JULY | AUGUST 2023: SUMMER ROUNDUP & RESET
Contents
1.
Here’s your new PIC executive
July marked the changing of the guard for IABC/Toronto and PIC. We’ve welcomed some new members and have openings for others. Want to join us?
2.
Welcome new members
Welcome new PIC members Valerie Chelangat, Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond, SCMP, and Lisa Marchitto.
3.
A fresh perspective: Summer reset
In her first column as PIC Chair, Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond, SCMP, shares insights on refreshing over the summer and celebrating what’s to come
4.
PIC Personality: Meet Rucsandra Saulean
Find out more about how this teacher/singer/volunteer launched DamaPR and what’s behind the name.
5.
And more!
Plan to celebrate PIC’s 25th anniversary in September. Learn about Sharon Aschaiek’s experience chairing a secondary education conference. Find out what Catharine Heddle took away from the 2023 IABC World Conference. And read what’s put Phil Sach and Sabita Singh, ABC, in the news.
Here’s your new PIC executive (and want to join us?)
As the new IABC year gets underway, we’re excited to welcome our new PIC Chair and VP, Special Interest Groups, Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond, SCMP (she/her). Read a short intro below and learn more in a PIC Personality profile in the September Buzz.
Marie-Lauren is joined by returning members Arlene Amitirigala (she/her), partnering with Sue Horner (she/her) on Communications & Social Media; Brent Artemchuk (he/him), Marketing & Sponsorship; Jacqui DeBique (she/her), past Chair/VP; and Catharine Heddle (she/her), Programming. We also welcome Lisa Marchitto (she/her) as co-Director of Programming with Catharine. And we say a heartfelt thank you and “Don’t be a stranger!” to departing executive members Austine Fischer (he/him), Christopher Trotman (he/him) and Maureen Hosein, ABC (she/her).
Want to join us? We’re looking for new co-directors to take on membership duties. We also welcome occasional support on specific events and contributions to The Buzz. Get in touch with any of us or email toronto-sig@iabc.to to explore the possibilities.
To find out more about what goes on behind the scenes of your PIC executive, read what some of our members had to say earlier this year and in 2021 about why they volunteer and what they get out of it.
Welcome new members
Valerie Chelangat (she/her)
Vaughan | Tusome Books | LinkedIn | Website | valeriechelangat@outlook.com
Valerie is a skilled creative content writer with extensive experience in a variety of industries, including higher education, lifestyle, news, press releases, profiles, advertisements and social media posts. She delivers quality writing capturing the attention of readers and driving conversion. She has worked as a full-time communications employee, as a writer on contract, as a freelancer with several organizations including universities and non-profit organizations, and privately as an editor for an academic book.
Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond, SCMP (she/her)
Toronto | MLG Creative Communications | LinkedIn | Website | mlgcreativecommunications@gmail.com
Marie-Lauren or MLG is a certified communicator, facilitator, spoken word artist, writer, motivational public speaker and consultant. With more than 20 years of experience in social marketing and communications and as a workshop facilitator, speech writer and strategist, MLG can support your organization with:
- public speaking workshops
- writing speeches and speaker coaching
- communications planning and strategy
- keynote speeches and presentations
Lisa Marchitto (she/her)
Toronto | Relate Communications | LinkedIn | Website | lisa@relatecomms.ca
With more than 20+ years of experience in the charitable and non-profit sectors, Lisa aims to be the resource she always needed as a client: someone experienced and reliable who is a strategic thinker, ace project manager and producer of high-quality output. She takes on special projects that organizations struggle to resource internally and makes them happen.
A fresh perspective: Summer reset
By Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond, SCMP
People keep saying summer is coming to an end because we’re in August. I detest that talk. I want to soak up all the refreshment that summer has to offer for as long as I can. As I embark on a new adventure as the VP of Special Interest Groups for IABC/Toronto and Chair of PIC, I am leaning on and into the mindful break that summer has afforded.
I’m a full-time Director of Communications for a healthcare organization, and I sometimes take on projects in my side hustle. I’ve attended PIC events in the past but am new to this role and the PIC executive and supporting the team with planning this year’s professional development and social events. And with new volunteer roles, life and everything in it, I have appreciated the downtime that came with summer breaks, weekend getaways and opportunities to relax, rejuvenate and refresh.
This summer I made efforts to enjoy myself, go out for walks, hang out with friends at patios, spend time with family at summer gatherings and BBQs. While work and passion projects and volunteering are productive time – the things we do to pay the bills, build our portfolio, grow, teach, learn – the “downtime” or time we’re not ramping up is precious time to reset the mind and restart fresh.
I wrote this column to the sounds of rain splattering on asphalt, dripping off leaves and spluttering in the gutters, on a usual summer day in Saint John, New Brunswick. I’m here every year for a family gathering with my in-laws. It is a different pace from downtown Toronto and I’m here for all the slow nights by a bonfire, clear skies showcasing a blanket of stars and chill time. I also love beaches, pool parties, dancing and singing as ways to refresh. And even if it’s not a week-long vacation, all it takes is a weekend, a day, an afternoon to pause, reflect and reset for the fall and winter and the busier seasons.
PIC’s upcoming 25th anniversary is also a time to reflect and celebrate what it means to be PIC and the community that has grown from a bright spark of an idea to what it is today. Read more in this issue about PIC’s Silver Social in September.
Also in this issue, you can read a recap of summer conference, events and activities that PIC members are sharing, especially Catharine Heddle’s take on IABC World Conference and Sharon Aschaiek’s on taking chances. We welcome new members to PIC, recognize some members who are shining bright, and share more about PIC and how you can get involved. I look forward to getting more involved in PIC myself and working on my side hustle as a quasi-indie.
If you have any ideas for professional development topics, possible speakers, or any thoughts about PIC, please email me at toronto-sig@iabc.to.
PIC Personality: Meet Rucsandra Maria Saulean
By Sue Horner
Rucsandra Maria Saulean (she/her) is a PR & communications specialist running DamaPR. Rucsandra (Rucs) has over 15 years of experience in strategic planning, media relations, content creation and community-building events. She’s best known for helping remarkable non-profits and women-led ventures reach their potential. Visit her LinkedIn profile, call her at 647-203-5158 or email rucsandra.m.saulean@damapr.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @RucsandraDamaPR and visit her Facebook page and website.
When did you launch your independent business and how did it come about?
I was born and raised in communist Romania until ’89 and started adulthood with a teaching career. I took a long while to see myself as a potential business owner. My husband’s entrepreneurship, our immigration to Canada and the incorporation of our first small business (DamaReno Corp., named after his first name, Dacian, and my middle name, Maria) in 2007 gave me the courage to change that.
Two years later, I had released and promoted an album, joined the post-grad PR certificate program at what was then Ryerson University, and started taking gigs through the network I was building. Through volunteering with CPRS, I met someone who subcontracted me for his startup. I helped grow it from a team of two to a full agency of 15 in less than five years, while also doing other client projects on the side.
Managing eight of the agency’s retainer clients, training its new hires, co-managing DamaReno – I exhausted myself to the point that I got sick. I realized it was time to take a step back, heal, change pace and shift away from promoting just toys or tech products.
So DamaPR officially launched at the end of 2015 with a focus on music, arts, community-building projects and inspiring female-led ventures.
What do you enjoy most about being an indie?
The flexibility of schedule and the freedom to choose from a wider variety of roles, from event designer and promoter for causes close to my heart, to writer, publisher, publicist or multi-media content creator.
It helps me discover and build on inner talents I never thought I had. It gives clarity and purpose in a world full of senseless noise. This is what led to being proudly involved in meaningful projects led by the likes of Volunteer MBC or Brampton Meals on Wheels, Canada’s first organization of its kind, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in October.
I’ve put my music on the side for now, but stay connected with the arts world through Performing Arts Brampton. I’m happy to be part of the team that presents Brampton On Stage, an absolutely amazing series of cultural and artistic shows.
Also, as notorious workaholics, my husband and I are grateful for the privilege of having the chance to disconnect and recharge at our cottage up north with our 12-year-old chocolate Labradoodle, and entertain visiting family and friends.
What don’t you like about being an indie?
The occasional feeling of isolation or missing out on the newest trends in industry. But there are solutions for that, PIC being a great example.
What advice would you give someone new to independent life?
Delineate your workspace, physically and mentally. Know when to step in and when to walk away, to avoid being sucked in by work beyond limit. Health, peace of mind and family must come first. Also, a note-to-self, really: know your worth and wear your confidence with pride.
How long have you been an IABC and PIC member and what value do you get from your membership?
I’ve been an IABC member since 2012 and an active volunteer since 2018, as part of the Data Analytics & Brand Management and OVATION Awards teams, including as Event Director this past year. I cannot recommend volunteering enough. Beside the reward of doing exciting projects, many of the connections I’ve made, and resulting business dealings, have come through volunteering.
I only heard about PIC and became a member in 2022. Wish I had done it earlier! Still finding all the benefits that come from this amazing community. The virtual and in-person events are always good, helping me stay connected with my peers, get inspiration from them and grow as a professional while doing so.
You’re invited to PIC’s Silver Social
IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent Communicators group turns 25 this year! Join the celebration, meet some original members and hear about their challenges and successes over the years.
The fun happens from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at the Duke of Cornwall, 400 University Ave, Toronto (University and Dundas, near St. Patrick subway station). Light appetizers will be served and drinks are on your own tab.
No charge for PIC and IABC/Toronto members and just $15 for non-members. We can’t wait to see you there!
Reflections from an indie at IABC World Conference
By Catharine Heddle
It has been more than two months since the IABC World Conference, but the learnings are still swirling in my head.
I attended three terrific plenary (“Spotlight”) sessions. The first, called “Communication that Deepens Impact,” explored how communications can align employees, engage shareholders and influence consumers. One speaker recommended staying two steps ahead of our business leaders or clients to earn a seat at the table — “but it’s a hot seat.” We must be ready to step up when we achieve that influence.
The Spotlight session with Zaria Parvez, who handles social media for Duolingo, was engaging and hilarious. It offered a fascinating look into the thinking behind the company‘s many viral TikToks and an insight that might be valuable to independents as they plan their businesses: “Dream big but iterate small.” She meant that we should take calculated risks, try things and see what works, and tweak and build upon them until we get where we're going.
Artificial intelligence came up in nearly every session. John Yoon summarized the general sentiment: “AI is a productivity hack. Use it to get to the strategy and counsel part quicker, so you can deliver more value to the business.”
A panel discussion on AI included many use cases for ChatGPT and other AI tools, including having it play devil’s advocate, using it as a brainstorming partner and reducing the length of drafts. The panel also discussed the risks and challenges of AI to communications, including misinformation, lowering the bar on content production, confidentiality, systemic bias, crises caused by a lack of human oversight and, perhaps most troubling, accelerating the slippery slope towards “a zero-trust environment.”
A session from York University explored a matter that must be on every external communicator’s mind: how to decide whether and how to respond to issues external to the organization, such as the invasion of Ukraine or the violence in Iran. Sessions on change communications, generative AI, the state of journalism and SEO for communicators were valuable skill-builders and packed with useful resources.
Kathryn Hollinrake was there taking headshots, and at least two IABC/Toronto members were speakers. I attended a digital debate with Cyrus Mavalwala, ABC, MC, but somehow missed Kelly Thibodeau’s talk on digital accessibility. I was lucky to sit next to her in another session, though, and we formed what I hope will be a lasting friendship.
PIC exec members Jacqui DeBique, Sue Horner and I snagged tickets to a dinearound hosted by the delightful Matisse Hamel-Nelis. We met communicators from across the country and abroad. At the Mix in the 6ix event, I caught up with some dear old friends and met new ones.
But I’ve saved the best for last.
The session intended specifically for consultants was called “Designing Success Together.” I couldn’t take notes fast enough. Speaker Angelique Rewers shared advice on how to take control of the conversation with a new business prospect, how to quickly determine if it’s a real opportunity and a “right-fit client,” and how to make it easier for a client to buy from you.
Angelique shared three pieces of advice (“disruptors”) that we independents can use to “increase intentionality, design success together and win more clients”:
- Be the sense maker: short-circuit a paralyzed buying cycle by helping the client see clearly that they have a problem you can solve, and for what investment.
- Be the consensus-builder: make the decision-makers feel secure by taking control of the buying process.
- Be the risk-taker: understand the client’s fears and uncertainties about working with someone like you and provide ways to mitigate those risks.
I was intrigued by Angelique’s “five-part proven process” and “ultimate sales script” that includes “51 words that will forever change your business.” Despite the hyperbole and a certain unCanadian boldness of tone, I’ve found the concept extremely useful in my recent new business discussions. If you’re interested, download it at https://boldhaus.com/ultimate-sales-script, but be prepared for the barrage of marketing emails that will follow.
I was fortunate to receive a professional development grant from IABC/Toronto and McMaster Syracuse MCM, which paid for more than half my registration fee. Like most independents, I value professional development but am keenly conscious of the cost, so I am grateful for this gift.
It was my first World Conference, and I will attend again – even if I have to pay full price.
Gotta put me to the test
By Sharon Aschaiek
“If you change your mind, I’m the first in line. Honey, I’m still free. Take a chance on me.”
I’ve belted out the lyrics to this pining-heart ABBA hit countless times, at “retro” club nights, behind the wheel, in impromptu dance parties with my kiddo. The crush-wooing (and slightly stalky — “know I’m gonna get you”?!) tune is dopamine divine.
It’s all too tempting for me to invoke my favourite Swedish Europop band (meaning the only Swedish band I know) for a newsletter article, no matter how much of a stretch it may be! So here we go.
Editor and uber PIC champion Sue Horner invited me to share my experience chairing the 7th Annual Marketing & Communications for Post Secondary Conference, which took place in Toronto this past spring. This was my second time in the role, which involved presenting on current trends in higher ed marcomms, welcoming attendees and introducing sessions and speakers.
Last year, I emailed Renee Summers, the event co-organizer, to ask about presenting a session at the event. Their PD was sorted, she replied, but would I like to host? So, Renee was willing to take a chance on me. (See what I did there?)
Really, though, Renee wasn’t exactly taking a chance. She knew my track record in higher ed comms, which I’ve been doing for more than a minute. I previously promoted her conference in my blog. She knew me and my business well enough to offer me the gig.
So maybe it’s more that I’m taking a chance on me.
As an indie communicator, I’ve had to bet on myself over and over again. First, when I first started my business 19 years ago — the biggest gamble of all, especially for someone with a healthy shy streak who was rather fond of regular paycheques. And then whenever I’ve wanted to try something new in my business, whether a project, service, partnership or volunteer role.
With some new experiences, the feeling was, right on! Others were more like write-offs.
But each time, I learn something new about myself. Where I shine and where I’m sh*t. What’s fun to do and what ain’t. What I want to do more of, and what to avoid at all costs.
When Renee extended her invite in 2022, I’d never chaired a conference before. But I knew it was an opportunity worth exploring. And when some fear came up, it was sweet — because I know what’s on the other side of it, if I persevere. (As the saying goes, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”)
Chairing for the second time this year felt more natural. And I found a way to do it better. Because, practice and all that.
Part of the beauty of self-employment is how it forces us to hustle, innovate, adapt. If we don’t try new things, we get bored and stagnate. If we do, then over time, it gets less scary and more comfortable. And it can be rewarding in all sorts of ways.
Just like Agnetha and Anni-Frid of ABBA, songs dripping with heartfelt yearning, who put themselves out there for the one left alone when the pretty birds have flown, we can take a chance, take a chance, take a chance…
Member news
Phil Sach (he/him) was honoured to be recognized by #WeLeadComms, which is an ongoing campaign “to recognize the courage, leadership, and initiative demonstrated by communication professionals every day.” (PIC itself received this honour in February 2022; Sarah Manley Robertson, ABC, in April 2023; and Cyrus Mavalwala, ABC, MC, in May 2023). Phil says he is working to redefine “communications for a cause,” leaving behind a successful in-house career and starting his own writing and communications firm – PFS Communications. Now, he spends his days working to empower fundraising teams and non-profits from across Canada in their efforts to engage and secure support from donors.
Sabita Singh, ABC (she/her), was “surprised, delighted and honoured” to be named as one of the top 15 LinkedIn experts in Toronto by Influence Digest Media. Sabita is a LinkedIn speaker, coach and profile writer who helps professionals attract new career and business opportunities. She also develops corporate LinkedIn training programs and manages LinkedIn accounts for senior leaders.
See you on social media!
Build and strengthen your connections, advance your business and network with other PIC members on social media. In case you missed them, recent posts shared on our social media channels include these:
July was an opportunity to celebrate Disability Pride Month, highlighting unique perspectives of people with disabilities and neurodiversity. An article in HR Law Canada covers how organizations lack efforts to create inclusive spaces and how they can improve.
Here’s another look at the range of neurodiversity. HR News describes how employers can support employees in the workplace, including simple changes like dictation software or a separate working space.
Communication professionals can help employees feel seen. Ragan Communications reports on strategies to tell stories of employees and their achievements, like using captions on calls and removing ableist language like “blind spot.”
Who we are
Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) is a special interest group of IABC/Toronto. PIC’s mission is to support independent IABC/Toronto communicators through professional development, networking and marketing. The Buzz informs members about upcoming events, shares professional development tips from past meetings and keeps us connected.
IABC connects communicators from around the world with the insights, resources and people they need to drive their careers and their professions forward.
Editor: Sue Horner | Designer: Austine Fischer
Executive team
Chair: Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond, SCMP | Past Chair: Jacqui DeBique | Membership: vacant | Marketing & Sponsorship: Brent Artemchuk | Communications & Social Media: Arlene Amitirigala, Sue Horner | Programming: Catharine Heddle, Lisa Marchitto