive when I ride. For me it’s all about spending time with friends or just riding alone to clear my head.  I’m not fast, but I can ride for hours.  I’m hoping to ride my first century, 100 miles, before I hit 50. The most I’ve done is 65.

So what other passions do you have?

I’m a rock ‘n’ roll critic. I love classic rock music. I’m always going to concerts. My son is the same way. Right now, he’s really into Johnny Cash. When I was a kid, KISS was huge. One time my mom took me, my younger brother and a bunch of the neighborhood kids to KISS. It was a blast.

Since you’ve been in Las Vegas for so long, I bet you’ve got some great stories or awesome moments to share.

When I was a kid, my dad worked for Ramada which owned Tropicana at the time. I can recall lots of times when my parents would go gamble and tell me and my little brother to stay in the room. That didn’t happen. We had so much fun playing and terrorizing the hotel. And another time, right after I moved here, my mom and I were at Saks Fifth Avenue, and we got there just in time to see Liberace descending their grand staircase. It was quite a sight.

Dominique: Cyclist. Rocker. “Keeper of Coin.”

˜Jarrett Clark

 

 

 

 

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Clara Tsang’s Career Switch

April 11, 2013 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

Clara.pngMany people think that PR professionals have the same old story—complete an internship, graduate college, find a job in PR. Fellow KDCer Clara Tsang took a more untraditional route by way of Hawaii. Clara attended Carleton College in Minnesota to study volcanology. She interned during her undergraduate career in Hawaii and took a few courses at the University of Bristol, which helped her secure a job in the Aloha State after college. She did everything from collecting lava samples, to trekking across 15-mile craters on daily hikes to climbing on active volcanoes. Her usual transportation included helicopters—not cars.

After a brief stint in Hawaii, Clara decided she wanted to take PR classes at New York University. She was in charge of the PSAs at her job in Hawaii and enjoyed the writing. This eventually led her to Kirvin Doak Communications, where she has been a member of the team for over two years. Highlights of Clara’s job as a publicist include almost stepping on the toes of celebrity chef Bobby Flay, meeting a dolphin named Thunder at The Mirage’s dolphin habitat and being fed on-camera by celebrity chef Bradley Ogden.

As for her dream job (other than KDC, of course)? “I’d like to be a steak house critic. I love eating meat,” says Tsang.

˜Eleni Stylianou

 

Tags: volcano, Hawaii, steak

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Meeting with Mr. Merkle

March 22, 2013 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

fall 2011-summer 2012 019In our recent efforts to introduce our blog readers to the faces behind Kirvin Doak, I was lucky enough to pull one of my favorites for my assignment, Mr. Jeff Merkle.

Jeff works with our marketing division, and I have teamed up with him on several clients in the past. We were even in a near-death experience on a flight back from a client in Sonoma once where our little plane with propellers skidded across the runway… (Ok that could be a dramatic interpretation but seriously – we bonded.)

In addition, Merkle and I have a common tie in that we both love Notre Dame football. This makes sense considering his parents moved from South Bend, Indiana, to Florida, where he was born, but brought their Fighting Irish pride with them. His favorite ND moment was the 1993 1-vs-2 matchup with Florida State in South Bend. Notre Dame ended up winning that game by a TD, but in bittersweet fashion, lost the very next week in the last game of the year to Boston College. Even though the Irish only had one loss, FSU went on to win the national championship.

“That title’s more tainted than a Barry Bonds urine sample,” said Merkle.

The ’93 game is something no Irish fan will forget. My own father proudly displayed a bumper sticker reading, “Notre Dame: 20; National Champions Florida State: 13” for years to come.

Beyond the Fighting Irish, Jeff has a passion for sports and playing golf. You won’t find him at a roller rink however, as one of his most embarrassing moments as a kid was the first and only time he threw on skates, he fell 10 seconds in, breaking and dislocating his ankle.

“A perfect day on a summer weekend would consist of 18 holes, a large piece of red meat on the grill, watching the Mets sweep a double-header with the Braves to take 1st place in the NL East on their way to the World Series, then capping it off by getting my butt kicked by my 2 year old daughter in a game of Candy Land,” said Merkle.

He has been married to his wife Monica for five years, and they have a two year old daughter, Hannah.

When it comes to the job, he says there is no typical work day at KDC, which is what keeps him on track.

“Every day is different with its own unique challenges, and it really forces you to always be thinking and prepared.“

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Meet Maddie

March 13, 2013 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

Dramatic re-creation of Maddie’s cross-country trip

Dramatic re-creation of Maddie’s cross-country trip

As is the case with many of us, fellow Kirvin Doak employee Maddie Meister moved here from out of the state.  I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Maddie and asked her about why she made the move, and how she was enjoying her job and new life in Las Vegas.

Maddie came to Las Vegas by way of Boston where she was interning at a PR agency after graduating from the University of Wisconsin.  She happened to notice a job posting from Kirvin Doak one day and thanks to a love for travel, decided why not!  Maddie’s soon-to-be team here at the agency was excited to offer her a position and before she knew it, it was time to pack her bags.  An adventure in and of itself, Maddie and her dad hit the road and drove all the way from Boston to Las Vegas.

Once here, Maddie found herself thrust right into the job….getting to work on the Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational.  In fact, her very first day or work involved a 6 a.m. call-time at the tournament. Two days after that, red carpet duty with the likes of Roger Clemens and the one-and-only Michael Jordan.

Over a year later, Maddie is loving her life in Las Vegas and job where she gets to work on several interesting clients including Hyde Bellagio, the D Las Vegas and SLS Las Vegas.  Outside of work, she has grown to love the mountainous landscape of the Las Vegas valley and greatly appreciates the lack of snow and ice storms in the winter.

˜Brad Seidel

 

 

 

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Meet Kimbrlee Merrihew – KDC’s Wonderful Receptionist

March 1, 2013 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

Kim pic1Kimbrlee Merrihew is the voice at the forefront of Kirvin Doak Communications. Almost always when media, clients or anyone in between calls our offices, Kimbrlee is there to answer. In addition, anytime someone visits our offices, she is there to greet them, so I thought it is only suiting to introduce her to everyone! In fact, upon sitting down with her, I realized we had a lot in common.

She is currently a student studying business and marketing. Like myself, she is a small town girl with big city dreams.

“I’m a hard worker,” said the determined student, “I don’t mind working my way up to the top.”

Kimbrlee grew up in a tiny farming town called Beaver Dam, AZ. Her family lived on a 500-acre ranch where she acquired her hardworking mentality and her family grew watermelon, cantaloupe, casabas, squash, apricots, tomatoes, apples and peppers (can you say, yum?). The only “attraction” in her city was a gas station that also included the town store, dancing hall and a lodge, so moving to Las Vegas was quite a change, but was absolutely perfect for her career path of course. Her dream job is in marketing and upon working at KDC, Kimbrlee has found an interest in PR as well.

“I’ve learned a lot about PR since working here,” said Kimbrlee, “One of the things that has surprised me most is that Las Vegas is in fact a community. It’s been a pleasure seeing all the nonprofits, fundraisers, special events and more that occur.”

This was an exciting discovery for Kimbrlee because the feeling of community was something “she truly missed” from the small town she grew up in, and of course we’re happy to have Kimbrlee part of our KDC community as well!

In addition to pursuing her dreams at college and taking our calls at KDC, Kimbrlee likes to run. She’s a fan of running 5Ks and is hoping to one day train for a 10K, half marathon and beyond.

Her favorite media outlets are NPR, Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun

If she had to write a book it would have a historical theme with a fictional twist.

Her favorite movie is “Inception,” because it was very “trippy.”

Her favorite color is green and she has two adorable dogs named Leo and Marshall.

˜Laura Bucklin

 

 

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What a wild year 2012 has been…

December 12, 2012 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

Where do I begin? I could never have imagined 2012 would have started and ended the way it did. It has been the most exhausting, exhilarating, thrilling and all around most awesome year to date. There is no way this time last year I could have guessed that I would have learned and experienced so much personally and professionally. Seeing as a lot has happened this year, I’ll give you the very short version.

January – Roommates

I became a roommate for the first time in four years i.e. I moved in with my boyfriend. I’ve learned a lot from this experience mainly that compromise makes for a happy home….and he is terrible at folding laundry.

February – Mötley Crüe in Sin City at The Joint

February will forever be known as Mötley month. Why? Because Hard Rock Hotel & Casino hosted the first of what we like to call our mini-residencies. That’s right, 12 epic shows and I was there for almost all of them. The band was super nice and the show was incredible. Now I can proudly say, I’m a fan. 

March –New Car

I finally decided that it was time to get rid of my two-door 1999 Ford Escort ZX2 and become an adult. Luckily when my parents came in town so they were able to help. I now drive a beautiful black sparkly (can’t be too much of an adult) 2012 Ford Fusion. 

April –Mike Tyson: UNDISPUTED TRUTH – Live on Stage

The LEGENDARY Mike Tyson performed a limited run at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and I was lucky enough to work on the account. Wow! All I can say is wow! First, almost every stereotype I’ve heard about Mike is wrong. He is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and he loves his wife and family more than anything. Second, the show was amazing. It was a raw story of his life. Mike shared many unknown stories about his public triumphs and turmoil. 

May – Growing team!

Devin and I welcomed our new team member Laura Bucklin in May! Laura has been a great addition to our team. 

June –Golden Rainbow’s “Ribbon of Life”

Through the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a ton of celebrities and working on major projects. As much fun as it is to say “I met (insert famous person),” nothing can describe the way it feels to know you are making a difference. I love working with local nonprofit Golden Rainbow and knowing they’re helping men, women and children in Southern Nevada living with HIV/AIDS.

This year Golden Rainbow hosted its 26th annual “Ribbon of Life” production. Approximately 1,630 attendees filled The Smith Center theater as 380 performers from the best Strip shows and entertainment companies took the stage in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The record-breaking show raised more than $200,000, exceeding last year’s total by $50,000. 

July –Olympic-themed birthday party

When your birthday overlaps with one of the biggest events in the world, it is only appropriate to make everyone dress in red, white and blue. Go USA! 

August – Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has a reputation for knowing rock ‘n’ roll and doing it well. In August, they opened the beautiful and gritty music venue is known as Vinyl. The small intimate venue has already welcomed acts such as Chevelle, Yellowcard, Blaqk Audio, Switchfoot and more! 

September – Planning and Pitching!

The entire month of September was dedicated to planning, pitching and learning. See below, you’ll understand. 

Oh yeah,  I also ditched my blonde hair and became a brunette.  

October –A Very Blue October

No, not the band…literally it was a very blue October for me. After months/years of planning, we opening Blue Man Group’s new show at Monte Carlo Resort and CasinoBLue Man Group makes giant leap to new theater at Monte Carlo Resort and.... To kick things off, Blue Man Group skydived into their new home on Wednesday, Oct. 10. That night, I jumped on a plan and flew to Los Angeles where we had a whirlwind “media week.” In LA, we appeared on “Access Hollywood,” ESPN’s “Sport Center,” “Nacion ESPN,” KEARTH FM and performed at the UCLA vs. Utah game at the Rose Bowl. On Tuesday, Oct. 29, Blue Man Group did a Satellite Media Tour and a sneak peek for local Las Vegas media and VIPS. Later that week, we hit up all local Las Vegas TV and radio stations… I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

 

November –Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Democracy at The Jointin Las Vegas, NV

I worked with Guns N’ Roses, how many other people get to say that? November was definitely an exciting time for me. Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Democracy at The Joint kicked off with a lot of excitement, we even temporarily renamed the street in front of Hard Rock from “Paradise Road” to “Paradise City Road.”The band was fantastic to work with and the show was one-of-a-kind! 

December –Looking forward!

As great as 2012 was, I’m very excited for 2013. Cheers to another fantastic year! 

˜Lindsey Rathjen

 

 

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New Home, New Traditions

December 3, 2012 in Kirvin Doak News | 1 comment

Going home for the holidays used to be something I was always able to do. As a college student at University of Arizona, going home to Portland, Oregon for Christmas and Thanksgiving was something I looked forward to once November came around. Now that I have entered the “real world”, travelling home for every holiday is not as realistic as it once was.  

This year I had to decide whether to head home to Portland for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I chose Thanksgiving. It was bittersweet having to decide which holiday to head home for, but after talking with my mom I realized that our entire immediate family would be home for Thanksgiving and that this would be the best choice. I had an amazing time at home with my family and got to spend some quality time with a few of my high school friends, but once it was Sunday I realized that I was ready and very excited to head back to Vegas. 

I have decided that I am going to be optimistic about my first Christmas away from home and embrace my new life and create my own holiday traditions. This weekend my mom is coming down to visit me and we plan to turn my apartment into a winter wonderland after some serious Christmas décor shopping! Once Christmas finally arrives, my boyfriend Tim and I plan to make our own tradition of preparing Christmas Eve dinner together and having a movie marathon of all our old favorites. The holidays are all about what you make of them, and this year I plan to make my Christmas the best one yet!

˜Maggie Bryant

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There’s No Turning Back Now….

November 30, 2012 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

I left Michigan more than three years ago and moved to Chicago. I wanted to get my Masters (which I successfully did after two years) and then move back to Michigan with my family. Little did I know how drastically my plans would eventually change.  After picking up and moving across the country, 1,879 miles to be exact, I found myself in Las Vegas. I never saw myself living so far away from my family and friends, but after the past two months of working at Kirvin Doak Communications, I have acquired a new family and new friends.  I was worried that it would be like my previous jobs I had in Chicago, all work and no play. Fortunately life in Las Vegas is nothing as I had expected it to be, and wow, it has been so much more.  

My first day on the job I participated in a photo shoot for one of my clients… kind of a great start to a new job if I may say! Since working here, I have explored so much more of this city than I ever did in my previous home. My second weekend in Las Vegas, my birthday weekend, I ventured across the city to downtown Las Vegas – territory I didn’t even know existed – to see a One Republic concert at the D. After spending an eventful night out with some of the girls of KDC, it could possibly be one of my new stomping grounds. 

Halloween came around and wow what an experience. The office split up into our teams and we proceeded to build our own version of a haunted house. Team Terri, my team, decided to put a fun twist on the holiday… Haunted Christmas! What can be worse than a creepy Christmas with amputated elves, dead dolls, a dead Mrs. Clause and a butchered Santa Clause?  Not much in my book! Clearly I was right because we tied for second place. That wasn’t even the best part of Halloween.  Kirvin Doak has a costume contest every year with a celebrity guest judge, and this year it was Mr. Las Vegas himself, Mr. Wayne Newton.  Of course I would have preferred to have met him looking a bit more “alive” than I was, but what a way to spend Halloween. 

I have always been a family-oriented individual, so when Thanksgiving came around, I was counting down the days until I could see my family and friends and most importantly my adorable eight-month-old nephew. While I had an amazing time visiting with everyone and catching up, it took me all of two days to be ready to head back to Las Vegas. I was eager to get back to my new life. While working for Team Terri at Kirvin Doak I have been given the opportunity to experience so much more here than any other place I have ever worked or lived before. With concerts, silent auctions, harvest festivals, beer festivals, masquerade parties, BMG, comedy shows, grand openings, Christmas shows and the people I work with my past two months in this city has been more than I ever could have imagined it could be. Moving and working here has only ensured that the sky’s the limit. I look forward to seeing what is next to come with the New Year quickly approaching.

 ˜Jaclyn Dadas

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6 Things I Learned in my First 6 Months at KDC

November 28, 2012 in Kirvin Doak News | No comments

On May 29, 2012, I started my journey at Kirvin Doak Communications. To honor my half-year milestone, I thought I’d compile a list of A COUPLE things I have learned in my first six months in the PR world.

1. Always Say “YES” to Opportunities: At one of our first meetings with Dave Kirvin and Bill Doak they expressed the importance of saying “yes” to opportunities, because ultimately new experiences help you learn about your job. This is a very easy way to learn the ins-and-outs of your clients. Beyond work, I think it’s crucial to always say “yes” to social outings as well. Even if you’re short on sleep and personal time, it’s beneficial to say yes, because it helps you make friends and get acclimated to your city (this will pay off in the long run… you can sleep then).

2. Deep Breaths: Our self-proclaimed “office-mother,” Terri Maruca, often reminds our team to slow down and take “deep breaths.” The PR world is very fast-paced. Yes, college was too, but some weeks you’ll be working several events, writing press releases, coordinating media etc. and it will get overwhelming at times. Don’t hesitate to slow down, ask for help or re-read that press release you’re itching to get out.

3. Ask Questions: You’ve been hearing this since grade school, and it definitely carries over in to the adult world.

4. Always Look for Ways to Improve your Writing: Writing is a skill that is never perfected. You can always look for ways to improve no matter how amazing you are. One of the easiest ways is to read your colleague’s press releases, read the newspaper to see how journalists write and read books! Lastly, branch out… read poetry, the thesaurus, song lyrics , watch the news and more – this will expand your creative mind.

5. Attend Events Around Town: Events are not only fun, but they’re a great networking opportunity. A journalist is definitely more willing to read your pitch if they’ve met you! Also, most events have free food and drinks – hello!

6. Embrace your Fellow Co-Workers: Your co-workers aren’t just your cubical neighbors; they are talented, smart and genuine people. Get to know them and try and meet others in your office that you may not interact with client-wise. Attend work parties. Plan happy hour outings. Sooner or later, these people will be some of your best friends.

˜Laura Bucklin

 

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Newsweek and the evolution of our attention spans

October 19, 2012 in Kirvin Doak News | 1 comment

So Newsweek announced today it will cease publishing a print edition at the end of the year. Like other print media causalities before it, the magazine – a weekly institution since 1933 – succumbed to the Age of Online, where people don’t just get their news via smartphones or tablets, they insist on it. 

Some mourned Newsweek’s passing, but most only shrugged. Print magazines and newspapersare in a noble and ever-increasing battle for relevance today. As with seminal shifts before it – the radio replaced by the television, the electric typewriter supplanted by the word processor – technology can’t be uninvented and ultimately the people decide. 

“You cannot actually change an era of enormous disruptive innovation,” said Tina Brown, the head of Newsweek, in announcing the decision to go online only. Thomas Edison couldn’t have said it better. 

But there is more than the loss of print on paper (and jobs) when magazines go digital or newspapers simply go away. In terms of content, flash is replacing depth and our collective attention spans grow shorter by the tweet. Why bother reading the whole story when you can getenough of it in 140 characters? We may know less about more than ever. 

I still love getting Esquire or Outside in the mail each month and spending a week reading the long take-out stories written by journalists at the height of their craft. Go ahead, compare me to the old timer who’s holding the reigns of his trusted horse Nelly, saddling her up to ride to town, as a Model T rolls by. I get it: Newspapers and magazines deliver news that is a day old or olderand today’s world won’t wait. A restaurant whose slogan is ”Great Hamburgers Made Yesterday” probably isn’t in business for long. 

This evolution will continue to impact the business of public relations and the business of our clients. Online media is a beast that must be fed because while those sites grow in relevance to the decision-making process, they also live by page views and that means fresh, eye-catching content continually updated. If you have less time to make your case, you better make it quick to read and easy to absorb.

 So see you in cyberspace, Newsweek. Or perhaps not. Either way, it was a nice run.

˜Dave Kirvin

 

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