Matt Browne

Audio Interview Henry Grey PR by Matt Browne Save MP3

Tell me about Henry Grey PR and why you decided to start the firm?

Henry Grey PR is a consumer public relations boutique I founded in 2008. We’re based here in San Diego and have a team of specialists in New York, LA and Boston, as well. We are really proud to be working with some very smart companies – from start-ups to major CPG and consumer service brands – that are looking for an agency partner who can help with public relations both through traditional and social media.

I grew up in the big agency world and spent nearly 8 years in New York, LA and DC at global PR firms like Ketchum and Burson-Marsteller. The experience of working closely on communications strategies with global brands like Best Buy, Mattel, and Dyson was invaluable in terms of touching all of the aspects of marketing communications – from media relations to social media programs to product placement and events. I had always dreamed of opening an agency at some point to be able to work with smaller companies looking for a team with strong brand marketing background but who might not necessarily be able or willing to invest in a partnership with a big PR firm. Henry Grey PR connects a senior, experienced team with brands who are looking for that level of thinking from a boutique.

Who do you work with?

We work with some very fun brands in the consumer technology, Internet and CPG/services space. We’re actually in the process of adding our client roster to our web site this month, so check for that soon with updates on some of the client work we have underway. We just wrapped up a busy month for our client Blurb, the creative book publishing service that allows you to design and publish your own bookstore quality book. From meetings with media at SXSWi (check out GigaOm’s post about Blurb’s incredible growth), to working on a segment with the Today Show, to helping Blurb announce Photography.Book.Now, March was a pretty incredible month.

What is unique about your approach?

While every client assignment is unique, there are some common elements that we bring to the table for every program.

We look closely at our client’s target audience to understand the media and social networking channels where they gather information. We look at the credible messengers – that could be a journalist or a citizen blogger – in that space. We look for signs of what’s worked well and what hasn’t so that we can use others’ key learnings to our advantage. We believe, and I think our clients agree, that this audience research is critical to ensure that we’re reaching out to the right people and the right channels to not just disseminate information that’s well-received, but truly start a conversation among that target audience.

I also cannot stress how important relationships are for effective public relations. You have to earn positive word-of-mouth. Whether it’s a placement on the Today Show or a good discussion on a blog, it’s the relationships we maintain with journalists and those in the social media space that are critical to managing brand reputation.

And of course, ROI. Measurement – and there’s a custom-approach for every client that fits with their existing measurement tools and metrics – is really important to show the impact that PR has on your business.

And finally, our value proposition is a big draw for clients. Everyone on the Henry Grey PR account team has at least eight years of experience in this field. And we offer significantly lower hourly rates than even mid-size agencies are able to extend.

What’s one of the more challenging scenarios you’ve encountered with a client?

Fortunately, most of the work we do is part of a thought-out, proactive strategy we’re implementing to tell a very positive story for a client. But our team has counseled a number of clients through plenty of challenging situations, ranging from relatively tame news like product price increases to major events like bankruptcy. The best piece of advice I can give any brand is to cultivate your community before you need them. Get to know your evangelists and invest in building a sense of community around your company. When a brand experiences a crisis of some kind, it’s too late to reach out and try to build those relationships.

How can you help San Diego businesses?

Henry Grey PR offers San Diego companies a locally-based team with national resources. I’m always available to meet up or chat about what your company is working on or bounce around ideas for how to utilize earned media exposure to help grow your business. Email me, find me on Facebook, or give me a call.

Audio Interview Henry Grey PR by Matt Browne Save MP3

I am starting a series of posts profiling local bloggers and leaders in social technology. I want to get to know more about you, your blog, inspiration for your posts, and what you are doing next. If you are interested in talking with me for 30 minutes- 10 of which I will record to accompany the post, then I would like to speak with you.

In the mean time, for your reference, here is a list of some of the local bloggers that attended SDBloggers Meetup and that I hope to be interviewing over the next few weeks.

• tonybalsamo.com [Future Blogger, Real-Estate]
• whisperbuzz [Luke Pilon, Photography & Glass Blowing]
• sneakeracademy.com [Jessica McKimmie, Marketing]
• thesandiegotraveler.com [Carol Lane, Travel]
• obraq.org [Patty Jones, Ocean Beach News & Commentary]
• revolutionarymayor.com [Eric Bidwell, San Diego Mayoral Candidate]
• www.higherpassages.com [John
• shycloud.com [David Matt Green, Photography]
• msdigital.smugmug.com [Linda. Photography]
• sdmegacoalition.blogspot.com [Walter Davis, San Diego Community/Groups]
• enrique-gutierrez.com [Enrique Gutierrez, Philosophy, Photography and a myriad of other subjects]
• gwaveconsulting.com [Melanie Gordon, Marketing Consulting]
• www.sandiegogaslampandnightlife.com [Richie Edquid, San Diego Nightlife]
• edward.oconnor.cx [Edward O’Connor, Web Developer/Django]
• erin.oconnor.cx & snowclones.org [Erin O’Connor, Art/Linguistics]
• www.thaumatocracy.com [Dan Tentler, Photography/Hacks]
• blogworldexpo.com [Rick Calvert & Dave Cynkin, Co-Founders - group discount potential!]
• ducksnorts.com & www.knucklecurve.com [Geoff Young, Padres/Baseball]
• www.declan.net & eringoblog.declan.net [Declan Fleming & his daughter Erin, Family/Photography/Tech/San Diego]
• www.barcampsandiego.org [Dan Tentler, Patrick Crowley - Barcamp San Diego Unconference]
• www.jefferygordon.com [Jeff “Flash” Gordon, Photography/Books]
• binarywolf.com [Steve, Personal Interest]
• jacobbijani.com [Jacob Bijani]
• friarfaithful.com [Dominic Damian, Padres]
• grokz.com [Peter, blog coming soon]

Thanks to all our San Diego Tweeps that joined us for the #SDBloggers MeetUp.

• @nrek - Enrique Gutierrez
• @viss - Dan Tentler
• @jbruin - Jenn Van Grove
• @gwaveconsulting - Melani Gordon
• @gebl - Gabriel Lawrence
• @declan - Declan Flemming
• @richandcreamy - Richie Edquid
• @tonybalsamo - Tony Balsamo
• @mokolabs - Patrick Crowley
• @dominicdamian - Dominic Damian
• @hober - Ed O’Connor
• @kirinqueen - Erin O’Connor
• @ducksnorts - Geoff Young
• @mattsurfs - Matt Browne

Watch San Diego Tweepsfor info regarding the #SDTweetup.

We just wrapped another ‘Blogger Meetup’ for San Diego which was a great success. Thanks to all of the local bloggers that came out tonight, especially those tolerating traffic laden drives ranging from Vista to Carlsbad just to join us. I appreciate your participation in this event!

The format of this evening’s event was centered around networking. Each member had an opportunity to introduce their blog to the group and explain the focus of their posts. We each took a minute (about 30 total) to introduce our blogs, market new blogs, or promote specific articles.

Jenn, our assistant organizer, posted a list of local bloggers in attendance. In addition, I’d like to dedicate a series of posts picking up where this event left off, interviewing local bloggers. I am going to commit to doing 3 posts (or Utterz) per week showcasing San Diego bloggers and what they are up to. Connect with me on Twitter, if you’d like to talk.

The meeting got off to a late start because David’s Coffee Shop doubled booked the meeting room til 7:30pm, so we had to deal. As it worked out, many local bloggers showed up about that time anyway. Hence, I am going to move the meeting time to 7:30pm for future events.

We are looking for a new location for the next meeting, so please comment if you have any ideas. It is important our new venue can support a presentation for 30-40 people, while still being a friendly, semi-private environment that inspires conversation.

It has been great to see the group mature over the last 6 months. I think we are on our way to building a powerful community that will be an asset to all of us. If you have been thinking about checking our group out for the first time, please join us on April 29th for our next meeting.

‘Blog & Article Marketing’ is the topic for next month’s meeting, followed by a discussion from the group. We are looking for sponsors for future events, please email me if you are interested.

Don’t forget to check out SDBloggers.com to stay up to date with the San Diego blogging community. For our members, please tag your assets and articles with “sdbloggers” & “startupsd.“

San Diego UFO Sighting 2

It was shortly after midnight, my friends and I were on the top of our roof celebrating the New Year, when we all saw the sighting. Our building is located just north of the flight path at Lindberg airfield. At first we didn’t think anything of it. In fact, Melani said, “hey, what is that bright red light out there?” I replied, “well, its not a UFO, we live directly under the flight path.”

At that point what happened next convinced us all we had just seen a UFO. The bright red light hovered in the same place in the sky for minutes. The red light was about 1/2-1/4 the size of the moon at its biggest point. Then, when we thought the craft was going approach our runway and land like a normal plane, it took off into the distance; but not over the horizon, into the darkness of space.

There were similar accounts of a UFO sighting on this same evening which Fox News and the San Diego Union Tribune reported. Our group of people only saw one bright light, but many reports of the same sighting quoted as many as 9 lights. All reports have been consistent in the amber coloring of the lights, differing only from yellow, red or orange. We believe the lights we saw were red, similar to this photo.

If you have a similar story, please email me, or comment on my blog. Thanks… and remember, ‘we are not alone.’

We had a spirited discussion at the recent San Diego Bloggers Meet Up. Some of the items we discussed were Podiobooks, Kindle, Nouri.sh, and What is RSS. Each blogger had an opportunity to introduce their blog and speak about their experience. Some of the local bloggers include:

• Dan Melson
• Searchlight Crusade
• Author Jeremy James
• Naked Skydiving
• The Veingel
• Matt Browne
• Integral Impressions Blog

We look forward to meeting local San Diego bloggers at our next MeetUp, on January 29th, 2008.

Meet your fellow San Diego Bloggers at the Local Blog MeetUp. The event will be held at Cafe Bassam in Bankers Hill at 7pm on November 27th. The meeting is held monthly, on the last Tuesday of every month.

Each member will have time to introduce their blog and discuss their experience.

Common questions/topics explored:
* How many comments do you average?
* What blogging platform do you prefer and why?
* What is the best way to get images and photos on your blog?
* Have you had any experience with Podcasting or Videoblogging?
* What tools do you use to promote your blog?

This is an opportunity for everyone to benefit from the unique experience of others. If you have any interest, Join the MeetUp group even if you can’t make this particular meeting.