Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations Blog

You Can't Stop the Heat

The “hottest” topic in Austin lately has been the early appearance of temperatures in the high 90s (pun completely intentional). However, even though most people are staying inside to get out of the heat, our PR jobs must go on—outside events and all!

On June 3, we helped organize a groundbreaking event in Pflugerville at the construction site of the St. David’s Emergency Center. Needless to say, the event would be outside, and we had a near guarantee that it would be hot.

Thankfully, we had prepared for such weather and secured a tent early in our planning. Since we were in the midst of a construction site with loose gravel and dirt, fans were not optimal—lest we make our guests even dustier—but we ordered plenty of water and ice to help keep everyone cool. The key was to make our guests as comfortable as possible in the heat—no easy task during a midmorning in June—and keep the event brief, but still worthwhile.

What resulted was a successful celebration to mark Pflugerville’s first full-service emergency care facility that was attended by integral Pflugerville city officials, St. David’s HealthCare staff and local media! 

Sometimes, the public relations profession resembles that of the postal service. Rain, extreme heat or breaking news, the show must go on!

~ Levente Smith

St. David’s HealthCare and St. David’s North Austin Medical Center broke ground on the St. David’s Emergency Center in Pflugerville— the first full-service 24/7 emergency care facility in the city.

 

The Voo-doo That We Do So Well

As Meredith mentioned in a recent blog post, people usually have an inquisitive look on their face when I say that I’m in public relations. No one wants to understand more than my mom. She really tries. She wants to connect with my daily activities and use the slang that I use, but some things are hard to connect with unless you’ve had a hand in it yourself.

One of the aspects about our job in public relations that I revel in (and my mom appreciates) is the behind-the-scenes action. People have no idea how a news story comes together or how certain people end up on the local morning show giving their expert opinion about a topic. The great thing is…I do!

Recently, some of us hosted an artist from Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion show here in Austin. Dralion’s juggler extraordinaire, Vladik Myagkostupov, traveled to Austin to meet with various media outlets to provide a sneak preview of the show, which will premiere at the Cedar Park Center on March 10.

Not only did I get to witness a part of his unique act that combines acrobatics, dance and juggling, but I was also there from the beginning to see how each TV segment and print story developed.

It’s a special thing to give an idea to a reporter, have him or her agree that it’s worth the time, and then see the idea formulate into a news story. There’s a lot of pride in what we do. When you’ve helped develop a story in which the reporters have fun doing it—that makes it even more fulfilling.

Here are a couple of behind-the-scenes photos from our advanced media day with Cirque du Soleil.


A videographer and photographer from the Austin American-Statesman get footage of Vladik while he performs parts of his juggling act from Dralion.

Chris Willis and Sally Hernandez, the anchors of KXAN’s midday show, pose with Vladik after his live performance on the noon show. 

Texans Working Hard to Help Those In Need

Currently 5.7 million Texans qualify for legal aid, yet it is estimated that only one legal aid lawyer is available for every 10,838 Texans who do qualify.

ECPR is lucky to work with some great clients that help many Texans in need. Last week, the Texas Access to Justice Commission and Texas Access to Justice Foundation celebrated Texas Pro Bono Week, an effort to highlight the increasing need to expand access to justice through pro bono civil legal services.

The week-long celebration included free legal aid clinics and other events, including a luncheon with the Supreme Court of Texas that addressed the current state of legal aid.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan L. Hecht, the Court’s liaison for access to justice issues, takes a picture with 10-year members of the State Bar Pro Bono College.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa was also awarded the Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award for his contributions to improving access to justice in Texas.

Senator Hinojosa poses with his Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award and Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan L. Hecht.

Thank you to all the attorneys and legal aid providers who are helping to expand equal access to justice throughout the state!