DRS and Associates – jots blog

Alex takes a quick breath after climbing the mountains in the scenic town of Meteroa, in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

Raised in Downers Grove, IL, a suburb of Chicago. It wasn’t always easy growing up in the shadows of the likes of Denise Richards, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and hockey’s Granato siblings, but Alex managed to get through and landed at DePaul University for college.

Before coming to LA, Alex lived in Chicago for three years while attending DePaul. There he earned a degree in Public Relations/Advertising while studying Political Science as well. It was during this time he began working with various non-profit organizations throughout the city, aiding in their public relations and social media efforts and development. The experience he gained working with these organizations was the launching pad for his fascination with social media as a business tool, which led him to DRS.

People often ask Alex how he decided on Los Angeles. The answer is really quite simple. After enduring 21 brutal Chicago winters and excruciatingly hot and humid summers, it took less than a second for him to fall in love with the Southern California weather. There is a difference between dry heat and humid heat, no matter what anyone ever tells you.

After settling in Los Angeles Alex began to search out opportunities that would allow him to use the experience he had gained while also giving him the opportunity to learn and grow as a public relations practitioner. That is when he met David Schlocker, and shortly after began working at DRS as a public relations and social media intern. Although he had very little knowledge of the design world he was about to enter, the challenge of learning something new was exciting for him. A few months later, Alex moved into the role of PR Coordinator, which he currently occupies.

Touching the grass at Coors Field in Denver. Alex plans to visit every Major League Baseball stadium. So far he's seen twelve.

Outside of work, the things Alex enjoys most are travel, sports and food. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss Chicago, especially the food. The pizza (stuffed), the hot dogs (Chicago style, no onion), the Italian beef sandwiches, it’s all cliché but he couldn’t care less. One of Alex’s favorite new pastimes is trying to find a decent rendition of his favorites here in LA. So far he has been unsuccessful. Who would have thought it would be this hard to find a decent red hot in California?

During Alex’s time at DePaul he completed a six-month study abroad term in Athens, Greece. This trip served as a launching pad for what has since become one of his new favorite hobbies: travel. Since arriving in Athens on his 21st birthday, Alex has embarked on two cross continental trips, the first across Europe and then this past summer across the United States. He enjoys traveling to new places and exploring and experiencing all that they have to offer. Even if it’s just a weekend trip up the coast to a lazy central California beach town.

Wrigley Field, Alex's home away from home and the most beautiful stadium in all of professional sports.

Sports have always been a passion for Alex. Participating in them from a young age up through high school and even at DePaul, where he was a member of the Men’s Rugby Club. And he enjoys being a fan about just as much as he enjoyed playing. A loyal Chicagoan to the end, Alex’s rooting interests all hail from the Windy City. That is, except for the White Sox (gross). Alex says he bleeds Cubbie blue through and through, and his earliest memories center around watching Michael Jordan win championships for the Bulls in the mid-1990s. After being forced to watch the Blackhawks win their first Stanley Cup in nearly 50 years from abroad — he missed the parade by two days — Alex promised himself that he would never miss another championship. Unfortunately for him, Cubs fans have been waiting 103 years and it doesn’t appear that the streak will be ending anytime soon (hey, there’s always next year).

Like a sprite from some otherworldly time and place, Carol VanderKloot has landed in our midst and she is spreading her particular brand of magic on everything she touches. If you haven’t met Ms. VanderKloot, you soon will – since there is barely a soul in the home design industry whom she doesn’t know or count as a friend.

A connector extraordinaire, Carol has deep roots in the architectural + design world and an insider’s instinct for what editors are looking for.

Funny and kind, Carol’s natural ease with people belies a keen intelligence and an ability to suss out the connections that benefit both parties. How does she come by these instincts? Born in the suburbs of Detroit, related to car designers and with an architect stepfather and the nearby confines of Saarinen-designed Cranbrook, the school of Ray & Charles Eames, an art and design aesthetic was instilled at an early age. Even with such design pedigrees, she escaped the Midwest for New York where she has spent the last 14 years and now considers her home. Along with her partner-in-crime canine Molly, Carol soaks up everything New York has to offer. Being in the city does afford Ms. VanderKloot the ability to literally be where the action is, and woe to anyone who implies that the action take place anywhere BUT New York. Before landing there, she spent time studying abroad in England and Spain. As a consultant, she lived in Portugal and helped launch the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum designed by Pritzker-prize winning-architect Alvaro Siza.

Like all people, if you scratch the surface you will find a multi-faceted persona – aside from her ‘a-ha’ design moment in 1989 seeing the Pierre Koenig exhibition (a full-size, walk-through model of Case Study House 22 at the Los Angeles MOCA’s Temporary Contemporary), Carol isn’t all about one thing. This is a woman who eschews fancy chocolate for Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, any gummy candy! And like many of us at DRS and Associates, a coffee addict who has been known to drive a mile for a fountain Diet Coke.

A story-teller and story-lover at heart, Carol can wax poetic about the bad films of the ’70s and ’80s, pop culture, Ryan Adams, Tom Jones, punk rock…the list is varied and unusual. Luckily for us, she saves her best story-telling for our clients; with whom she establishes a deep and loyal connection which she translates into top-notch placements, pitches and development ideas.

You can already see evidence of her skills — THG’s So faucet (designed by Olivier Gossart) was just recently in The New York Times, and Corbett Lighting’s Inertia was featured in Elle Decor, thanks to Carol. Her work with Hudson Valley Lighting and Native Trails has put these brands front and center as well. We count ourselves lucky that she is spreading her magic here.

Every year, around this time, we begin checking our emails with a little bit more urgency and excitement because it’s right around the end of December, beginning of January that the esteemed Chicago Athenaeum’s Museum of Architecture and Design presents its prestigious GOOD DESIGN award to those manufacturers who have shown excellence in product design across a number of categories. As a luxury brand marketing and PR agency, we work hard at DRS and Associates to make sure our clients’ products are seen in the right light by the right people at the right time. This means the right editorial, the best publications and the award designations that are the most meaningful. The GOOD DESIGN award bestows international recognition upon the world’s most prominent designers and manufacturers for advancing new, visionary, and innovative product concepts, invention and originality, and for stretching the envelope beyond what is considered ordinary product and consumer design.

The award, presented annually, has been given out for excellence in design since 1950, when it was first founded – by iconic architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. These pioneers recognized that good design didn’t happen in a vacuum, and their initial awards ceremony has grown exponentially since its founding. Companies such as 3M, Alessi SpA., Apple Computer, Inc., BMW, Steelcase, even Tupperware (who doesn’t count Tupperware as ‘good design’) have all won awards for their exemplary designs.

“From its modest start in 1950 at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago,” states Christian K. Narkiewicz-Laine, Mu­seum President, The Chicago Athenaeum, “GOOD DESIGN has become the world’s most prestigious barometer for the most innovative consumer and domestic products, branding, and graphic design on a global scale.”

Well over 500 GOOD DESIGN Awards were given out in 2010, and in 2011, the number was even larger. Record numbers of submission were sent by thousands of design firms and corporations. So when not one, but three of our own clients received notice that their products had been chosen – you can imagine the pride we felt.

We hope you can forgive us if we crow just a bit about the products under the DRS ‘umbrella’ that have earned their place in the pantheon of other great GOOD DESIGNS:

LAUFEN’s ILBAGNOALESSI One TUNA Washbasin

LAUFEN’s ILBAGNOALESSI One TUNA Washbasin

Who wouldn’t love working with a client who not only has amazing design sensibilities but also enough of a sense of fun to name a product after a fish? LAUFEN’s TUNA washbasin, borrowing from the graceful curves of its namesake, is an imaginative and timeless piece that holds just the right touch of sensuousness and eccentricity combined in its sleek and contemporary design. TUNA offers a marriage of soft and fluid lines, a clean white finish, and an ample counter – it’s yet another example of LAUFEN’s creative use of ceramic design. And did we mention that it’s named after a fish? We did, didn’t we? Read the rest of this entry »

Lucia Strojnik, PR Star in the making

My first internship was exactly what I expected it to be. I spent seven months driving 2 ½ hours to West Hollywood multiple times a week and did nothing but make copies, waste gas running errands for the account managers and grabbed coffee and lunch for the office staff. There were many days in which I sat at the computer and did absolutely nothing…all for no pay. Although grateful for the opportunity, I knew after some time I wanted to intern at a company where my work and contributions were valued.

On the quest for new opportunities, I joined my local PRSSA chapter and attended every meeting. Luckily, they distributed internship opportunities and I soon applied to DRS and Associates. Within a week, I interviewed with President David Schlocker and became the newest member of his team. At this point, I knew my goals: I wanted any and every opportunity to grow as a public relations professional.

One of the biggest struggles I faced when initially applying for internships was whether I wanted to work for a large, well developed company or a boutique agency; a small, specialized group with a more open environment. While there might seemingly be more of a prestige factor associated with renowned agencies such as Edelman, Ruder Finn and APCO Worldwide, none offer the intimacy and opportunities that DRS and Associates does. I know a good amount of people who intern(ed) at well known firms throughout Los Angeles and they often complained of the repetitive tasks and lack of learning opportunities. The vertical structure of these organizations limits what responsibilities are given to interns. Additionally, so many people apply for intern positions that they eventually hire between 10 and 20 individuals, completely denying any opportunity for pay. While these volunteers can list they’ve worked at a highly regarded firm, often times it’s at the expense of under-developed skills.

Lucia, Intern of the Month

What made DRS and Associates perfect for me were the opportunities I was given to grow as an individual and as a professional. When starting with the company, I set goals for myself: I wanted to completely immerse myself in the profession and learn as much as I could during my stay. Initially I did administrative work, doing everything from looking through magazines and Google Alerts for coverage to updating the Cost Analysis, a document tracking our clients coverage and advertising equivalency. It was great to learn the basics of PR and how editorial or online features provide a successful basis for DRS to build on. Along the way, I wrote press releases, HTML’s, product copy and pitched to editors. All of this strengthened my writing abilities and knowledge of the industry. These are opportunities that you can ONLY find at a small firm. It is no surprise that DRS and Associates is a driving force within the kitchen and bath industry, but it was the small environment that allowed me to thrive. While I was still only an intern, I felt part of a team. My coworkers valued me for my work and this was a feeling that I had longed for since I started. Staying with the company was based more on my opportunities, but also a feeling of working with a strong and dynamic team.

Within my 9 month stay, there has never been a day in which I wasn’t thankful for this opportunity. I came in with minimal experience and I am leaving feeling professionally advanced for my age. I was never subjected to any feelings of exclusion and left feeling accomplished every day. The fact that I was able to do anything I wanted and contribute to everyone’s work is an incredible feeling. The only advice I can offer to those looking for internships is A) apply to DRS and B) aim to work at boutique agencies for initial experience. If I had interned at globally recognized organizations, I would still be making copies and grabbing coffee for everyone. I will always be thankful for the experience and have no doubt that success is in my future as a result of my stay here. If I could, I would do it all over again and maybe in the future I will be with DRS again. They say success is a mixture of hard work and dumb luck, but most importantly, it is what you make of your experiences.

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

Jennifer Cash

Born and bred in the San Fernando Valley of California, specifically in Encino, Jennifer Cash is the latest addition to the DRS team. She isn’t a “valley girl” and she doesn’t say “OMG” every five minutes or rush to the mall to go shopping (though she did as a teenager with her friends); she has other pursuits that she loves – reading and writing.  The librarians at her local library she frequents all know her because she can’t wait to crack open brand new books.  As a voracious reader, she is heartbroken that so many bookstores in her area have closed down over the last few years.  Even as a young girl of eleven, when asked by her mother what she wanted for her birthday; she promptly  gave her mother a specific list of books that she wanted. She remembers other family members always looking a bit puzzled because Jennifer couldn’t contain her excitement when receiving books as gifts. Nothing was dearer to Jennifer; not dolls, not an Easy Bake oven, none of the more popular toys or games held as much interest to Jennifer as the books she received as gifts!

As writing is also a passion, it seemed appropriate for Jennifer to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. Graduating from CSUN, Jennifer began work right away as a public relations practitioner for a marketing brand company and was quickly promoted to operations coordinator. Multi-talented, Jennifer has also held positions as a graphic designer and project coordinator before she came to DRS and Associates.

Jennifer Cash, DRS and Associates

What else does Jennifer like to do? In her spare time, she likes to wake up early on Saturdays or Sundays to go hiking with her friends. She is also an art lover and she likes to go to museums which inspire her to create her own art pieces.  Like many a ‘tortured artist’, Jennifer struggles with the love/hate relationship she has with her artwork, and she’s been known to give away pieces only to change her mind and want them back when she sees them displayed elsewhere.  Ah, Jennifer — the torment of the creative mind!

Jennifer is excited by her work as a public relations coordinator at DRS and Associates and she can’t wait to come in early in the morning to start her day.  When she has days off, all she can think about is going to work and saying “Good Morning,” to her wonderful team. She is an excellent support system for her account managers and ensures that editors receive everything they need to write their stories. Her clients’ products inspire her and when she drives by lighting stores on the way to work, staring at the lighting pieces in admiration, planning to own one of her client’s glamorous or refined lighting fixtures, she has to be careful not to cause an accident. She feels strongly that she can represent her clients’ products with sincerity and knowledge.

Jennifer is looking forward to a long working relationship with DRS and Associates, and we with her. She feels that the agency is the right fit for her, and we couldn’t agree more. She enthusiastically works on projects and her admiration for the account managers that she works with everyday shines through her warm and caring personality. What do we love about Jennifer? In a nutshell; her incredibly positive attitude combined with her unparalleled work ethic.  Who could ask for more?

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

Jocelyn Hutt

Age before beauty…

Alright, we don’t really believe that, but we do recognize that with age comes a certain amount of experience and wisdom, and with Jocelyn, her experience in the home design industry makes her an invaluable asset to the DRS team. After working for a number of years (she won’t tell us how many) in ‘other’ industries, she began working as an interior designer – a career and industry she loved and participated in for 10 years, while raising her two sons and taking design classes. Somewhere around year 10, after schlepping carpet and tile samples began to lose some of its allure, she switched her focus and went to work for a website that she had long used to source design products. How does this part of the story turn into a DRS story? Hang on, we’re not done.

She became editor-in-chief of that very website and worked there for a number of years. During that time she became familiar with the DRS team and David Schlocker; because her website highlighted many a DRS client. So when the website was sold – and she began looking for her next opportunity, she realized that every manufacturer whose products she loved seemed to be represented by DRS (hey – we are allowed to pat ourselves on the back here.) After speaking with David about DRS having an east coast presence – she came on board and we couldn’t be more pleased. Her knowledge of the home design industry from all the various segments; commercial, residential, showrooms, product design from manufacturers and artisans, makes her ideally suited to be of help to our clients when strategizing and coming up with ways for us to help promote their products. Having been an editor, she also understands the value of a good story, and we feel our clients have many great stories to tell. Read the rest of this entry »

While touring the Veranda House of Windsor in Brentwood, CA, we couldn’t help but stop and swoon over this classic powder room and all its eclectic components.  Featuring a marble vanity, soft white cabinetry, polished silver fixtures and ornate, old-world accessories, this charming room reminded us of the Circa Vanity by Stone Forest.

The Veranda House of Windsor's Powder Room

The Circa Vanity by Stone Forest

Since we live, breathe and work in design, we are always coming across rooms that inspire us.  That’s why we started keeping a dream board of all the things we love.

When we came across this  photo of designer Lisa Sherry’s house in the September/October issue of Lonny,  we knew it was Dream Board-worthy.  The vintage Triad Table Lamp in gold leaf, next to the white tufted chair and casual side tables, has just the right dose of flair. In fact, it reminds us of this chandelier by Corbett Lighting, launched this fall. We want.

Designer Lisa Sherry's House with vintage Triad Table Lamp in gold leaf

Muse chandelier by Corbett Lighting

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

online marketing wizard

Any resemblance of our Christopher Robin to the A.A. Milne character of Christopher Robin and Pooh should be put to rest right now. The only thing these two Robin’s have in common is that they might both be fanciful figments of our imagination. Our Chris Robin is DRS’ Online Marketing Manager, a role in which he continues to grow and thrive. He works closely with our Social Media team to give voice to our clients in the online world. And what a voice. Witty, irreverent, wry, droll – Chris never fails to send the perfect retort to in-house correspondence when needed. In the world of public relations, where every day and every minute counts when performing for your clients – a well-placed bon mot from Chris sometimes is just what the Doctor ordered.

Working with our clients Facebook, Twitter and blog accounts, Chris spends much of his day researching trends in the industry and developing stories around our clients’ products to showcase them in the their best light. This doesn’t mean it’s all super-serious; there is much about the home design industry that is quite amusing.

Chris’ take on the industry is both irreverent and respectful – he understands the passion and enthusiasm people have for these beautiful products and he is able to articulate that passion while carefully maintaining each client brand ‘voice.’ That’s why he’s so good at his job: being able to educate, enlighten and amuse people is a skill not many can claim.

How did he come about this skill set? It’s really hard to say. Chris is very private. In fact, when asked to provide some background material for this profile – he reluctantly told us the following: his family (he has a sister) grew up in the Los Angeles area. He attended school at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he majored in English. Chris does make use of his English degree – not only writing tweets, but teaching writing to children at a non-profit organization. Chris will also admit that he does picture himself always writing in one form or another, and while it may not always be in the form of 140 characters, he is enjoying working with new forms of media and he’s interested in watching the industry grow and develop and he’d like to remain a part of it.

When asked about hobbies, or activities he likes to do outside of work — here, verbatim – is how he answered:

As for talents/hobbies, in the past few years I’ve spontaneously attempted to reach an intermediate level (aiming high!) for the following skills: how to play guitar, how to cook, drink mixology, and how to speak another language (French or Spanish.)

Random things I would like to be able to do: operate a stick shift, whistle, blow a bubble of gum (mouth stuff in general), dunk a basketball, be comfortable with growing a beard, incorporate Latin and/or French idioms into my everyday vocabulary to make myself sound sophisticated, learn that card trick where you magically pull the card from behind the person’s ear, craft something out of wood, and be able to navigate my way around Los Angeles without having to use Google Maps (good luck with that Chris!)

And that, ladies and gentlemen….is Chris Robin. In a nutshell. Sort of.

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

Raj Balu

Writers, by nature, are a dynamic species. They possess qualities in combination that seem superhuman: intelligence, humor, insight, speed, accuracy, empathy and laser-focused creativity, all while in the midst of chaos. They also possess translation skills to match anyone at the United Nations; because a great copywriter listens, translates and distills what others say and turns it into poetry.

We count ourselves lucky to have one of these rare birds in our midsts. Meet Raj Balu: In-house copywriter and copy editor extraordinaire. When not deeply absorbing product information from numerous sources, Raj can be seen methodically working at his computer – composing advertising copy, press releases, product descriptions, blog posts, backgrounders, profiles and any other on-the-spot content that is produced daily for our clients.

It is safe to say that on any given day Raj’s creative output meets and exceeds anyone’s standards. How does he do it? Are writers born or bred? Is it nature or nurture? Perhaps he’s fueled by his intake green tea – or perhaps it’s something deeper – we like to think that his love of writing is bred-in-the-bone.

Raj has honed his skill in every medium; he’s written fiction, non-fiction and screenplays – the latter for the Discovery Channel where his work was produced for the screen. When asked about writing for home design or public relations, he had this to say: “All writing, be it fiction or non-fiction, creative or technical, boils down to crafting a specific message. Writing for PR requires you to craft a highly specific and concise message in order to grab and keep audience attention. It is a unique challenge of the field and also what makes working in it so interesting.”

We had to probe a bit more: what would bring a guy, college educated in the midwest, out to California? Sun, sand and screenwriting, according to Raj. And a love of travel. When not pouring over projects at DRS, or working on various freelance projects, Raj is on the road. For a day or even months at a time – in fact, Raj was stranded in southern Thailand back in 2008 when protestors for the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) took over the Bangkok Airport. Never one to panic, Raj stayed calm and has no doubt used that experience in some piece of writing somewhere! He credits his calm demeanor with having a ’Master’s Degree’ in life; along with his B.A degree and certificates from UCLA Extension.

We are quite happy that Raj’s travels have brought him to DRS, and we hope this rare bird continues to enlighten and enliven our lives. Warm and engaging, Raj’s personality is a perfect fit for DRS. Happy to know you, Mr. Balu.