Max Nchama loves the diversity of agency life

by Sarah Roger, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

Max Nchama teetered between pursuing law or medicine before considering public relations, ultimately making the decision to enrol in Centennial’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program and hasn’t looked back since. He decided “before I commit to a law program, I’ll try this PR thing. It’s one year. If I like it I’ll do it, if not I’ll continue with law.”

Graduating in 2006, Nchama interned at Palette Public Relations, a boutique agency, and after working there for only 11 months moved up to Account Executive. “I like where I am right now. When I started out there were six people in the office and we’re now up to 10.”

He enjoys working in a small agency and feels that it has helped him learn and grow as a PR practitioner. “For me, it’s all about learning as much as possible and in a small agency you’ll have the chance to do that,” says Nchama. “I never have the same day twice. I never know what’s going to come down the pipe from the client or supplier side that’s going to force me to be creative.”

“Being in an agency environment I’ve done everything from carry boxes, to sit next to the heads of some of the country’s biggest non-governmental organizations and listen to them wax philosophical about why they do what they do,” he says. “You wouldn’t get that experience anywhere else.”

Nchama attributes his writing skills and knowledge of the Canadian business environment to the courses he took at Centennial. “There’s not a moment where I don’t think of the inverted pyramid before I put the pen to paper, or mouse to pad, when writing a news release.” Learning CP style was very helpful and he uses it on a regular basis when drafting releases. Centennial’s career development classes helped get his resume and cover letter through the door. “Even the design skills I learned at Centennial helped set me apart from other internship applicants.”

“The program excels at keeping its finger on the pulse of the PR industry. It’s evaluated on an annual basis and the faculty keep in touch with grads. That constant revision and assessment process leads to a program that is quite useable.”

Olga Petrycki: Fit for an agency

by Christina Atkinson, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

For Olga Petrycki, account director at Punch Communications, the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program at Centennial College was “a foot in the door.”

Petrycki graduated from the program in 2002 and after doing an eight-week internship at a small boutique agency, she started her career at Maverick Public Relations.

“I am a better fit for an agency because I’m creative and I love brainstorming,” explains Petrycki. Agency work allows Petrycki to experience more depth and variety in her work.

The training she received at Centennial was integral in getting Petrycki where she is today. “It gave me the connections I needed. It gave me the work discipline I needed, because the program was so intensive,” says Petrycki. What course does she feel was the most helpful? “Definitely the copy editing; it helped me with my writing.” (She laughs)

Today Petrycki manages several high-profile accounts at Punch. Her biggest client is the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, which has her dealing with a lot of overseas Bahamas travel business. Other clients include Carlton Cards, Moosehead, Marsh Insurance and G4S (Group 4 Securicor). Occasionally, Petrycki receives contracts to work with Disney on a project basis.

“I can be creative and come up with cool ideas,” Petrycki says of her work. When initiating new business development, the best part is closing the deal. “That feeling when you win a big account is amazing.”

Petrycki stresses the importance of paying attention to detail in her line of work. “Always cross your t’s and dot your i’s,” she says.

What advice does Petrycki have for students of the program? “Don’t get discouraged. Never burn your bridges,” she counsels. “Look at everything as an opportunity.”

The program at Centennial was instrumental in helping Petrycki develop the communication skills necessary to her work.

“You’re the expert in communications and if you’re not communicating properly, there’s a problem,” she says. This is something for every budding communications professional to remember.

From intern to full-time

by Barb Petersen, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

From interning to filling consecutive maternity leave contracts to being offered a full-time position as an internal communications specialist, Maria Morra is an inspiration to Corporate Communications and Public Relations students.

Having almost completed her first year in a full-time role at Enbridge, Morra feels confident she has found the perfect fit for her. “I definitely made the right choice”, she says. There are so many post graduate programs to choose from. PR was the perfect fit for me and the internship is a great way to get your foot in the door.”

With a combination of hard work and good timing, Morra smiles as she talks about how opportunities at Enbridge unfolded for her. “My colleagues would always say that I was ‘sitting on the hot seat.’ Before I had completed my first mat leave contract I had already been offered a second.”

The internship is what got Morra in the door, but it was her ability to do the job well and her passion for writing that kept her there.

Recognizing the importance of “polished writing skills” in the industry, Morra credits her ability to write effectively and her knowledge of Canadian Press writing style to the program.

She still remembers how her CP journey began with a blanket of red pen covering her writing assignments. However, she also remembers how those red corrections diminished as she moved through the program. “It is a real adjustment writing in CP style and at the beginning you start to question yourself,” she explains. “But you can’t take it personally. Use it as a learning experience.”

Use it as a learning experience she did.

In addition to writing well and enjoying the process, Morra recommends doing research and talking with professionals in the industry to better understand where you fit. “Get involved as much as you can,” she says. “Become a member of the associations, and get out there and network.”

Coming from someone who may be interviewing you for your next opportunity, it would be a good idea to take her advice.

Impacting the world, one event at a time

by Bonnie Dean, Corporate Communications and Public Relations ‘08

Kate Millar found herself at a crossroads following her stint in Centennial’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program.

She wasn’t sure what kind of career she wanted, but knew event planning had to be a part of it. It was only after interning at the York University Foundation that Millar found her true calling.

“A fundraiser is the perfect time to interact with your donors and really understand how your organization is impacting the world and the local community. You get to tap into the people who have a real love for [the cause].

“I then realized I am more of an event planner than I am a PR person.”

Following her internship, Millar was involved in planning a run for 10,000 people for the Mississauga Marathon, another not-for-profit organization and a cause close to her runner’s heart. She also worked in the development department at McMaster University before ending up at the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG), a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through the moving image.

As the development assistant for special events at TIFFG, Millar’s role includes planning stewardship events and planning the film festival’s staff and volunteer appreciation party. But it is managing the relationships with sponsors that she finds the most challenging and most rewarding.

“It’s getting these people on board and pitching it in a way that says, ‘You have to give it to us for free.’” Her passion and experience in the not-for-profit sector have made Millar very successful in maintaining strong partnerships with TIFFG sponsors.

Millar credits her successful career to the comprehensive nature of Centennial’s program, and uses the knowledge she gained to this day. “It gives you a great base of solid skills. You can start off in one area in your career and a couple of years later come to another sector where you have to start drawing on different skills.

Millar believes she learned the most from the Event Management course. “It taught you how to go out into the community, really focus on the vision and reason you are throwing an event.” She is also grateful for the writing courses and advises current and future students not to take them lightly. “Even if you don’t take a heavy writing job, you still need to be very vigilant about your messaging and how you communicate.

“There will be courses you really enjoy and there will be courses you don’t enjoy,” she says, “but you just have to do the work; you never know when you will have to draw on the skills they teach you.”

Maria Saros Leung: A Grad Who Keeps on Growing

by Michelle Novielli, Corporate Communications ‘08

Maria Saros Leung’s career is unfolding one stage at a time. After completing Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program, Saros Leung is continuing to learn on the job.

“Going places to get exposure or education is a healthy attitude to have,” says Saros Leung, who is now an internal communications correspondent for the University of Toronto. “When just starting a career, you want to get your hands into a lot of things.

After studying anthropology at the University of Toronto, Saros Leung graduated in 2001 knowing she liked to write. “It was the only thing I was good at,” she says laughing. With this strength, she enrolled at Centennial College. Though she didn’t know much about the communications industry, she says, “I was attracted to the program primarily from my love for writing.”

By the end of the program in 2003, Saros Leung had learned a new writing approach. “I became direct, compelling and brief,” she says. “That was a big part of the program.”

After an internship with Canadian Tire, Saros Leung began her first industry position with the University of Toronto as an assistant communications officer in the Office of the Vice-President, Research. Here, she further refined her writing skills by translating complex research material into conversational language for various publications.

Saros Leung then accepted a position as the marketing and communications officer in the university’s Faculty of Pharmacy. In this role, she launched a research magazine, alumni newsletter and developed a marketing and communications plan.

Currently, Saros Leung works in the university’s Office of Strategic Communications where she writes for The Bulletin – the university’s faculty and staff newspaper and the eBull, the internal e-newsletter. With 12,000 faculty and staff members across the university’s three campuses, Saros Leung says, “People across the university love the immediacy of having news in their inbox. “To have one vehicle for that is very useful.”

By undertaking many communications initiatives for the university, Saros Leung says she has also furthered her passion. “I love writing, pitching, planning and the excitement of working with journalists.

“It’s the kind of job where you learn something new and meet people every day,” she says. “At the heart of it, you have to have a love for learning; it’s what drives people.”

Living the agency life

by April Tsui, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

When Andrea Craig, senior consultant at Hill & Knowlton Canada, graduated from Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program in 2003, she began her career in the dark.

As a junior public relations practitioner at Strategic Objectives, Craig worked 10- to 14-hour days and “didn’t see sunshine for a year.” She tackled every task with a can-do attitude and took every opportunity to deepen her public relations knowledge.

“Centennial really gave me a broad foundation to work from,” says Craig. “And without Centennial, I would never have landed such a great internship.”

At first, much of Craig’s work was tactical. “There was very little client interaction,” she says. “I also did a lot of media tracking and analysis. I had to read the daily papers on rotation — that’s how we started the day.”

Craig’s dedication was quickly recognized and she soon took on greater responsibilities, such as managing budgets and mentoring younger public relations practitioners. Still early in her career, she had already contributed to many interesting projects, one of which involved inviting Prince Andrew of the British royal family to christen a new building at Toronto General Hospital.

In August 2005, Craig joined Hill & Knowlton Canada. “I wanted to see what it was like at a bigger firm that had more training and resources,” she recalls. “I knew I wanted to go to Hill & Knowlton, and only applied there. Luckily, I was hired!”

Craig’s responsibilities as senior consultant include developing media relations strategies, media training, brainstorming, team, budget and project management and client relations. “There is no ‘typical day’ at the agency. There are always surprises,” she says. “But even though some surprises may be bad, you still learn something from them.”

“Marketing communications is the most fun but also the most challenging,” Craig says of her primary area of practice. “There are so many consumer products out there. You really need to think about how you are going to pitch yours to the media and make it stand out.”

Craig points out that practise makes media relations less intimidating. “It’s scary when you pick up the phone that first time. Media relations is something that doesn’t come naturally; everybody has to learn.” She also enjoys collaborating with other areas of practice, including health, aboriginal affairs and technology, for major projects.

Craig suggests students wishing to work in agency launch their careers at boutique firms. “The learning curve is much steeper, it’s more chaotic and you’ll be thrown into situations. It’s trial by fire!”

She also has a few pieces of advice for junior practitioners: be willing to do anything, say “yes” no matter how mundane the work may seem and work really hard. “Your hard work will pay off,” she says.

Nadia Vercillo: A World of Experience

by Colleen Monks, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

Nadia Vercillo, a Corporate Communications and Public Relations graduate, continues to use skills she learned at Centennial in her role as Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA).

Media relations is an integral part of Vercillo’s job at OVMA. “The writing and anything I learned about the media at Centennial still holds true,” Vercillo says. However, media situations that occur unexpectedly can become quite stressful. When Menu Foods issued a pet food recall of products imported from China, Vercillo was flooded with media calls for three weeks. She then had to develop a communications plan and prepare veterinarians with key messages for dealing with the media.

Another one of Vercillo’s roles is managing editor of OVMA’s publication, Focus Magazine. She is responsible for every aspect of Focus, including classified and commercial advertising, publication policy, and writing and editing the content.

Vercillo also oversees the art direction. “The graphic design I learned really set me up,” she says, explaining how her experience has allowed her to be more precise in her conversations with the design team.

While she loves her job at OVMA, Vercillo considers herself lucky to have gained such great past experiences, especially through her two years working in Europe.

For one year, she worked in London, England, as the communications coordinator and then communications manager for an interactive health care company. Here, Vercillo was able to put her communication skills to practice when convincing health care systems of the effectiveness of interactive health care programs.

Vercillo then moved on to Paris, France, for a year where she worked as the business communications and cultural trainer at Impact Communications, a language training school. In this position, she came face-to-face with the existing cultural differences when she trained clients in understanding North American business practices.

In her past and present job experiences, Vercillo has experienced some hectic situations but says there are ways to make work easier. To people just entering the field, she recommends that they have some attachment to the job. “Life is tough and gets more complicated with people wanting to have kids, families and volunteer. But it gets easier if you’re interested in what you’re doing”.

Vercillo’s attachment to her job at OVMA is clear through her love for animals and deep respect for the veterinarians that care for them. On top of that, work can be a learning experience when you are truly invested in the job. “The best part of this job is I can learn as much as possible. As much as I’m helping, the company is helping me.”

Taking it all in a stride: Tanya Wymer on success

by Alana DaSilva, Corporate Communications ‘09

Tanya Wymer, Corporate Communications Manager at Novo Nordisk, feels a good balance of technical training, attitude, and being open to opportunity will help you succeed.

The skills Wymer acquired in the Corporate Communications and PR program at Centennial College gave her the confidence to do the technical aspect of her job. “I have more confidence just fiddling with things,” says Wymer explaining how courses like Design and Layout enabled her to do a task that most others in the company couldn’t do.

She adds that her degree was not enough for her to “hit the ground running.” The program enabled her to walk into her first job knowing what they were telling her to do and understanding why she was doing it. “I didn’t have that context before.”

Being open to opportunity was also an advantage for Wymer. “I didn’t rule anything out,” she says. “Be open to opportunities and don’t try to wedge yourself into things.” Wymer jokes of taking a Daoist approach to her career by believing that if you leave yourself open it will come to you, and if you “try to rush into things, and force yourself in, it’s never going to be the right thing.”

She advises being patient. “You can’t get there right away, but you can get there really fast” if you stand out and find something that’s a right fit for you. Wymer suggests finding what sets you apart from everyone else, because everyone will have the same type of portfolio. “What’s different is you and what you bring to it.”

Wymer feels a good attitude is also fundamental to one’s success. When she started at Novo Nordisk she says she was immediately impressed by how happy and interested the employees were about their jobs. She recalls her time at Cancer Care Ontario she found that “no one had that passion” and for her that was the difference. “These are people who care about people; they want to do the right thing and they’re going to do it.”

Even at Edelman, Wymer found it very important to have the right attitude. She recalls a particular moment of great achievement when she was given the hardest project to work on. It was no easy task because it was extremely technical, very niche, and a lot to learn.

But her hard work and perseverance to succeed resulted in her turning the $100,000 business to a quarter-million dollar business in just two years. “That was maybe two and half years into my career and I was able to grow that. And that’s what made me stand out,” says Wymer.

When she started out, she never imagined the path her career has taken, yet where she is now is where she wants to be.

“Be open to anything, Wymer advised, don’t box yourself in to just one kind of job, and know that it takes time to get there.”

Recent grad enjoying job in film publicity

By: Sarah Fimiani, Corporate Communications & PR ‘09

Rachael Schelew, Account Coordinator for Media Profile, tributes her ‘eye for detail’ to Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program.Graduating from Centennial in 2006, Schelew was prepared to thrive in the world of public relations due to the hands-on learning experience she attained. “

One of the major skills I acquired is my attention to details—even my co-workers recognize how precise I am. I feel like Centennial really helped me to develop a healthy paranoia to looking over my work,” says Schelew.

Her career began to unfold when she interned at Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Shortly after a four-month internship, she landed her current position at Media Profile.

Before Schelew’s training in public relations she never expected to be where she is today. “I always knew I wanted a career in entertainment and media relations, I just never knew it had a name,” explains Schelew.

At Media Profile, Schelew’s main account is Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “I distribute press releases to the print and broadcast media for DVD titles being released in Canada. Later, I compile the coverage and it is presented to the client,” says Schelew.

“For me, client satisfaction is the most rewarding aspect of my job. When I get a media hits for my client’s, I know they will be satisfied—and so will I.”

Working for a public relations agency allows Schelew to be creative and work with a variety of clients. “Some advice I can offer to someone who is seeking a career in corporate communications and public relations is to determine what interests you and not give up on your dream.”

New mayor, new challenges: Andrea Gonsalves

by Kate Raven, Communications & PR ‘08

Municipal government was the last place Andrea Gonsalves thought she would end up.

When searching out an internship at the end of Centennial’s Corporate Communications program in 1997, Gonsalves was afraid the position with Metro Toronto Works would leave her licking envelopes and filing documents - and she wasn’t alone.

“Everybody wanted Ernst and Young. It was glamourous, and they kept you on after the internship was over,” she says. “With the City, I kind of felt I was taking my last option.”

But 10 years later, she doesn’t regret her decision. Now a Senior Communications Co-ordinator for the City of Toronto, Gonsalves has worked with several divisions, including Solid Waste Management, the Office of Emergency Management and, most recently, Toronto Water. The variety of work available initially surprised her; “it didn’t come across like it would offer all of this,” she says.

Part of this variety stems from the unique challenges presented by government work, one of the most prominent being the frequently changing leadership. “Every time we get a new mayor, they pick the deck up, shuffle it and lay the cards out differently,” she says.

While these changes don’t always have consequences for communications, current mayor David Miller’s most recent budget cuts were felt acutely by Gonsalves’s section. She was forced to scrap the printing and production of Water Watch, a household newsletter typically distributed to all City residents twice a year, and cut an advertising campaign about drinking water quality from the year’s plans.

To overcome this hurdle, Gonsalves engaged her ingenuity. Because city councillors communicate with their constituents on a regular basis, she used their communication vehicles to get her message out. “Stories that would have gone into Water Watch are reconceptualized as pieces for councillors’ newsletters. They’re happy to get the content,” she says.

Gonsalves also places even more emphasis on media relations, using it to supplement Toronto Water’s direct messaging. “Almost everything we do, we communicate to the media. Getting an article in the Star is almost as good as advertising,” she says.

In view of the division’s changing communications needs, Gonsalves relies heavily on a skill learned at Centennial: writing communications plans. “I write a new one about eight times a year,” she says. And while she’s happy to have the skill, she regrets not seeing its full value while in school. “I wish, instead of seeing them as a hindrance, I’d seen them as the strategic tool they are.”

Though she admits that working for the government has its ups and downs, Gonsalves is satisfied with the challenges and variety it provides - and the favourable work-life balance it affords. “I know it’s really rare,” she says, “but I might start and end my career with the same employer.”