Mentor: Leah Davies
Profession: Community Relations and Alumni Affairs Coordinator
Location: The Star
Date: February 2, 2018
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Assessment:
Mentor Visit Assessment #3
This mentor visit was the most interesting thus far, as I got an in-depth tour of The Star (the Cowboys headquarters) from my mentor! The entire time, I was simply in awe of the breadth and influence of the Cowboys organization; its rich history and core values are undeniably celebrated and reflected in its workplace. The entire headquarters is designed with such attention to detail, with a special emphasis on art, that truly exemplifies what the organization is all about—excellence in all aspects. Seeing all of this taught me the importance of being bought-in as a public relations professional when working in-house at an organization; you are the link between the public and the organization, and it is your job to be knowledgeable about both. Leah even said that public relations is a department that “toes the line;” PR gets access to special events and areas of the organization that most departments do not (such as locker rooms, coaching staff, and even working directly with players), because PR acts as a liaison between two worlds.
Some highlights of the tour included my seeing the PR room, the media room, and the TV studio. The PR room was essentially a beautifully sleek conference room with shelves on shelves of over 30 years of Dallas Cowboys memorabilia lining the walls. From 1971 Cowboys soda cans to signed copies of hundreds of different books, simply being in this room allowed me to clearly see the caliber of excellence the Cowboys have maintained over the years. They have connections everywhere and with everyone, and I know that marketing and public relations has everything to do with that. They are, naturally, one of the most well-advertised and well-known organizations in the world, and this room certainly reflected that. The media room (where press conferences are held) and TV studio (where the Cowboys film internal content) are important for me to familiarize myself with as a PR professional, as I will likely be working in both of these at some point in my career. Seeing each of these reminded me that PR is not just a cubicle job, but a multifaceted one in which I will get to work with various technology and groups of people; this excited me for the future and even encouraged me to look further into how multimedia and PR can work together.
We also further discussed my Final Product, and I am thrilled about the associated opportunities to come! Leah mentioned that she would love to take me with her to experience the actual 2018 NFL Draft; I would get credentials and be able to witness first round draft picks with the Cowboys public relations team. How incredible is that? Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be attending the NFL Draft as a mentee with the Cowboys during my senior year of high school. Leah also mentioned that I may be able to shadow her for an entire day as she works and oversees the production of a TV segment in which Cowboys alumni chat with kids about sports and character. Both opportunities have great potential for learning more about how public relations knowledge can be applied in different spheres; I intend to attend both, using the experiences to gear up for Final Product.
