Last week, the New York Times Magazine explored the topic of inspiration, featuring articles about when, where and how well-known creative minds find their inspiration. From Chinua Achebe to Quentin Tarantino and Alicia Keyes, each individual shared insights about their own inspirations.
Achebe was drawn into children’s literature by a lack of appropriate reading options for his daughter following Nigeria’s independence from Great Britain (Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” is one of my favorite books that partly inspired my travel to West Africa during college). Tarantino recalled the spaghetti westerns (no idea what these are) of Italian director Sergio Corbucci as the seed for his pending holiday release, “Django Unchained.” And Alicia Keyes turns to an eclectic mix of Alabama Shakes and Prince for inspiration.
The magazine caused me to reflect on my own inspirations and how fortunate I am to be surrounded by individuals and ideas that spur my own creative thinking.
Based on her experiences working with public relations agencies, GroundFloor Media (GFM) Founder and President Laura Love set out 11 years ago to create a new kind of agency – one that leverages seasoned talent in an environment that encourages both personal and professional growth. The model is not for each of us to bill an extraordinary amount of time every month, but rather for us to create space in our days for brainstorming, keeping up with industry trends, networking…you name it! As a result, we are not easily burned out, have one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry, and find time to stay on top of new ideas and resources to serve our clients better and more efficiently everyday.
Our unconventional office address at 1923 Market Street in lower downtown Denver is just one nod to the fact that we do things differently here. Afternoons are regularly spent sharing the latest online discovery from Twitter case studies (check out the American Red Cross Twitter feed) to more humorous escapades such as hiding Gil’s pencil sharpener or screening a favorite episode of Portlandia (Carissa and I currently love “Put a Bird on It”).
And on top of all this, we often get out of the office for our annual Groundhog Day celebration, community fundraisers such as the Colorado Children’s Campaign annual luncheon last week or volunteer events at any number of local nonprofits (tomorrow, we’ll be at Food Bank of the Rockies).
I mention all this, not by way of standing on my GFM soapbox (from PR News to the Denver Business Journal’s Best Places to Work, we earned enough industry accolades last week to tell that story), but rather to mention that the way we find inspiration is part of who we are, part of our brand. Clients know this about us and enjoy working with us as a result.
The breadth and depth of our inspirations at GFM is also a testament to how our industry is changing – PR is not exclusively about media relations. From Pinterest to the boardroom, there are now more ways than ever before to uncover and share new sources of inspiration with key stakeholders. GFM regularly works with our clients to mine these opportunities, offer creative ideas, and develop plans that reinforce their brands and achieve desired outcomes.
It’s fun work and we’re lucky to have some really comfortable chairs, beanbags included, to support us in our efforts!