@JoelECarlson – Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Twitterview of @kmskala. Lets start off the week with a bang!
@kmskala – Good morning!
Q – #1 So @kmskal, where did you grow up and go to High School? What did you start doing out of HS?
A: I grew up in southern MN in Owatonna. I was active in sports and also worked as a sports writer for our town’s paper
Q – #2 After HS, where did you go to college and what did you major in?
A: I went to @DrakeUniversity (notable MN alums @GregSwan & @missyberggren) and was a journalism major my freshman year
After shadowing Randy Shaver @ KARE11, he was subtle but clear that my dreams of being on ESPN probably wouldn’t happen
So I decided to change my major to public relations and have never looked back. Wise decision to change, IMO.
Q – #3 What kind of work do you do now, and are you involved with any local organizations?
A: Currently I work in communications for @GreatClips. I’m responsible for our corporate & brand communications (B2C side)
A big part of my work includes the reputation and community management of our online presence.
And I am a big supporter and active member of @minnesotaPRSA. Foundation of my work is still traditional PR
Q – #4 What kinds of things does the @minnesotaPRSA do and get involved with?
A: I help lead the organization’s communications committee which is essentially responsible for all comm efforts
So what our focus (@lulugrimm & @cbetancourtpr play huge role, too) is to figuring out how the org can remain relevant
and valuable for our members. So the three of us (@lulugrimm & @cbetancourtpr) focus on “modernizing” the org’s efforts
Q – #5 Lets go the FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, winter activity, comfort food and recent book?
A: Favorite restaurant by far is @BrodersPastaBar Best pasta in Minnesota. Also a fan of @pinstripesMN
Store: no surprise, I am addicted to @thepumastore at Mall of America. Winter activity: sit by the fire and read.
Best book I’ve read recently is The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero.
I only read non-fiction and it was fascinating to read about Houdini and his life.
Q – #6 You are a good Foursquare user. What kind of benefits have you received from doing so?
A: If it’s for free, it’s for me. A number of restaurants around where I work give free items to those who check-in.
Most importantly though, it helps to see what others are doing with it from a biz perspective.
Plus, if I become mayor of all the businesses around my work, I expect them to erect a bronze statue of me.
Q – #7 To close, what is your hope or expectation for PR in Minnesota?
A: Minnesota has a bright and active PR community. It’s competitive yet we still are supportive and helpful of each other
While we’re known nationally for our ad community, we’re doing great things to put MN PR on the map.
I think as we go on, businesses and professionals will really look at our community as a leader in the PR space.
@JoelECarlson – Thanks for your time, comments and humor mixed in today @kmskala! Have a great afternoon!
@kmskala – You as well. Thanks for the opportunity. Stay warm and out of the snow!