Farewell, @WilcoxPR

One of the things that I have learned with my involvement in social media in the past four and a half years is to navigate the fine balance between having a personal blog with a wide audience (e.g. being media) and being a specialist in environmental policy (e.g. being an expert). Public relations specialists work with both and I have interacted with hundreds of PR folks in both capacities (as media and as expert).

I have been honored with the friendship of many staff members of one of the strongest PR firms in Vancouver, and possibly in Canada – The Wilcox PR Group, headed by Mat Wilcox (Founder) and Erin McConnell (President).

In the past few years, I built a very strong and collaborative relationship with the folks of The Wilcox PR Group. Many of their clients would want to gain exposure and share their message on my blog, so Wilcox pitched me on many occasions, with a very high success rate. And they succeeded because they sought only stories that would fit my blog, they sought to make sure that it was a great project and they shared their enthusiasm for it. They also followed my guidelines on how to pitch me quite closely.

I learned a lot about PR from my interactions with the folks of Wilcox, and I built what I hope will be long-lasting friendships after Wilcox closes. I have the utmost respect for the technical capabilities of these folks, and I am sure they will go places in the PR sphere in Canada and Vancouver.

I was invited last night to be part of a group of folks (former staff members, clients and friends) who celebrated the 15 years of Wilcox PR at The Corner Suite. I felt incredibly privileged not only because it was a wonderful evening but because I got to see how much respect and love there is in this town for these great folks. I look forward to seeing what great stuff you guys create in the not-so-distant future.

And to Mat Wilcox – even though we just have met in real life once (last night), I do look forward to more opportunities to hang out. Same goes for everyone – Trevor, Erin, Michael, Lynsey, Nick, Jeff, Yvonne. It has been an honor, and a pleasure.

Note: My full Flickr photo set for the evening can be found here.