Real Chemistry, Real Connections
I remember one of the first times I had to call a reporter for an important media pitch, I came across Larry Bleiberg at the Dallas Morning News. Surprised that there was another Bleiberg I didn’t know, I was quick to call him and leave a message I didn’t think he would ever hear or return. To my surprise, he called me back immediately to tell me about his New York days, convinced we were likely related. We immediately made a connection. He accepted my offer of an interview with our spokesperson and wrote a piece, and so began my journey in media relations.
As many professionals know, connections are crucial both personally and professionally. The more we understand each other’s backgrounds, interests and personal life, the more we remain connected and foster positive growing opportunities. What I love most about being an earned media specialist is the natural opportunity to create personal relationships with professional connections. My day-to-day work requires me to connect with reporters and producers who will ultimately share new information or stories with important audiences. The better connected I am, the easier it is to uncover unique and meaningful media opportunities and set the stage for even more opportunities in the future. I look to a long line of media connections I’ve made and maintained over the course of my career as a major factor in my success. These connections took time and work to maintain, just like the connections we make among our colleagues in the office.
I joined Real Chemistry in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. Despite the challenges that came with working at my kitchen table, I found the entire Real Chemistry team devoted to maintaining a connection to one another, which made it easy to jump right in. While it was almost a year before I met my manager in person (at a coworker’s wedding also attended by clients and media contacts), our regular check-ins by phone now make it feel as though we’ve worked together for years. Spending 45 minutes to drive to an outdoor breakfast is more than worth it for the face time with a direct report of my own, and something my team tries to do often. I work out of Real Chemistry’s New Jersey office, which is small but mighty, and when one person raises his or her hand to announce an in-person workday, many jump at the opportunity to join. We’re also always planning social activities. For example, the Earned Media Team kicked off a virtual speed dating event with the help of our amazing IT team – it was such a fun way to get to know many people we don’t speak to day in and day out, and ended with lots of faces hurting from smiling so much that hour. It’s now become a quarterly event for our team.
When we became Real Chemistry, many people asked questions about the new company name. The truth is, there are many ways to interpret it. The chemistry between employees, and the chemistry we have with clients, industry partners and even media contacts is real. We all yearn to be connected at Real Chemistry, and our strong connections keep our teams intact and growing.
