Amanda Berlin Portfolio Marketing and PR Writing TELEVISION AND RADIO PUBLICITY Project background: Three recent college graduates, fresh off a transformative post-grad road trip, founded a non-profit that brings to classrooms with limited resources the experience of getting on the road. The program encourages students to consider life beyond school and the value of getting perspective from inspiring people from all walks of life. A national telecom company sponsored access to this educational program and enlisted our assistance in getting local television and radio coverage for the founders of the organization and the curriculum. ROADTRIP NATION: TAKING EDUCATION ON THE ROAD Mike Marriner Took a Roadtrip Following College, His Organization, Roadtrip Na- tion, Encourages Kids to Take to the Open Road to Find Their Inspiration, Too When Mike Marriner, Nathan Gebhard, and Brian McAllister graduated college in 2001, they weren’t sure what to do with their lives. And they felt there was a connection missing between their educa- tion, their passions, and the real world. To help repair this chasm, Marriner, Gebhard, and McAllister hit the road in an old, green RV to interview leaders across America and learn how they got to where they are today. Leaders like CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, CEO of Dell Computers Michael Dell, Craig Venter, the scientist who decoded the human genome, and more than 70 others told their stories. That roadtrip was featured in Forbes Magazine and later turned into a book, which was featured on NBC's Today Show, CBS News, NPR, BBC News, Newsweek, USA TODAY, Outside Magazine, Esquire Magazine and many other outlets across the world. Following the book launch, Mike cofounded Roadtrip Nation to offer other students that same experi- ential learning opportunity. Today, more than 100,000 students across the country go through Road- trip Nation curriculum to help explore possible pathways for their own futures and connect their edu- cation to the real world. The curriculum has been shown to significantly impact the influencing factors associated with the drop-out crisis, including making students education more relevant, engaging, and connected to the real world. When Ray Ricafort was a student, he hit the road in New Zealand to interview leaders from all walks of life. His experience was featured in Season Six of Roadtrip Nation on public television. He is now director of outreach for the organization. Mike Marriner and Ray Ricafort will be available to talk to your listeners about Roadtrip Nation in in- terviews on October 14, 2011. They will discuss the inspiration behind the project, what they learned through their roadtrips, how they are extending the opportunity to other students, and the positive re- sults. Project Background: Easter Seals provides support to families of people of all ages with developmental disabilities. This project paired the mother of a child with autism with an Easter Seals spokesperson to educate Americans on the early signs of autism. These radio interviews were meant to empower parents to trust their instincts. The women offered first-hand insight as well as professional guidance on how to speak to your doctor and when to turn to an Easter Seals chapter for support. TIPS ON RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF AUTISM TO SET THE STAGE FOR EARLY INTERVENTION Mom and Easter Seals Expert Offer Insight on Five Milestones and Warning Signs of Autism One in every 110 children is diagnosed with some form of autism. And one in every five households with children have a child with a special healthcare need. Yet every year we fail to identify 1.45 mil- lion children under five who are at risk for developmental delays. Knowing the signs of developmental delays or disabilities and understanding the milestones your child should be hitting at every age is crucial to helping address a problem before it has a significant impact on your child’s life and learning. Mother of 3, Stephanie Gordon, had some uneasy feelings about her son, Kyle’s, development. Stephanie went through a checklist of warning signs of autism and Kyle, “hit every one.” Stephanie trusted her instincts, sought help, and was persistent with Kyle’s doctors. Eventually Kyle was diag- nosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), a form of autism. And now, at 7 years old, Kyle attends a neighborhood school and his teachers are confident he’ll be able to live on his own in the future. Available to talk to your listeners about what parents should know in evaluating their child’s develop- ment and getting help is Stephanie Gordon and Katy Neas, national spokesperson for Easter Seals, a leader in services for people with disabilities and their families. They will talk about: • The five milestones your child should hit by five years of age. • Five warning signs to watch for • How to talk to your doctor • Where to find support and services • And more about the personal experience of raising a child with autism or other disabilities ABOUT Katy Neas is the Vice President of Government Relations at Easter Seals where she works to develop and achieve public policy goals for the federal, state, and local government. She is also the national spokeswoman for the organization’s new Make the First Five Countsm awareness and advocacy campaign about the importance of early intervention services for young children. Katy has co-authored with the Center for Law and Social Policy several reports and policy papers about child education and care opportunities for children with disabilities, including “Coming Together for Children with Disabilities State Collaboration to Support Quality Inclusive Child Care.” ABOUT Stephanie Gordon is a mother of 3 who stood firm in her belief that her son needed inter- vention and treatment for autism. Her son Kyle is the Easter Seals 2011 National Child Representa- tive. Project Background: Laura Ling was detained in North Korea for more than three months in 2009. On May 18, 2010, almost a year to the day she was arrested, the book describing her experience co-written with her sister Lisa Ling, was released. I wrote the following pitch, which helped garner interviews for Ling with top local television markets, to ensure her compelling story was heard. LAURA LING On the Book Co-written With Sister, Lisa Ling SOMEWHERE INSIDE One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea And The Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home Laura Ling was vice president of Current TV’s investigative journalism series Vanguard, and served as an on-air correspondent for the show when she and her colleague Euna Lee were apprehended and imprisoned in North Korea last year. On March 17, 2009, Laura Ling and Lee were working on a documentary about North Korean defectors when they were chased down by North Korean soldiers, violently apprehended, charged and imprisoned. They endured months of interrogations and eventually a trial before they were sentenced to twelve years of hard labor in a prison camp in North Korea. When news of the arrest reached Laura’s sister, journalist Lisa Ling, she immediately began a campaign to get her sister released, one that led her from the State Department to the higher echelons of the media world and eventually to the White House. Laura Ling is available for interviews on May 28, 2010 to discuss their book SOMEWHERE INSIDE: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home, which reveals for the first time Laura’s gripping account of what really happened and Lisa’s unrelenting efforts to secure Laura and Euna’s release. Project Background: Sam Talbot won “fan favorite” on the second season of the hit television show, Top Chef. The no- toriety gave this kitchen heartthrob the visibility to bring an important cause to light: his battle with type 1 diabetes. As a chef, he served as the perfect spokesperson for a diabetes management client. I wrote this pitch, capitalizing on Sam’s celebrity as well as the real challenges he faces as a chef with a dietary concern that impacts millions of Americans. CELEBRITY CHEF SAM TALBOT DISHES ABOUT HIS NEW COOKBOOK AND LIVING THE SWEET LIFE WITH DIABETES Top Chef Star Talks Tactics for Managing the Condition He’s Lived with since Age 12 Offers Great Recipes and Advice for the Nearly 26 Million Americans with Diabetes for Navigating the Lifestyle Challenges of the Holiday Season As the holidays approach, so do the temptations. People with diabetes want to enjoy the amazing foods of the season with friends and family while keeping their diabetes in check. And who better to help than a hot celebrity chef who has diabetes himself? Sam Talbot was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12. Now, he’s written a new cookbook, called The Sweet Life: Diabetes without Boundaries, that includes innovative recipes for fresh, all-natural dishes that everyone can prepare and enjoy, along with stories and tips from his own life that prove you can live life to the fullest-even with diabetes. Talbot, a semi-finalist who was voted “Fan Favorite” on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” is executive chef of Imperial No. 9 in New York City’s Mondrian Soho Hotel, and the Surf Lodge in Montauk, NY. Since his diabetes diagnosis, Talbot has developed a deep understanding of the relationship between food and blood glucose levels and learned to successfully manage his diabetes while living a life full of ad- venture and achievement. Sam Talbot will be available for interviews on Wednesday, November 16, 2011. He will discuss: • How to enjoy the foods you love during the holidays, and always, while paying close attention to your health • How to handle everything from work and hobbies to relationships and travel during the holi- days with discipline and enthusiasm • How he accepted his condition, took control, and is now able to live a great life Project background: Every year, the American Heart Association does outreach to bring awareness to the threat of heart disease, particularly among women, in America.