ANN C. LAMANES
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
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Over 10 years of experience; agency, corporate, government and non-profit; local, national and international scope
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Specialize in producing compelling, impactful communications for diverse audiences across multiple mediums:
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Online (websites, blogs, social media)
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Print (press releases, byline articles, white papers, marketing collateral)
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Spoken word (public speaking)
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Broadcast (TV, radio)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Communications Officer - City of Hamilton (Hamilton, ON)
March 2010 to Present
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Provides strategic communications counsel and tactical support to the Community Services department, including public relations, advertising, internal communications, public affairs and media relations
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Community Services offers health, housing, cultural, recreational and social services that promote well being and create opportunities to enhance the quality of life in Hamilton
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Key projects: Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council, Hamilton Farmers' Market, Best Start, Emergency Operations Committee
Communications Advisor – Research In Motion (Waterloo, ON)
September 2009 to March 2010 (6 Month Contract)
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In consultation with senior internal leaders, proactively anticipated and managed communications issues, and provided strategic counsel and support
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In partnership with colleagues in global locations, developed and executeed both internal and customer-facing communications strategies and tactics
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Created comprehensive, strategic communication plans for major initiatives and changes
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Provided guidance and collaborates with team members on best practices to align and reach intended audience
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Contributed to overall communications strategy, including supporting communication efforts in an emergency
2004 to September 2009
- Managed internal and external communications for private IT education, conference and consulting company ($20M company; global client roster – including Fortune 500)
- Promoted from Assistant Marketing Manager – Communications in April 2007
Key Responsibilities & Highlights:
Media Relations
- Created ‘raving fans’ from media, analysts and bloggers worldwide – provided immediate response to interview requests, matched/prepped appropriate interviewee and conducted follow-up to determine success of interview and any additional information required
- Acted on opportunities to promote Pink services, events, white papers and articles: various free websites, editorial calendars, monitor key journalist stories, offer subject matter experts
- Built media lists for targeted pitching of press releases; maintained master list of 600+ contacts
- Helped Pink achieve recognition through various awards programs (e.g. PROFIT W100)
- Acquired first media sponsors and attending press for annual conference
Social Media/Online Communications
- Represented company and engaged with audiences on various social media sites, helping answer questions and providing referrals to useful online content
- Administrator for Twitter site
- Designer/administrator for online newsroom
- Wrote corporate website content and updated pages, using SEO practices (e.g. keyword links)
- Managed editorial schedule and copy writing for company’s monthly e-newsletter (worldwide)
- Authored corporate blogging policy
Quality Assurance
- Managed QA process, ensuring corporate standards met for all product materials, marketing/sales collateral, customer reports, etc.
- Participated in hiring of new Copywriter; trained and managed new employee on internal processes
- Performed quality reviews that contribute to sales (e.g. RFPs leading to business wins)
- Contributed to successful call for authors submission for a prestigious global publication project (chosen as 1 of 5 author teams out of 1,000+ proposals)
- Edited script and recorded company’s first online education course – free demo
Internal Communications
- Coordinated weekly company staff meetings and internal company news updates (e-mail alerts)
- Developed blog to improve internal communications – central place for announcements
- Provided marketing/PR overview to new employees during orientation process
Conferences & Special Events
- Represented company at industry trade shows across North America
- Produced daily TV program for company’s annual conference – highlighted daily events and conducted interviews with presenters
PR Assistant (One-Year Contract) – YWCA (Hamilton, ON)
2003 to 2004
- Created and implemented PR activities for not-for-profit organization that provides health and wellness programs for women, families, seniors and people with special needs
- Organized events, managed public information requests, pitched stories and secured interviews with media, created e-newsletters and annual report, maintained web content, coordinated volunteer duties, advised spokespeople on external communications
- Highlight: Successfully coordinated Week Without Violence initiative and generated significant media exposure (300,000+ impressions)
2001 to 2003
- Assisted in communications programs, planned major events, assembled/distributed press kits, built strong regional and national media relationships, conducted research, wrote media materials and speaking notes, assisted with media training and provided post-program analysis
- Served clients in telecommunications, automotive, academic, financial and consumer goods sectors including: L’Oreal Canada, McMaster University, General Mills, Bell Canada, Saturn, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Highlights:
- Bell Canada: Coordinated launch of Musicmatch, Canada’s first online, subscription-based music service, resulting in extensive national media coverage; recognized with company award for ‘Best PR Idea’
- General Mills: Member of media relations team for the Cheerios Salt Lake City Olympics program (resulting in front-page Globe & Mail story)
1996 to Present – Professional Musician
- Performs with musical group Now & Then – vocalist, guitar, drums, keyboards
1996 to 2001 – Various Positions (London, ON)
- Various positions held throughout university career, including editorial assistant in Department of English at UWO, and customer service provider
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Familiar with numerous computer programs and online tools: MS Office Suite, Windows/MAC OS, basic HTML, CRM software, blogging (Expression Engine, Blogger, Wordpress); podcasting (Adobe Audition, Garage Band); social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Digg, Google Alerts/Reader/Analytics, YouTube, etc.); PR (Bacon’s/Cision MediaSource)
FORMAL EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE & SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
- Programs Chair & Newsletter Writer/Editor – Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), Hamilton – 2005 to 2007
- Award of Recognition – Marketing and PR mentor for Hamilton youth employment project – 2004
- PR Chair, The Great Big Music Gig – event to promote music education in schools – 2004
- Hamilton Publicity Chair, Bell Walk for Kids – 2003
- Canadian Music Week Volunteer – 2001
- Achieved honours level in piano exams with the Royal Conservatory of Music
References Available Upon Request |
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