Best. Experience. Ever.

I began this blogger thing with the intentions of posting regularly. I obviously failed already. 


But I SWEAR... I will begin to post more often! Thank you for checking back, after only a few entries. 


This week, for my first time, I flew to Los Angeles, California. 


It was spectacular! Great weather, great people, and even better scenery. The most important day of the trip, and the reason I went, was to be a part of Celebrity Wedding Planner Mindy Weiss' 'Most Ridiculous Wedding Event Ever 2' on Sunday, November 14. 


It was the most ridiculous, spectacular, inspiring event I have gone to! It was so great being a student and hearing not only Mindy speak about her experiences, but other expert vendors who are just as knowledgable and well-known as she is. 


Listening to Jay Goldman (photographer) speak about the magic of retouching; Nikki Khan(wedding planner)speak about the art of Indian cultural weddings; Elizabeth Messina (amazing photographer --check out her blog www.kissthegroom.com) speak about the use of props in wedding photography; and Mark Held (celebrity florist) speak about trends in florals; was absolutely amazing!! 


Other speakers presented as well- Ellen Black (celebrity invitation creator), Ja'maal Buster (Lash Guru to the stars), The Cake Divas (name speaks for itself), Ray Thompson (lighting specialist), Edgar Zamora (designer), Christy Weber (social media expert and blogger- Junebugweddings.com), Simon T. Bailey (motivational speaker) and last but not least- Randy Fenoli of Say Yes to the Dress!!


It was a fulfilling day of fabulous give-a-ways, incredible food and so much educational information! It could not have gone better. 


Celebrity Sighting : I was even able to spot Lo Bosworth (The Hills) hanging out with her newly engaged friend, soaking up Mindy's information to be able to help out! 


It was an experience I will NEVER forget, and is something I will use in my resume for life! 


So, for all my PR friends who are experiencing informational interviews, and beginning on their searches for the perfect internship, remember that the most influential experiences can come in any form. 


For me, it was travelling to California and learning from the absolute BEST in the field. For you, it may be something different- but remember- those informational interviews are important in shaping you as a PR professional and can help set you  apart from the other applicants. 


And hey- maybe learning from that person for that short time can result in the internship of your dreams... thats where the big news of my post lies. I was able to personally speak to Mindy, and was encouraged to apply for her internship program for the summer of 2011. Should I do it? Hell Yes. 




** PS... I will post pictures as SOON as I can! Im currently blogging from the Plane!! 

Creating My Online Brand

I am proud to say I have officially created my own website! 

After hours of work, it is finally complete. 

It encompasses all areas of my online brand; such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Picasa, Writing Samples, and of course my blog. 

On my road to getting an internship, I have officially taken the first step! It is exciting, and scary, that I can now inform people of my online presence. It feels like my very own way of giving a business card.  

So here it goes; 

Hey! Look me up online on my website - www.danielleshaw.ca 

Scratching the Blog Itch...

As a student at Humber College, my classmates and I began a course which focuses on our "online brand". Being Public Relations students, this was a key aspect in gaining an online presence that would get us noticed by key employers and others in the industry. 


So after hours of putting together my new website www.danielleshaw.ca (Note: This is still under construction- who knew it could be so challenging!!) I began to discover all the different social media sites. Picasa, WordPress, Twitter... everything was all there. I just felt it was missing something. Thats when I discovered Blogger. 


I kept thinking to myself, I wish I was interesting enough to write a blog... as I didn't think I had anything of substance to say. However, after thinking about it over and over, I realized that I could talk about exactly what I was experiencing right now. 


Internships. The process of getting my first Public Relations job, keeping that job and the situations I was getting myself in while working that job, and finally, working to get my new employer to take me on as a REAL employee! 


My internship process is becoming the most fascinating, stressful, nerve wracking, exciting process I've ever endured. 


So that is what this blog is going to be about. You will be able to follow me on my process of becoming a successful event planner (let's cross our fingers this happens! I need SOMETHING to write about!)


Along the way, I'd like to interview real professionals in their craft to see what their positions are like, the passions they have for their career, and the experiences they had trying to become a leader in the industry. 


This is an aspect of the social media world I've wanted to experience and I hope you follow me along the way to becoming a Post Grad.