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Meet the Interns: Molly Olson

9/18/2018

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As we continue to prepare for the 2018 Studio Tour, we realized that we hadn't introduced you to the folks making it happen behind the scenes! Thanks to Molly for helping us get things done!
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Hi! My name is Molly Olson and I’m a senior at Iowa State University studying public relations with a minor in event management. I’m graduating in December and I’m so glad to be spending my last semester at ISU working with the Ames Community Arts Council.

Prior to interning with ACAC, I have completed internships with the Iowa Health Care Association, Iowa State Athletics and Edina Public Schools. In addition to my role as media coordinator intern, I work as a communications assistant and a student ambassador for the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, reading and exercising.

Iowa State has provided me with endless opportunities to learn new things and connect with others. I’m excited to learn more about art, meet new people and strengthen my professional skills.

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Top Takeaways from the Ames Community Arts Council “Polish your Pitch” Panel

9/11/2018

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By Molly Olson, Media Coordinator Intern

The Ames Community Arts Council hosted a panel discussion, entitled, “Polish your Pitch,” on Thursday, Aug. 30 at the Octagon Center for the Arts. The event was moderated by Michael Morain, Communications Manager of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from four additional professionals, including Holly Boman of the Iowa State Center, Ronna Lawless of the Story City Herald, Stan Rabe of the Ames Community Theater (ACTORS) and Carole Horowitz, a long time arts advocate.

Throughout the discussion, the panelists provided helpful solutions on how to effectively communicate the value of their work and attract the public to come to their events.

As a public relations student and intern at the Ames Community Arts Council, here are five things I took away from attending in this event:

Focus your aim.
To polish your pitch, make sure to narrow down on the main goal(s) of your PR and marketing tactics. Ask yourself these questions: Who is the target audience? How do I want the target audience to respond? Why do I want them to come to our event?

Simplify the pitch.
Fight against shrinking attention spans by keeping the pitch simple. Get to the main points of your pitch quickly by including the 5 W’s: who, what, where, when and why.

Establish authentic and strong relationships with the media.
Networking with reporters at local news outlets, such as the Ames Tribune and the Story City Herald, can help in the promotion of your upcoming event. Morain, who formerly worked at the Des Moines Register, suggested to keep the format and timing of your pitch in mind. Reporters (and editors, too) will happily accept a well written story idea, but make sure to be respectful of their time. Consider pitching the basic details to the reporter two to three months prior to the event. Send a reminder two weeks prior to the event, and if it receives coverage, send a thank you within one week after.

Make use of the resources available in your community.
Many small organizations may be limited on resources. If you’re looking for some help in this area, consider students. In Ames, you may reach out to PR, marketing or event management professors to see if they would be interested in working on a project for your organization.

Keep trying, keep trying, keep trying.
You may not receive the kind of media coverage you want the first time. It’s okay to go back to the drawing board. To help stand out from your competition, Morain recommended to “follow up and follow through.” Don't hesitate to send a reminder before and a thank you note after.

Follow the Ames Community Arts Council on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about our professional development events.

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Meet the Interns: Erin Krage

9/10/2018

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The semester is well underway, and we've been working with a great student team these past few weeks. In the next few days we'll introduce our three newest interns. Be sure and say hello as you see them at events!

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​My name is Erin Krage, and I started as an intern for the Ames Community Arts Council in January. I am a Junior at Iowa State studying Public Relations and Criminal Justice. I hope to either go into corporate communications or continue my education to become a paralegal.
 
I am from Parker, Colorado. My parents still live there, so I beautiful home base near the Rockies and Denver to go back to over breaks. Everybody asks - how did I end up at Iowa State? I have a lot of family in the area, and my brother goes to ISU. Ames is my perfect home away from home.
 
When I’m not in class or helping out with the arts council I am involved on campus with Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Gamma Sigma Alpha Honors Society, and the Iowa State Daily.
 
Before college I was in marching band, concert band, pep band, pit orchestra, as well as teaching elementary students to play clarinet. So, from a music standpoint, the arts were my life. My involvement in music gave me the chance to learn, express myself, travel the world to compete, and make lifelong friends.
 
Those memories and appreciation for fine arts is what makes the Ames Community Arts Council a great place for me! I can’t wait to see what I and the other interns achieve this semester!

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The Ames Community Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded through memberships, donations, and grants, including the City of Ames Commission on the Arts (COTA).

© 2021 Ames Community Arts Council
Our Mission:
The Ames Community Arts Council is dedicated to celebrating the arts in Ames. To this end, we strive to bring people together through the arts, and to increase arts awareness, collaboration, participation, and education.​

Mailing Address:
PO Box 1842, Ames, IA  50010
Email Address:
info@amesart.org
Phone:
515.259.0494
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