Articles on PR for People

Educate Yourself: The American Resistance

Eons ago in my last year of college, John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice was the text book for my political science class. The class was assigned to write about the factors that led to Nazi Germany’s murderous rampage. What characteristics did the fascists (and their supporters) have in common? I decided to write about Nazi Germany from a different angle. I wrote about the people who had resisted the fascists. They shared characteristics in common. Those who had resisted fascism had integrity, compassion, and a conscience.


Book Review: Essayism by Brian Dillon

In Essayism, Brian Dillon dispels the notion that the essay is an excuse for not being able to commit to a long-term project. Some essays, for example, On Being Blue by William H. Gass or Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes, are over a hundred pages, hardly the output of an uncommitted, dilettante writer.


The True Brand of the People—Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin’s colorful life, his legacy, his brand is on our money: the quarter and the hundred dollar bill. His name is on warships. He is the namesake for many towns, counties, educational institutions, and companies. All of these things were done in his name, not by him, but for him, because he stood for honor, integrity, loyalty, dignity, and fairness. More than two centuries after his death, his brand has endured and he has achieved the status of a cultural icon.


Dave's Killer Brand

If you want to get great press, you need to tell a great story. Sometimes it can be a challenge to come up with a good story that is in total alignment with your business or your persona. Every so often, along comes a killer brand that achieves success, great revenue and long-lasting fame because its story is the perfect fit with its fundamental  business.  


Book Review: Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

There is a lot going on in Amsterdam that has little to do with either the Dutch city or the death of Molly Lane. Ian McEwan deftly weaves multiple leitmotifs that are subtle and breathtaking. Aside from being a brilliant writer, Ian McEwan is downright clever. Amsterdam is well worth the read and deserving of the 1998 Booker Prize.


Do You Think You’re Sexy?

Romantic love is one of the most powerful of all human experiences, and there is a lot to be said for perfecting the practice of romancing your audience.  If you want to be attractive to your audience, here is some advice for you to think about.


How To Get Picked Up By Top-Tier Media

Even though the media has become highly fragmented, there is no greater credibility for your and your small business than getting authentic news coverage.  There is more media than ever and these media outlets range from the equivalent of 3-pound dumbbells to the bench press. To get a larger audience, you want to shoot for top-tier press.  Let’s take three  heavyweight contenders—The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. How do you get in?


Lawrence Berzon: The Myth of Performance

Lawrence Berzon has always been a storyteller. The evolution of his work is a progression from the graphic novel to multi-frame painting. Then sculpted frames were added to the paintings, and ultimately frames were created within the image. These frames inside the image eventually evolved to become dioramas. Then the dioramas began to move and became kinetic sculptures.


Book Review: Perfection by Vincenzo Petronico

Millennial couple Anna and Tom are two halves of the same dull leaf, vaguely similar, almost mirror images of one another, too afraid to be unlike one another. The author states, “Anna and Tom weren’t free to be themselves or rather free to reinvent themselves.” Together they amble through glossy high-tech design careers, while living the good life in trendy Berlin. They vacation in hotspots, do stints in Portugal and Sicily, always suffering from existential pain and the petty inconveniences of modern life. Yet the pics they posted on Facebook show an alternate reality—they weren’t really miserable; they were smiling and having a good time!


Book Review: Love & Murder

Welcome to a world where cats experience complex philosophical thought and existential pain. Love & Murder are two house cats, brother and sister, who are thrust from domestic comfort into a cruel world. The cats remember infinite bowls of milk and the honeyed voice of their owner “Lady,” who catered to their every whim. The days of on-demand feeding and ample sun spots in the garden have come to an end. Lady’s multiple coos oozing with affection have stopped. Now the two cats are strangers wandering in a strange land.