Return to SoCal

Yet again I am returning from Orange County, California. And yet again I am writing a blog saying that I will post more frequently. However, this trip has given me a much needed break… or was it more of a return from a long break? In many ways, I can call Southern California home. It was great being home this past week.

I attended the Public Relations Student Society of America National Conference in San Diego. I was able to reconnect with peers from across the country, as well as begin meaningful relationships with industry practicioners who have had many years of experience. It was a very engaging conference, with very helpful workshops and networking opportunities.

San Diego is also the hometown of Switchfoot, one of my favorite bands. They give such inspiration through their music. On the release day of their new album Hello Hurricane, I saw them perform an acoustic performance in their hometown before heading out on tour. I met each of the band members and had them autograph my skateboard. The guys were diggin’ the Gravity! Have a great tour guys!

My friend Greg picked me up and we explored San Diego for a bit. He used to give kayak tours in La Jolla, so we were going to go cruise around the cove, but it turned out the shop is closed every Wednesday. He still showed me around; we saw the sharks, went to the tide pools — where I let a sea anemone close itself around my finger — and walked around the cliffs above La Jolla caves. I got within about 10 feet of a huge California sea lion.

From there, we headed north. Of course, we had to stop for some world famous fish tacos at Pedro’s in San Clemente. That brought back good memories from the summer. Made it up to Newport in time for a little surf session as the sun went down. It was small, but of course, still a good time just to be back in the water. That night we went over to UCI to skate the parking structure. Greg’s got the hookup from a few skate companies; they give him boards to test out. So we took about four boards out! Good times. I really like the Carve board. I forgot how much I missed skating. I’ve got to het back into it when in Tampa.

Thursday I got to hang out with Brandon. We just drove around and stopped to do whatever spontaneous opportunity came our way. We walked around this mansion, which was now a Christian network television station — super elaborate inside. It was rediculous if you ask me. It felt likey eyes were having a spaz attack, overwhelmed by how incredibly busy the decor inside was.

For old times sake, I ride a bike over to Quiksilver, to give Andy a visit. I rode an hour for a five-minute conversation. But it was good to catch up for a bit. Everyone there was getting for the Eddie big wave contest coming up.

Surfed and hung out with Christian in the afternoon. We had dinner at Pickup Sticks, then later I had round two of dinner; Roberto and I went to Normita’s Surf City Tacos. I had one last fish taco. And we had a good talk and were able to catch up on the last couple of months. Made it back home to chill with the guys by the fire, and then we devoured some Pazooki.

I got up early today for one more surf session with Christian Surfers. Perry made pancakes, sausage and eggs for everyone. Lindsay gave me a big hug and then — an hour before my flight started boarding — I changed out of the wetsuit and headed to John Wayne.

I’m back in Tampa now — greeted by 78-degree weather and clear suuny skys. Feels good.

Synergy.

Synergy. No, I’m not just talking about energy here. Synergy is tapping into the full potential, tapping into the “what can be.” Instead of the parts of a system working separately, every one needs to be actively engaged — actively participating. Once every aspect is in complete unison, working together for the same goal, monumental feats can be accomplished. We can go beyond the task, beyond just doing. We can change whole concepts and venture into all new worlds of possibility.

I received a fortune cookie the other day: You desire to discover new frontiers.

Think about that statement. Think about what it is really saying. New frontiers are out there, waiting to be discovered. It is up to us to take this leap of courage, this leap of faith and determination. The possibilities can be realized. They can be realized only by using one thing: synergy.

It is synergy that we need to practice in public relations. We need to build trust and relationships. We need to empower one another, encourage creativity and allow change to happen. When we do this, when we act synergistically, we will discover new frontiers. We will work as a team and become the frontier, taking it from the vision to the reality.

Get out there. Be synergetic. Envision your future and claim it.

Direction of this Blog

This blog began as a way for me to document what I was learning as an intern at Quiksilver. Now, it is taking an adaption. Much like is done in the process of public relations, I had to reevaluate the purpose of this blog and the direction it would take from this point on.

First of all, I would like to settle on the term practitioner when referring to an individual working within the field of public relations. As my professor Daniel Ruth suggested, these individuals should not be termed professionals. Someone cannot get a license: Public Relations Professional, expires 2015. The one thing we have going for us: the First Amendment, providing the freedom of speech.

The official title for the internship position I held this summer: Event Marketing Intern. The responsibilities as stated on the application:

• Organize promotional materials
• Producing post-event reports
• Managing promotional distribution
• Assisting with promotional plans

Now, there are all kinds of tasks that I was responsible for this summer that are not included above. I will be taking a step towards the E portion of the R.A.C.E. acronym used in public relations: Evaluate. I will be evaluating what I did this summer with Quiksilver and applying them to what I am learning currently through my public relations studies as well as out-of-class activities.

One component of public relations is Marketing Communications. If if were to wrap up the internship into one statement in conjunction with public relations, it would be as follows:

As an event marketing intern at Quiksilver, I gained experience in the marketing communications aspect of public relations. Working primarily with a retail-driven mindset, we combined activities designed to sell Quiksilver products and the idea of the boardriding lifestyle as defined by Quiksilver. We combined advertising, collateral materials, publicity, promotions, trade shows and special events.

This last paragraph will be my guiding statement — my mission statement — for the direction of this blog. I will be relating my experiences with Quiksilver, as well as other experiences within the action sports industry, to the established views of public relations. I will be relating these experiences to my studies at USF, and also formulating my own views on public relations.

Acting Morally | Entitlement in American Society

I burned my hand on a Pop-Tart® the other day. So, should I go and sue Kellogg? After all, isn’t it the company’s fault? They didn’t warn me: “May be hot after heated in toaster for an excessive length.”

Well, I did not sue Kellogg. They are not at all responsible for my burnt hand. However, in many instances today — such as the case where a woman sued Kellogg after her house was burned down for leaving a Pop-Tart® in the toaster  – people do not take responsibility for their own actions. Increasingly, American society considers itself “victimized”: It’s not my fault. I have a disease; I’m an alcoholic, for example.

This has been the theme of discussion for several of my classes. In my leadership course, we talked about what we feel victimizes us and why we blame others for our circumstances or for our inabilities. Why? American society has reached a level where they feel like everything is a right. We are completely entitled. This is especially true of Generation Y, the so-called “Millennial Generation,” as one term defines it.

One of the greatest steps we can take to improve our society is take responsibility for our own actions. Make ethical decisions and use common sense. Act morally even when no one is watching.

Back to University | It’s a Big World!

I am now in my second week of classes, back at the University of South Florida in Tampa. I am now enrolled in my first public relations course within the School of Mass Communications. I am finally being introduced to PR from a purely academic standpoint. Up to this point, everything has been based on my involvement with the Public Relations Student Society of America, my internship with Quiksilver as well as Group Y and connections with professionals in the field. It’s exciting to finally begin the academic program!

I am also taking Communication Ethics and Beginning Reporting. The fundamental lessons that these courses are going to teach me is the knowledge — the foundations, the basis for the real world applications.

One notable difference that will begin to take greater effect throughout this semester is my awareness of national and global news. I am learning that “being in the times” is something that every PR strategist must do. While I was in California interning, I surrounded myself with nothing but California news, surf news, action sports news. I knew about new state policies, where beach clean-ups were, what action sport companies were doing, where La Jolla Group moved their headquarters, why people surfing Trestles are mad about the new $15 parking fee…

Coming back to the university — back to academia — caught my attention: there’s an entire world outside of action sports. And as a PR strategist, I must be aware of that — even if I am only dealing with actions sports.

Quote of the Week: “This is a craft. This is not a profession.” — Daniel Ruth, Professor of Beginning Reporting

Note: This is why I am not referring to an individual within the PR field as a “PR profession.” I instead used the word “strategist.”

Wrapping Up

I just booked my airline ticket back home. My summer is coming to an end… my trip to California is almost over. And it’s becoming very apparent, now that I’ve solidified travel plans for the return flight to Florida.

I came to California for an internship with Quiksilver. But I am leaving with a much deeper experience. I am leaving with lifelong friendships. I am leaving with newfound appreciations, and a newfound excitement for learning. I am leaving with great life experiences that could have only been achieved through a trip such as this.

Now that I am about to leave, it seems that everything is falling into place. I’m finally getting settled. I have a nice place to live with great roommates, I’ve mastered public transportation, I have a job opportunity for the fall and I have an established presence at Quiksilver, officially as “Ryan the Intern.” I’m the intern that’s there every day, and also at events outside of the normal “work week.” I have made lasting connections and met some really great people.

I am so thankful for the people in my life and these experiences. I’m not going to lie: it was definitely tough. It is not easy to get into this field. And it’s not all fun and games, moving to California with no job, no friends, no car. It takes a lot of work, persistence and dedication. When Zimmerman of Zimmerman advertising said you have to put in 100,000 hours and be “insanely committed,” he wasn’t joking. But, like most things, you don’t realize that truth until you’re living it.

I will be back in Florida on Monday, August 10. That will mark nearly 3 months of being away in California. I am absolutely stoked to be home again: to see all my friends and family. And to drive my car again, a true luxury that I will drive with much more appreciation than I ever have.

But until then, there is so much to do! I have to wrap everything up with Quiksilver and all my relationships here. And I’ve got plenty more surf sessions to catch before then. Not to mention, shaping a board down in Carlsbad. And skating some more parking structures. So, for this weekend… the surf of Malibu is calling!

A Soundtrack

Another quick post to announce something that I am going to be working on: an album, a musical soundtrack that will attempt to tell the story of my entire summer through music. Over the next two weeks, I am going to be picking several songs very specifically. The tracks will be in an order that will depict everything from my trip, from start to finish. I also plan on creating an album cover and an insert highlighting points from the trip, and explanation of the songs.

So, I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am. It should be a very exciting way to review my trip. And a big thanks to all those who have read these blog entries thus far! I’m glad to share what I’m learning.

If This is the Life

I’ve been working on this blog entry for several days. I started writing when I got back home Sunday night from a 311 and Ziggy Marley concert in which Quiksilver was represented. I originally wrote something in Word, but my emotions and thoughts were going absolutely all over the place. So I let myself rest that night, calmed down and wrote this the next day, tweaking it to flow better, and to cut out the very harsh words I wanted to pour out the night before…

<< ENTRY FROM MONDAY MORNING >>

No matter what I do — no matter how hard I may try to run away from God or ignore Him — He keeps coming back! Why? Does He really love me that much? Does He really care so much about me that, no matter how far I may try to stray, He keeps working to pull me closer to Him? Always reminding me that nothing, absolutely nothing, will keep Him from my side.

It’s so hard for me to fully grasp this… this love. That’s what it is — love. But I think I was brought into a greater realization of this over the past 15 hours. I went to an event last night with Quiksilver. It was a charity concert at the Verizon Ampitheatre in Irvine, benefiting the USA Surfing Team. We were there, Billabong was there, along with Rip Curl, Surfline, Surfer and Surfing magazines, the X Games, …Lost, O’Neill, all the industry leaders. I was surrounded by worldly greatness! I had VIP access, plenty of free food and drinks, hot girls, and tons of connections with all these action sports leaders.

It was satisfying. It was fulfilling… at least temporarily.

<< END OF ENTRY >>

So ultimately what I’m getting at with this entry is that no matter what we do — even if we fall into a life cursing His name, hurting others around us, living selfishly and of this world, worshiping worldly objects or endeavors and fulfilling human lusts — He will always be here. He is not leaving. He created the world. He created us. He is going to stay here whether we like it or not. And He will always have His arms open, ready to take His child in. He wants us. He just needs US to make that decision ourselves. He has given us free will. We just have to make the decision ourselves.

Life After Death and Taxes

Alright, for this one, I’m referencing “Life After Death and Taxes” by Relient K. When I was in my internship this week, Todd Kline said something that, although cliche, got me thinking… He said, “There’s nothing guaranteed in this life except death and taxes.” Furthermore, he related life to a card game: “We’re all given the same hand. The difference is how we play them.”

There was a presentation on Tuesday put on by the Roxy Marketing Team. By the way, a shout out to Kenna! She did a great job leading the program, very interesting and informative. The presentation was on Generation Y, understanding modern youth culture. This was very relevant to Quiksilver/Roxy as the youth is our target consumer… kind of strange saying that, being both the target consumer as well as the intern at the company.

Anyway, they noted that Gen Y has an overall sense of entitlement. We are inherently entitled to have whatever we desire. Nevertheless, she noted that we are hard workers and will work extremely hard to fulfill our goals and passions. I related this to my situation: I had to work extremely hard to get to where I am today. I wasn’t just handed an internship with Quiksilver. But that was my dream and I worked out to make it a reality.

So, that being said, life isn’t always easy. We aren’t always given whatever we want. We’re not automatically entitled to everything. I’m not a globally-recognized, surfer pulling off aerials and surfing the globe with my own private helicopter. Still, I have a purpose and a reason for my situation and what I’ve been given. We’re each unique and have our own unique abilities, talents and interests. I’ll utilize my own unique talents and be the best I can at being me. He’s me trying my best to surf Newport without a wetsuit in 55F water:

Surfing 54th St. at "What the Wednesday" with Quiksilver

Plus, we have a little help. Although nothing in life is guarantee but death and taxes, remember these Relient K lyrics:

never forget there’s life after death and taxes / knowing that you saved me

forgiveness comes and all of the rest, it just passes

death and decay can’t touch us now

Just Thinking…

It’s Monday night and I’m almost falling asleep. I got back from Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n’ Waffles not too long ago; ate a waffle — served with a heap of butter — with some fried chicken. Not a bad meal.

This morning I dropped my parents off at the airport. They were visiting for the long 4th of July weekend. It was really great to have them here for a while. We got to hang out for 4 solid days — venturing all over SoCal, from San Diego’s Torrey Pines to the cliffs of San Onofre to the body builders at Venice. I’ll write some more about our adventures on my next entry…

With my parents now being gone, and the reality that it’s July now setting in, I started thinking about time, about purpose, about goals. I started thinking… Okay, why am I really here in California? What do I need to take away from this internship? What do I need to put into it? How can it impact others? Can I do all of this — and travel and surf and party — all in my few weeks left? Time is running short…

Time is never “running short.” It’s always the same. Again, it’s perspective. We use the time we are given however we so wish. We choose to be productive or not. We choose when to relax, and when to work. We choose to surf, or to sleep in. Every day, we are faced with these decision, and it’s these decisions that impact our perception of time.

I’m speaking very broadly… probably because it’s getting late, I’m getting tired, and I just need to express whatever my mind conjures up. So I’m going to get back to things now, and bed soon. Good night.