Louisiana Leisure

So you might get tired after several nights of barhopping, and you certainly can't go out on the boat every weekend with fuel prices being what they are, and seeing that you yourself don't own the boat! So, in the third part of this series of posts, I'll fill you in on some of the other fun things I've found to do here in New Orleans.

Coconut Beach Public Volleyball Courts

WEDNESDAYS AT THE SQUARE
The Young Leadership Council (YLC), a New Orleans nonprofit, had put on Wednesdays at the Square this spring—a series of free concerts in Lafayette Square. It was a good place for young professionals to hang out after work, listen to live music and have a good time. It was a really great event that I was able to attend two or three times, and I ran into several LSU people living in New Orleans.

The event is run completely by volunteers, looking to provide a healthy, organized fun time for the city. The event issues drink tickets and has food available, too. People make an afternoon of it, bringing dogs and lawn chairs and JUST kicking back. Afterward, people can go home or hit up one of the nearby bars or hotels like Lucy's or the W, and I've done both.

At the very beginning of the summer, the weather was just good enough to have such an outdoor event; if they were to have it now, people would have to bring two extra sets of clothes because it is sweltering outside! It's over until the fall and I already miss it! It's also fun because they're one of our clients.

COCONUT BEACH
These are public volleyball courts right by the levees on Lake Pontchartrain in northern New Orleans. It's apparently been a hotspot for young New Orleanians for years, especially during the summer. They do host tournaments, but several courts are open for public play. There's music playing, a concession stand and, if you're in the mood, a bar. It's certainly not too hot with the breeze coming off the lake, and it's a great way to unwind and get your exercise. I went one evening after work with some friends and had a great time.

CAFÉ DU MONDE
I didn't include this in my first post about New Orleans' nightlife because it's something you can do during the day too! I'm sure most of you, if not all, have at least heard of Café Du Monde, and I hope if you haven't been yet that you rush into town immediately and join me in the French Market for the best beignets and chocolate milk in existence. It's actually a short drive from work, though I've only been there once so far at night after hitting up Rock N' Bowl.

AUDUBON PARK
I hate running, and I think it's mostly because I get bored with it after too long. But at the beginning of July I discovered Audubon Park, and the track there counteracts the boredom. It's a dynamic, fluid track with a great backdrop of trees and water, and there are wide enough lanes for many runners and bikers to partake. When it's not as hellishly hot as it is in NOLA right now, this makes for a great stop after work. The track is two miles even, I've been told, so it's also a good pace-setter. It's right by the Audubon Zoo, so just watch out for any fugitive animals, but it's definitely great if you get tired of running down St. Charles.

HARRAH'S CASINO
I can't really tell you much about this one because I haven't gotten the chance to visit, though I have eaten at the new Ruth's Chris in the hotel, and I'll tell you that it was amazing. There's one in the Hard Rock Casino back home, so if any of you on the Coast are reading, keep it in mind the next time you're up for fine dining. But Harrah's is on my to-do list because I'm obsessed with casinos, especially living so near to the Beau Rivage and Hard Rock!

All these places, establishments and leisurely activities (with the exception of Harrah's) have definitely helped fill the time not spent at work. New Orleans is a great place with lots of opportunities: more than 800 restaurants and bars, plenty of outdoors activities nearby and a great gumbo of a cultural identity. If you haven't even visited, you need to!

Big Easy Boating

The boat bounced softly on the waves as we tossed out the crab nets near Southern Scrap's collection yard by Seabrook, in the shadows of the New Orleans skyline.

I accompanied my college roommate and two friends from LSU out on Lake Pontchartrain and the nearby waterways on Sunday to culminate what was my first really big weekend here in the Big Easy, which included trips to Port of Call, F & M Patio Bar and several other bars I've already told you about. But barhopping isn't the only activity for a college intern or young professional here. I've found ways to keep myself busy.

NEW ORLEANS WATERWAYS
I got an invitation one Sunday to go fishing with my roommate Brandon and friends Kyle and Paul, so I drove out to Metairie to meet them and get everything ready. I've lived on some form of coastline for 19 of my 21 years, so the presence of water is pretty crucial to my daily existence. I have missed the Coast since I've been in New Orleans, but there's plenty of water here with the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.

Loaded with turkey necks, crab necks, rods, reels and other supplies, we dropped off the truck at Seabrook boat launch and headed out (actually, technically we headed in, toward the river down the Intercoastal Waterway. The small but durable boat wasn't much bigger than a skiff, and it bounced firmly off the wakes of other boats, but it got the job done. I'm no fan of train tracks or bridges, especially going under them by boat, but I had no choice or time to object as our suicidal captain slipped just underneath a lowered train bridge. The top of my head was literally less than two feet from a rolling train.

After surviving my brush with death, we came upon the Southern Scrap docks, maneuvering our way through small spaces between derelict casino barges and shrimp boats and laying our crab traps. It gave me my first feeling that I was indeed in a huge city, because it had as yet just seemed so small to me. But I felt like I was at the docks in some big-city crime drama as the silhouettes of New Orleans' hotels and office buildings watched silently, because it was so isolated. And it felt really great.

In keeping with the current blue crab shortage, we would be unsuccessful in our crabbing efforts. But Brandon checked some traps he had previously dropped and we had a good haul, half of which I would take home and boil myself. Blue crabs have been a mainstay in my coastal experience since my childhood in Charleston, S.C., so I have a deep appreciation for good crab cooking. As a novice, I think I did a respectable job!

We abandoned crabbing for fishing and were just as unsuccessful, though Paul brought in two HUGE flounder. I have never seen flounder so big; he caught them at the edge of a manufacturing plant further down a river outlet. Only one made it to the frying pan though, as the other snapped the line just before I could grab a net. But it was a great day of fishing. At the end of our trip, we just motored down the outlet and deep into the swamp in search of an old fort. We found it, but at what cost? The tide was low and the boat was stuck! We pushed our way out, though, and made it back alive.

I hadn't been out on the water in too long, so it was a wonderful weekend. Because I went so in-depth about this trip, I'll make this a three-part series and touch on the other fun things to do in New Orleans in my next post.

New Orleans Nightlife

I promised I'd touch on some of the fun things I've been doing in my own free time in New Orleans this summer. This will have to be a two-part entry, one touching on the city's nightlife and the spots I've visited, and the second part can go over some of the fun, adventurous things I've done. These are some of the places I've been to so far, including some of my favorites like Port of Call, F & M and Red Eye. I haven't really been to a place I haven't liked!

PORT OF CALL
One of the best places to get your happy hour or burger fix on in the city. It's one of the most famous hole-in-the-wall stops in a city full of holes-in-the-wall. Port of Call sits on the corner of Esplanade and Dauphine in the French Quarter, right near work. You can enjoy a hearty cheeseburger and baked potato and some of the biggest, stoutest drinks ($5-$9) in the city, and it's all worth it. I've had multiple experiences with Port of Call, trying the infamous Monsoon and the Huma Huma drinks. The Huma Huma was easily manageable, but the Monsoon was a different story. There's a reason it's infamous.

ROCK N' BOWL
I went once to meet some friends from LSU at Rock n' Bowl in Mid City. Now, I'd heard of Rock n' Bowl but didn't know it was in New Orleans, but it's got a history to it and very treasured. The cover was $10, somewhat high, but there's usually live entertainment there so it's worth it. Apparently Arthur Dupre works there, so I knew someone else, and ran into a friend from high school there for a USM frat party. Didn't bowl, but it was a great time! Big Sam's Funky Nation was playing there, and I definitely enjoyed them and their energetic sound. It'd be fun to bring a group there again.

RED EYE
Not our original destination, but a change for the better! My friends had come in town for the weekend and we were headed for the Bulldog on Magazine. Been there, done that. I was in more of an energetic mood, and we shifted gears and hit up the Red Eye near the river. It was very packed and very hot inside, but the music was good, service was good and we had a great time!

F & M PATIO BAR
Tchoupitoulas St. might be one of the busier streets for nightlife. F & M is pretty epic and easily my favorite spot so far. It's absolutely huge, with two stories and several rooms with different music playing in each. It's a younger crowd to be sure, but it's known as the place everyone comes to close out the night. If you're getting your late-night hungriness on, you can get the famous cheese fries downstairs by the back wall (though I haven't had them yet). Been there three times—after excursions to Balcony Bar and Red Eye—and it was always worth it.

LUCY'S RESTAURANT
Another spot on Tchoupitoulas St. We went here for happy hour on a Wednesday one week in conjunction with Wednesdays at the Square (more to come on that next time). There was a HUGE crowd of college-aged people, including some LSU friends, and they had some great happy hour specials, especially on the margaritas! They serve good food and were boiling crawfish when I went. The bar itself is small, but it's a great place to hit up for happy hour if you're in the city.

TIPITINA'S
The Tipitina's location we visited sits on the corner of Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas St. It's a fairly-large bar that hosts free live shows, I believe each Friday. We came in at the tail-end of a show, but it seemed fun. There's a large dance floor in front of the stage and a balcony area surrounding the floor. It's been voted Best Live Music Venue and Best Place to Dance to a Live Band by Gambit Weekly, so it's legit.

THE BULLDOG (MAGAZINE ST.)
There are two Bulldog bars, one on Magazine St. and one on Canal. I haven't gone to the Canal location, but the Magazine St. location was pretty cool. It's not an active bar like Red Eye, and by that I mean not a lot of moving around or dancing. Usually very packed, it's a sit-and-chill place like the Chimes in Baton Rouge. I'm not generally a sit-and-chill-seeker, but there's always a mood for it, and the Bulldog satisfied. Good prices on pitchers, but students beware: if you're under 21, you can't get in, not even with an "X" on your hand." But you can always go across the street to…

BALCONY BAR
I look for locations in NOLA where you can easily barhop, and Magazine and Tchoupitoulas St. provide that easy access. Balcony Bar is right across from the Bulldog and allows anyone over 18 (but follow the rules!). There's a downstairs area with pool tables, a sizeable bar and room to walk, and they do serve food. Upstairs, there's another bar with seating areas and TVs on all the sports channels, and again more room to walk/dance. The balcony is, clearly, the main feature of the bar, with tables outside that run along both sides of the corner that the bar sits on. We're frequent visitors, and I recommend it. They do have food, but I haven't eaten there yet.

COOTER BROWN'S
I'd actually been here before moving to the city this summer. It's down at the end of St. Charles near the railroad tracks, an expansive bar with several high-def TVs displaying more sports channels than you can imagine. They even have some weird horse-cart racing channel. There's a plethora of food choices ranging from burgers to poboys to meat pies—anything you want! Alligator? Yes, please! In the bar, you can check out the funny caricatures on the wall of people like Mao Zedong and Richard Nixon hoisting a beer they've been appropriately paired with. A fun place to hang, especially if the Saints are on and you don't have a ticket.

FRIENDLY BAR
Literally a stone's throw away from work, this was a cool place to chill for a little while at the end of the day. I wouldn't consider it as a long-term destination, but it's great for happy hour. Good music, a square room with space to move around, reasonable specials and a friendly staff. The woman working the bar even gave me discounts, which made it that much better!

d.b.a.
Another spot in the Marigny, this is a cozy joint with reasonable prices—it's a good place just to sit, talk, relax and enjoy a drink.

HOTEL MONTELEONE
My first trip to Port of Call led us into the French Quarter to Hotel Monteleone on Rue Royale (Royal St. if you don't parlez the français). The hotel has a Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge which is like an actual carousel: the seats on the bar move around the circular bar pit. It's pretty neat and served as a staging point for the rest of the night.

LAFITTE'S BLACKSMITH SHOP
This was another great spot we found on Bourbon Street after leaving the Monteleone. It's on the street corner and serves as a stopping point for several local ghost tours, some of which we encountered at the bar. We actually spent a long time here until the wee hour of 3:30 a.m. It was great interacting with other patrons. The bar had a side room with a piano in it and wasn't very packed, which made it a great place to just chill.

TUCK'S
This is a bar I've heard about from LSU folks several times and never had the opportunity to visit until this summer. It's uptown on Freret St., right near my house, and it's a nice little bar that isn't so packed. They've got pool tables and enough room to walk, and the specials are very good (Wednesday Ladies' Night, Thursday 25¢ beers). Though I've heard negative things from some New Orleanians, I think it has to do with the fact that it's predominantly either a Loyola or Tulane hangout (can't remember which), and students at the other don't enjoy it so much.

W HOTEL
There are two W Hotels in New Orleans—one on Chartres St. in the Quarter and one on Poydras near Lafayette Square. We went to the W on Poydras one Wednesday after Wednesday's at the Square for a PRSA mixer in one of the hotel's ballrooms. The hotel was really nice and had side areas to hang out before hitting up the main event. They had transformed one of the ballrooms into a dance club, and it was an older crowd but still a pretty good time.

I'm here in New Orleans to work and get valuable professional experience, and I'm definitely doing that, but I'm also finding time to have fun on the side. These are just some of the places I've gone, and I've got three weeks left to check out others. Next post I'll tell you about some of the other fun, non-bar places I've been.

Deveney Conference Room Comedy Club

Delirium has set in.

You all know the feeling. We've all had that last-minute crazy session where we've finally stopped procrastinating on that major project or assignment. It happens to the best of us.

One of our team members is a former standup comic, and so you can bet things are getting pretty crazy. Thankfully our weekly 7:30 a.m. debriefing session was pushed back, so there's a fair chance we might still get some sleep.

It's all worth it!

Down to the Wire

It's 8:30 and I'm still at work on a Monday! Insane!

We are doing final updates to a major proposal at work, and it's very exciting. I have nothing to do after I go home from work anyway but run, play video games or watch movies, so I figured I'd stick around and get some experience, and help out the rest of the Deveney team. I do have to get groceries, though, but I have enough to get by for another day.

I've been editing a couple of items, and I've also made a run to Lowe's and Port of Call, the official Deveney catrerer for this project!

It's very exciting. I worked to put together a smaller proposal last week with my fellow associates, and that was exciting as well. There's a sort of adrenaline rush when you're doing something like this, and I'm not sure but I think any of you who've worked on the editorial staff of The Daily Reveille would attest as much. This is so much bigger than the other proposal because it has the potential to be a huge account for us.

So we'll see!

Working Man

This summer's experience has marked my first true job. Granted, I've held jobs at other places before, working the lunch shift at B.B.'s Seafood and Poboy restaurant in Ocean Springs last summer, and stints with The Daily Reveille and a part-time position at the LSU Honors College, both of which have given me great experience. But those were all secondary in priority to schoolwork, and, though paying, were part-time positions.

My job at Deveney Communication is a 9-to-5 job, with those hours actually being more like 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. I'll generally leave work at around 5:30. And on Tuesdays we get to work at 7:30 a.m. for client debriefing meetings, where the whole team crowds into the DC Conference Room to go over our clientele. (I say crowded because the summer intern class of five is the largest they've ever had, and they recently hired former intern Shannon Corrigan to work full-time, so our boutique firm is not-so-tiny).

So this is a real job. No breaks in-between classes to stop by your apartment to chill, to take a nap or to play the Xbox. This is what it's really like in the working world, and though at first it was pretty tiring, I'm getting the hang of it. I'm no longer staying up till 2 a.m. on weekdays, which is shocking to me because I never thought I'd be able to break that habit. I enjoy listening to NPR on the morning and evening commutes.

Having a 9-5 job makes you feel that much more mature. In a way, I also enjoy paying bills. I certainly don't like money being taken out of my paychecks for taxes or out of my checking account for bills, but there's a sense of fulfillment when you write that check. It's verification that you're being responsible for yourself, and that's rewarding. I'm not so scared anymore of being totally on my own once the safety net of college is lifted.

And there's a difference when you're not balancing courses with work. Part of the stresses of working on campus are having to do just that, so you can excel at a job you love while also getting the good grades necessary. It can be very taxing as many of you and I can attest. But at a job, there are no real major distractions other than life's daily stresses. You can focus completely on work and get an incredible amount of stuff done.

That said, I still don't know if I'm gonna be ready to give up the university atmosphere after May 2009. I'm still considering graduate school or even continuing my undergraduate experience by picking up a minor or major, but time's running out on making those decisions. I may end up forcing myself into working, because we all know that you have to pay for things, and money doesn't grow on trees.

Living Easy in the Big Easy

All I've ever known in my 21 years is American Suburbia. I've never lived in a huge city and never near a very big one, either. My travels have taken my from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., to Montgomery, Ala., to Ocean Springs, Miss., and a couple of other brief stops before settling back in Ocean Springs. Baton Rouge is the state capital of Louisiana, but it's also a college town and not really considered a metropolitan area. This is my first experience living in one of America's big cities, even if it's not one of the biggest.

I've lived in the vicinity of New Orleans since 1998 when we moved to the Gulf Coast—Ocean Springs is just over an hour's drive away. Yet I never really ventured over, because I was younger and without a car. I did get the chance, however, to come see the Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons in 2000, which was incidentally the game that clinched the team's first division title and playoff appearance since the early 90s. People were singing, dancing and shouting in the streets, cars were honking and there was a general hysteria around the city as my family and I made our way to the Audubon Aquarium, and I wanted to join in, so I pumped my fist in the air and got acknowledgement from the crazed fans. I didn't really understand then the passion the city had for the team, or the general attitude of the city overall, but I'd come to appreciate it years later.

After graduating high school, I had much more invested in New Orleans. By then, I was a true blue Saints fan, had friends going to school in the city and was myself going to LSU, knowing I would likely make several ventures into the city for games, entertainment and my first New Orleans Mardi Gras that February. Then Hurricane Katrina hit, and I watched as the city suffered. It was somewhat uniting, because even though I and my family personally didn't suffer much, just damage to an empty house for sale on the market, my hometown and friends from both college and home were suffering. I felt a bond with New Orleanians I knew at school, and that helped me appreciate the city and its rebounding efforts that much more.

Now, while parts of the city and outlying areas are still in dire need of assistance and repair, the heart of the city is beating. This city is alive. The people are alive. There's not an overwhelming sense of doom and gloom. There's a subtle optimism here that I appreciate and enjoy. And each small part of the city is unique. In a big city, there are so many secluded spots and places that are able to retain their own individual cultures. This is evident in neighborhoods like the French Quarter, the Marigny, Mid City, etc. I love experiences these areas, the parks, the hole-in-the-wall bars and pubs, the spots that are famous to New Orleanians like Port of Call and Lafayette Square. And I also enjoy the big city life. I love the skyline as I approach on the Interstate. I love downtown's tall buildings and small streets. I love driving down Canal, going to hotel events and walking down the busy streets. The more I experience, the more I feel like I'm somewhat at home.

I think another reason I love New Orleans is because it reminds me of Charleston, S.C. I consider Ocean Springs my hometown, because much of who I am today and my best friends came from there. But Charleston is where I grew up, where I played as a child and where much of my extended family lives, and I have very fond memories of the area. That city has its own distinct Southern charm, a history that rivals most cities in America and a culture about it that is at once both inviting and mysterious. The cobblestone streets, the Battery, Rainbow Row, the beaches, the churches, the restaurants—they're all vehicles of historic expression, culture and knowledge. New Orleans is the same way, and I think it reminds me of Charleston on some level.

My initial opinion of New Orleans was negatively stereotypical and unfounded—I thought it was a dirty, dangerous city that I wouldn't mind visiting once in awhile but certainly did not want to study, work or live in. After regular visits to and experiences in the city, that all went away. I'm still glad I chose to go to LSU and absolutely love Baton Rouge, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to live and work in New Orleans for these three months and am enjoying myself thoroughly.

"We Love Bugs!": Opening the Audubon Insectarium

Alright, so I’ve given you and myself ample time to recover from the Fourth of July holiday. It was really great, got to go home and see all sorts of high school friends again, had a blast at the Music Festival and Fireworks, did some canoeing down the Wolf River and won $50 at the Hard Rock Casino blackjack tables. But now it’s back to work!

I wanted to create a couple of entries today to catch up on the last month here at Deveney Communication. This entry’s gonna focus on one of the biggest things I did almost immediately upon starting work, and then tonight I’ll do a post on our clients. Tomorrow I’ll either do a post on our office location or the New Orleans nightlife. We’re hitting up Port of Call again tomorrow night, so I’ll have some great stories.

But back to work! One of the biggest projects Deveney was working on when the associates
started work in June was the Grand Opening of Audubon Institute’s newest attraction, the Audubon Insectarium. The firm generated publicity for the grand opening and got media to attend the event. This place was apparently a big deal, being the largest museum of its kind in the U.S. and generating partnerships with entities like Terminix, which had a “bug blog” running for a couple weeks before the opening. Deveney attended the grand opening and facilitated media requests, interviews, shots, etc.

My fellow interns and I mingled throughout the “block party” (the city blocked off the street for the opening), asking questions of Insectarium employees and generating a buzz (pardon the pun) about the place for passerbys. Audubon actually had a brass band come out there, which was pretty cool, and they had this dude running around in a happy termite costume to hang with kids.

It was a big deal for the city apparently, because they had representatives from Audubon, Terminix and the mayor’s office there, in addition to Jackie Clarkson and Sonya Jindal. Crazy!

At first I didn’t know what to think about the Insectarium, because it just seemed like it wasn’t really a big deal. But the opening was a hit, with high-profile attendees and great attendance, and it was a fun event. I was looking for more immersion into the insects housed at the museum, more in the style of an aquarium, but the museum is just starting out.

There’s a bunch of cool things you can experience at the Insectarium. You can check out what it’s like to be a burrowing bug in the Underground exhibit, see some interesting things about Louisiana’s native insects and observe a bug’s journey through life in Metamorphosis. One of the cooler exhibits I felt was Butterflies in Flight, which is a sort of Zen garden secluded from the rest of the museum. It’s air-sealed and humidified, and you can walk through and see different types of butterflies; some might even land on you. It’s similar to Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama, so it was cool to see something like that come to Louisiana.

Finally, the Bug Appétit exhibit gave me an opportunity to get outside of my element a bit. Mainstream people generally don’t eat bugs, but they’re high in protein and are considered an ideal option for wilderness survival. So I wasn’t lost in the Amazon, but since I’m on somewhat of a health kick anyway, I figured, why not? How often am I going to have the opportunity to say that I ate Cajun crickets? So I seized the day and sampled a lineup of chocolate-covered crickets, leaf-cutter ants and, albeit extremely hesitantly, some form of fried worm fritter.

Oh well, Hakuna Matata…

…once you get past the fact that you’re chewing on insects, it’s not so bad. The Cajun crickets were by far the best item on the menu, and I found myself returning for more. They reminded me of the roasted pumpkin seeds that are a classic post-Halloween snack in my family, with just an extra Cajun kick. The chocolate item tasted just like Nestlé Crunch bars: chocolate-covered crispy rice treats. My coworkers Jessica and Brandon certainly didn’t want to get in on the action and were shocked I kept shoving crickets into my mouth.

It was a pretty cool way to kick off my summer career, but it wasn’t the last field trip I took! I’ll let you know about my Ruth’s Chris adventure later.

Parker Wishik, PR Agent

I still have not decided what sector of public relations I want to go into when my time at LSU is over (personally not looking forward to that, either!), so I wanted to test out life in one of the areas during my first internship.

Deveney Communication is a PR agency, and the agency environment greatly contrasts to the corporate and nonprofit environments in that you’re dealing with multiple clients, not just one. That is definitely something that has always appealed to me and definitely was a reason I applied at several agencies for internships.

Deveney has a great reputation in the industry as one of the top boutique firms in the country, which means they’re very small but very good. Don’t let the size of the Deveney team fool you: we handle several high-profile clients, some with international reach. I’ve been assigned to work with Ruth’s Chris Steak House (now a holding of Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.), Louisiana Office of Tourism and Starbucks, and I’ve also done work with LSU Health Care Services Division, Planet Beach, Touro Infirmary and New Orleans Museum of Art.

This is just a handful of our clients, and this is evidence of the benefit of working for a PR agency. Working for a corporate entity seems like it might become boring, seeing as it’s the only client you’ll work for, but with the variety of clients at an agency, you may work for a different one each day. It’s a gratifying experience.

Intern Introduction

So here's my situation! I’m living at my friend Alex’s house near Uptown, and I have to say it’s pretty cool. About to pay rent and utilities together for the first time, so it’s a little nerve wracking, but I’m gonna be able to make it work. Paying for stuff is tougher than you’d think, so a budget’s really important in a situation like this.

I am one of two Summer Scholars at Deveney Communication, a boutique Public Relations firm in the Marigny, right outside of the French Quarter. Deveney is a small firm, but one of the best in the business. They rack up the awards like nobody’s business, and they’ve been ranked in PRWeek’s Top 5 Boutique PR Firms in the U.S. I work with about seven senior associates and four other interns, so we’re a small group, but a great group!

The Summer Scholar program is a paying summer internship that is awarded after a serious, competitive application process that we went through in the spring. We had to fill out an application, which included a sample media audit and PR strategy plan for Louisiana Office of Tourism, one of Deveney’s actual clients (a long list of great ones to come!) and an original work to display our PR skills. My original work was a Public Service Announcement paralleling LOT’s current campaign, “My Louisiana.” The PSA starred Peyton, Eli and Archie Manning. After the initial application, we had to do a lengthy telephone interview, and if we passed through that, we were given a one-hour timed assignment to prove that we were doing our own work and that we could work under pressure.

It was a tough process, but it worked out! One of the perks of being the Summer Scholar at Deveney is living rent-free in a studio apartment right next to the office in the Marigny. Unfortunately for me, the apartment was awarded to the other Summer Scholar, who just graduated from Arkansas State University. But I was extremely lucky when Deveney offered me another paid position, making me a second Summer Scholar. This is the first time they’ve had two Summer Scholars. It’s a great distinction to have, and I’m still psyched about it. This is also the second consecutive year the Manship School of Mass Communication has had one of its students serve as the Deveney Summer Scholar, with Kelli Eason doing so last summer.Back to Deveney though. We have an A-list team of practicioners working on an A-list of clients, including:

• Ruth’s Chris Steak House (all corporate locations worldwide)
• Louisiana Office of Tourism
• LSU Health Care Services Division
• Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group
• New Orleans Museum of Art
• Audubon Institute
• Planet Beach
• Starbucks
• Touro Infirmary

It’s a really great group of clients, and there’s others. I am assigned to the Ruth’s Chris and Starbucks accounts, and I’ve done work for Audubon, LSU, NOMA, Ralph Brennan and Touro already as well. We’re not just confined to one client or one duty: we all do everything. Coverage reports, event planning, writing, pitch calls, concept development, it’s all happening! My favorite stuff is the brainstorming, when you get the creative juices flowing. And now, someone is actually depending on your ability and using your work! It’s a great feeling having something you’ve done get used.

Anyways, that’s just a basic rundown of what goes on. I’ll be giving more details soon on some projects I’ve already worked on, and hopefully nothing too eventful happens so I can start to catch up!

A New Beginning

I’m coming to you live from the Big Easy!

I had actually wanted to get a blog going for the summer awhile back, since everyone else seems to be on the blogging kick these days. You’ve got Joe Coussan up in Chicago, Reveille folks in Delaware and Europe blogs everywhere. I think it’s great! And everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, which is great.

So, one month late, I’ll be starting up this blog and keeping whoever wants to read it informed on what I’m doing in New Orleans. Granted, it’s probably not as interesting to yall as Chicago or Europe would be, since New Orleans isn’t a faraway strange place, but it’s a new experience for me and hopefully I’ll be able to pass along some nuggets about the working world. I also have some pics but left my camera stuff at home, so I’ll upload them when I get back after the Fourth.

So I’ll go ahead and finish this post, then make a couple to recap the last month, and then get this thing rolling!