[quote style=”boxed”]Philosophically, employing The Golden Rule “Treat others the way you want to be treated”… if everyone put themselves in the shoes of people they deal with on a daily basis, the world would be a much happier place. I doubt anyone wishes to be backstabbed, talked down to, etc.[/quote]
Megan Fazio is the president of NEON Public Relations, LLC, a full-service PR and marketing firm based in Las Vegas representing hospitality, entertainment and adventure clients.
As a public relations business professional with several years of agency, boutique and non-profit PR experience, Megan has worked for some of the nation’s most identifiable public relations agencies before starting her own public relations and marketing firm.
Megan is a University of Houston alumna, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences degree in Communications/Marketing and a Global Business minor.
Her specialties include Media Relations, Strategic Communications Plans, Press Releases, Marketing, Event Management, Social Media, Editing, Media Impression Report Preparation, Presentations and Oral Communications, and Personal Web page design.
What are you working on right now?:
My current monthly client roster includes STK in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Sky Combat Ace, The Range 702, and Monarch Sky Air Tours. I also work with a few entertainers in the area when they need to push a show or event.
Where did the idea for NEON Public Relations come from?:
The idea for NEON Public Relations came about through the realization that if I wasn’t working to achieve my own dream, I was simply working to help achieve someone else’s. After years of working for boutique firms and huge PR and marketing agencies and handling accounts completely self-sufficiently, I decided to give myself the title of President of my own company.
How do you make money?
I constantly identify opportunities for publicity and market development for my clients and aim to translate those opportunities into maximum consumer awareness. I employ a sort of multi-faceted PR approach to penetrate each client’s specific demographic through platforms that include strategic marketing campaigns, targeted media outreach, special event execution, and social media management. Those platforms are all part of a larger-scale PR/marketing plan, which are designed to attain high visibility and premiere positioning for my clients in their respective marketplaces.
What does your typical day look like?
There is no cookie cutter day in PR. But generally I’m non-stop all day long. What my job revolves around is working directly with the CEOs of the companies I represent to make sure I’m pushing their business as much as possible through media exposure, coming up with new ways to push an existing product or service, or coming up with an entirely new product or service based on market trends; the list is endless for ways to essentially bring their company into the spotlight, maintain relevance or accurately tell their story to the demographic that makes sense for each client. When I’m not behind my computer, which the majority of my day is spent, I have meetings to ensure I’m working hand-in-hand with the client to relay their message and maintain the company’s vision. From there, that entails developing news releases, pitching reporters, coordinating partnerships and opportunities, brainstorming new promotions, writing client material, fielding media requests, compiling coverage reports, and getting my client in front of community partners, professional organizations and influencers.
How do you bring ideas to life?
There is no secret besides just doing it. I put my mind to something and see it to its completion; in fact my clients rely on me to do this. Bringing ideas to life is the name of the game—and it’s what pays the bills ☺
What’s one trend that really excites you?
A trend in Vegas that is currently exciting is the rise in tourism, but the decline of that percentage of tourism in gambling. Casinos will always be prevalent here in Vegas, but the recent decline in gambling attributes to the fact that there are a growing number of activities outside the casino that are also making Vegas a great place to frequent.
On the contrary, one trend that does NOT excite me: Twerking.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
The worst job experience I’ve ever had was taking a job at a firm whose clients did not particularly excite me. And not to say those same clients didn’t excite others in my workspace—just made getting up every morning and getting fired up to go to the office difficult for me.
It taught me with my business to not seek out or accept clients that I don’t in some capacity have an immediate interest in. Sure it’s turning down money—especially when I know I have the skillset to assist—but I generally refer them to a firm who handles like-minded clients. I never take on clients that don’t ignite a spark in my personal interests, which ensures that every day that I come to work, I’ll love what I do and never get burnt out.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Possibly working from my house being a one-man band to retain equity—but then again, I’m the kind of person who likes to get up, look sharp and physically GO to work. A change of scenery can do wonders for the creativity—which my job depends on. I know some business owners that are able to get the job done in their pajamas from home all day, and good on them, but I’m not wired that way. That said, thanks to lots of questions and some fabulous mentors, I had the business plan for NEON PR pretty well hammered out before I gave it a go, so very fortunately, my (final) answer is: Not a thing.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Go to networking events. Even if some are a bust, you might just meet your next client, customer or spark an idea talking to people with similar interests. And, if all else fails, you’ll have met at least one new person or have planted a seed for potential business opportunities.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Early on as a new business owner, I was quick to take some people’s word over their contractual signature. I was also quick to learn to not do that ever again.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
If you have clients or customers that operate in retail/have a product to sell—take them away from paper forms and convert them to iPads. It makes them appear cutting-edge to customers and is environmentally friendly.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?
Philosophically, employing The Golden Rule “Treat others the way you want to be treated”… if everyone put themselves in the shoes of people they deal with on a daily basis, the world would be a much happier place. I doubt anyone wishes to be backstabbed, talked down to, etc.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I’m a certified scuba diver.
What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?
Mymediainfo. It’s a media database and is essential for my business in terms of researching reporters for new story leads.
Google. Enough said.
Thesaurus.com. Good for brain farts (see: laxness, blockout, paramnesia, absentmindedness, etc.) expanding vocabulary, and not being redundant.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist because it’s like an adult children’s novel. The lessons are priceless and hold so much importance. Its core theme is re-discovering your personal legend and following what you have always wanted to accomplish, which most people lose sight of the older or more complacent they become.
Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?
@Zappos—Headquartered in the newly renovated downtown Las Vegas, Tony Hsieh, chief executive officer, uses Twitter to post interesting entrepreneurial tidbits and has unique, thought-provoking tweets about how he runs his company and interacts with his employees.
@LeeAbbamonte—he’s the youngest person to travel to every country in the world, and a travel writer (makes sense, right?) so he’s always posting cool stories from around the world and hosts unique Twitter Q&A’s about his travels.
@Mashable— I always find out about ‘trends’ and quirky things happening in the world via their Twitter feed. And it has a mix of, you know, relevant news stuff too.
When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?
The question above, because I wanted to put readers should follow @HilariousTED, but quickly realized that would be very un-presidential of me during this discussion.
Who is your hero, and why?
My local Starbucks baristas. Aside from my usual grande iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte to get me going every morning that I drive through, now that I’ve gotten to know them, they either compliment or crack me up somehow—always a great start to my morning. Just shows that positivity and good ol’ people interaction is so influential and important.
Was it scary starting your own business?
I often get asked this question by my peers and the knee-jerk answer is “yes”, because there is always a fear that things might not work out. But the trick is in your attitude—I choose to look at obstacles as opportunities and just take the plunge. I figure you’ll come out of it a more well-rounded person trying and failing than never trying and always wondering.
Wait…so Vegas is actually inhabitable?
It’s so crazy to me that people think this city is all fun and games—it is…but there is so much more to do than booze in the casinos. Red Rock and Mt Charleston are two amazing hiking spots that if you go—you won’t even believe you’re in Vegas. Plus, where else can you take the controls of an airplane after a 30 min safety briefing and recreate your favorite Top Gun scene (Sky Combat Ace), race a Ferrari (Dream Racing) and shoot machine guns (The Range 702) in one day? (All sober activities I might add). Those kinds of adventures along with the entertainment and culinary scene here make this city like adult version of Disney Land. Magical.
Connect:
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NEON Public Relations on Twitter: @NEONPR_
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.