​If you’ve been spending your time in quarantine watching the Netflix docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, you’re not alone. With our headquarters in the Tampa Bay Area, the story was only that much more riveting a watch.
 
Even before the seven-part docuseries was released, Carole Baskin, the founder and owner of Big Cat Rescue has been an infamous figure in Bay Area life since her second husband’s disappearance in 1997.
 
Now more than two decades later, that sensational side of Baskin’s narrative had long faded from the media spotlight and remained mostly as unsubstantiated whispers around town. Her appearance in Tiger King once again thrust Baskin into the national spotlight for more than her work to protect big cats. ​

As we adjust to the new normal video conference conferencing is not just bringing us together on the work front but is now also a lifeline to stay socially connected.

Madeira Public Relations always used Google Hangouts for video meetings until video became our main lifeline to the outside world. While we loved the simplicity of Google Hangouts, we needed a platform with more bells and whistles to host larger meetings.

Based on client feedback, Zoom seemed like the perfect for both our team as well as our clients. Now that we've been using Zoom for almost a couple weeks now, we've learned some valuable lessons on not just how to best optimize the platform's functions but also how to facilitate an effective video conference.

George Carlin's bit on the Seven Dirty Words You Can Never Say on Television is still a hilarious classic. And yes, he actually says the words. (Fair warning on profanity if you watch the video above. It will also make you laugh until your sides hurt!) If you manage a Facebook page, you've likely seen these seven words and probably dozens more. Internet trolls derail productive conversations, spread misinformation and sometimes make you wonder if social media is worth the effort at all.

Did you know Facebook has a built in profanity filter including one that you can upload your own seven dirty words to and more? Currently, our filter list contains more than 100 words that we tailor accordingly for each client.

If you'd like help protecting your page from trolls and other attacks on your brand, schedule a consultation today! We can help you take the steps necessary to safeguard your Facebook page and also position you to have the tools needed to successfully weather an unexpected social media crisis.  

Madeira will lead a media training workshop at the annual meeting of the National Farm to School Network in Florida next month. Participants can look forward to learning what has replaced the old-fashioned press release and how to dazzle assignment desk editors with story ideas that capture headlines and book television appearances.

Questions to always ask before an interview and how to build the perfect media contact list will also be covered in this interactive and fast-paced workshop. If your organization is looking to brighten its media spotlight, create a marketing plan or develop other critical communications skills, we'd love to work with you to build a customized workshop tailored to your unique needs and objectives.

Did you know our very own Stephanie Dufner was the social media strategist behind the Ice Bucket Challenge? She'll be sharing her insights on how the ALS Association used integrated communications in response to the flood of donations and publicity that poured in during the summer of 2014 at the Communicate Your Cause workshop on April 26, 2019, in Oxnard, California.

This half day event presented by the Gold Coast Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and California Lutheran University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership has limited seating, so register today by clicking here.

Hurray! Facebook is making it easier to mobilize your followers around community issues. Facebook is now in the process of rolling out a new feature called Community Action. If you haven’t received an email yet, Facebook should soon be sending your page notification inviting you to try this new advocacy tool.
 
According to Facebook, here’s how it works:

It's 2019! Does your organization have a solid plan to navigate this year ahead? Madeira will be leading a workshop at the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay on Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 1 PM on how to craft a winning communications strategy. Register today by clicking here.

Madeira will be returning to the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay on February to 7, 2019 at 1 PM to offer a workshop on how nonprofits can generate publicity. Attendees will learn what has replaced the old-fashioned press release and how to dazzle assignment editors with story ideas that capture headlines and television appearances.

This high energy class will also cover basic media training skills ensuring you shine the next time you're in the media spotlight.

This class is designed for anyone who is new to marketing and communications as well as those whose job involves interacting with the news media. Earn 3 CFRE continuing education points for attending this workshop. Register today by clicking here.

If you're in the Greater Los Angeles Area, you won't want to miss this informative workshop taught by our campaign director, Stephanie Dufner on January 30, 2019 at 10 AM at the California Lutheran University - Oxnard Center.

This workshop encompasses best practice tips and tricks on generating news media coverage and working with journalists. Topics Stephanie will cover include:

• effectively pitching your organization
  
• news release writing and distribution
  
• telling your story in a compelling way
  
• interview preparation
  
• cultivating relationships with journalists.
  

The program includes specific tips, tactics and strategies to get you started or enhance your existing media relations efforts. Register today by visiting here.

Madeira is thrilled to be honored with a gold MarCom Award for a media relations project completed for our Florida Dream Center client. 
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MarCom Awards honors excellence in marketing and communication while recognizing the creativity, hard work and generosity of industry professionals.

For the second year in a row, Madeira has been named one of the top PR firms in Tampa, and we couldn't be more thrilled! We're grateful to the good people at Expertise for recognizing our commitment to our valued customers and our passion for championing organizations with purposeful missions.

Madeira was honored with an APEX Award in the category of Writing - Editorial & Advocacy Writing for an article published on behalf of the American Heart Association in Tampa Bay. This is Madeira's sixth APEX Award since 2012.

The APEX Awards is an annual competition for corporate and nonprofit publishers, editors, writers and designers. With over 1,4000 entries in this year's competition, Madeira was selected among 556 Awards of Excellence recipients.  

Our Campaign Director Stephanie Dufner will be leading an AMAfeed this week covering copywriting, collaboration and creativity. Go ahead! Ask her anything! Discover how writing for business can and should be a pleasure!

The hot the movie to see this weekend is the Mr. Fred Rogers documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor. For those of us who grew up watching Mr. Rogers, the movie is more than a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Mr. Rogers shaped the ethos of a generation touting kindness above all else.

The June 8, 2018 edition of The Atlantic featured an excerpt from a pamphlet two of the show's writers created as part of a good natured parody deciphering how to speak "Freddish."

​More accurately, the latest Pew Research study finds an estimated two-thirds of tweets linked to popular websites are generated by automated account. If bots rule Twitter, is it still worth the effort to try and break through the noise?

Yes! Twitter has become our defacto newswire service. Did you know that less than three percent of news stories are picked up from traditional wire services these days? The good news is that Twitter still holds the attention of influencers and opinion makers vital to your brand.

So go ahead and make some noise. Just make sure you repeat yourself or in the case of Twitter, retweet yourself. According to Nonprofit Tech for Good, being heard means placing your message in the pipeline more than once. Post your tweet and retweet it a few days later. Use HootSuite or another scheduling platform to repost your content during nonbusiness hours including late evenings and weekends. 

Remember, the average shelf life of a tweet is just 24 minutes. The more opportunities you create for your message to be seen, the more likely your brand will be heard.

It's one of our favorite days of the year--Give Day Tampa Bay! We're pleased to be supporting our friends at Suncoast Organized Animal Relief (SOAR) as a match sponsor. SOAR is nearing its goal of opening a pet food bank in Pinellas County, Florida but needs your help to get there! Please give generously between now and May 1 by visiting here to ensure every needy pet has a full bowl. 

Pets are important members of nearly half of all American families. Madeira Public Relations is proud to be guiding media and grassroots advocacy efforts to ensure the Fairness to Pet Owners Act is signed into law.

After spending time on Capitol Hill last week meeting with members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, we were assured by the positive feedback we received on this important consumer protection measure that will greatly reduce the number of pets re-homed for medical reasons. Consider  joining us by speaking up for the health of our companion animals. Visit APAW.org to take action today!

While consider the greater Tampa Bay Area home, we hang our hat on the fun side of the bridge! If you also call Pinellas County home, our amazing Nonprofit Leadership Center client is offering a special discount to attend their annual Leadership Conference. It's one of our favorite learning and networking events of the year, and we hope you can join us!

Politicians frequently make them. So do celebrities. Even members of the British Royal Family have been known to throw out one when speaking with audiences or members of the press (Prince Philip, I am thinking of you).

What I am speaking about: on-camera verbal blunders. They make a person look uninformed, unprepared or even worse, not qualified for an occupied or aspirational role. Who can forget Gary Johnson’s befuddled response on MSNBC’s Morning Joe about the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. “What Is Aleppo?” the 2016 Libertarian Presidential Candidate inquired to the interviewer, Mike Barnicle. Barnicle went on to explain the city’s significance to the former New Mexico governor and thus established Johnson most likely lacked the capacity to occupy the nation’s highest political office.
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Words matter. They impact our credibility. Others form impressions of us based what we write or say. Shakespeare showed us the value of words in his poems and stage productions. 

Having served as a Nonprofit Leadership Center trainer for many years, we're thrilled to be taking on a new role! We'll be working to increase the number of organizations that turn to NLC first for their professional development and problem-solving needs by brightening their brand spotlight. If you live in the Tampa Bay Area, chances are you might not be taking advantage of all NLC has to offer! 

Florida West Ballet dancers surprise shoppers with a pop up performance at the Sundial St. Pete.
We had a blast helping the American Heart Association paint the town red for National Wear Red Day. On February 2, numerous landmarks across the Bay Area from The Dali Museum to the University of Tampa lit up red to take action against heart disease. The highlight of the day was filming a pop-up performance by the Florida West Ballet followed by a fashion show.