My design was a blank legal pad and a pen, so it certainly wasn’t part of the plan. There were things that I knew I couldn’t do, such as healthcare or insurance PR, because I couldn’t understand them or didn’t care about them. However, I felt that my net was anything I could tell a story about, from the eighth floor to the lobby; it was a wide net. I ate; I had been going to restaurants for decades, so restaurants made the net. Then, I got lucky with timing and opportunity. TGI Friday’s called me and said they were looking for some ideas from an unknown. I spent weeks there, watching and writing, writing and watching, visually discerning what I felt was right and what I felt were opportunities to bring people in and bring them back. I was able to present everything concisely, and when I had the opportunity to visit headquarters, I made the most of it and was fortunate enough to provide what they were missing.

derekPR: I am so glad you noticed, lol. It was a shift in priorities for my partner brands. For clarity, most award nominations are submitted with a fee. Their goal was to nominate themselves, and when it was assigned to me, my goal was for them to win or receive recognition.