Blog

Join us in conversation on the topics we believe matter...to our industry, our city and our society.

How to Get Away with Cheating: Does The Right PR Save Our Country’s Elite from Their Lying, Cheating Ways?

By Ann Smith | Aug 7, 2013

From politicians, to athletes, to celebrities, our country is fascinated by the downside of being in the public eye – the skeletons in their closet. I will admit that I, too, am drawn in to breaking news about celebrity affairs! One of the most infamous cheating scandals of our generation is none other than Tiger […]

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Marketing on Pinterest

By Kelda Rericha | Aug 6, 2013

Hello, my name is Kelda, and I am addicted to Pinterest. It is not a healthy addition. I am guilty of hoarding recipes for sinful desserts and images of $10,000 handbags. It is not a victimless addiction.  My family regularly falls prey to my cooking experiments and crafting disasters, all of which were inspired by […]

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When It's Not All About Me Anymore

By Ann Smith | Aug 6, 2013

A new logo for A.wordsmith When I first started A.wordsmith in early 2009, it was more of an experiment than anything else. I had just fallen victim to the economy and was part of a large round of layoffs. I was also very pregnant and not very marketable when it came to a new job. […]

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Party on the River

By Ann Smith | Jul 25, 2013

The Human Access Project wants to change the way Portland thinks about the Willamette. Ah, the mighty Willamette. It’s a beautiful river that serves as a landmark, an industrial thoroughfare and an integral part of Portland life. And, if you’re like most people who’ve spent some time in the Portland area, you’re as likely to […]

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The True Cost of Unpaid Interns

By Kelda Rericha | Jul 18, 2013

Unpaid interns are disrupting the media – and not in a good way. Summer interns everywhere should be watching their backs after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed an unpaid intern for the inaccurate and unauthorized confirmation to media of the names of the crew members of an Asiana Airlines jet that crashed in […]

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Unleashing My Inner Talent Scout

By Ann Smith | Jul 15, 2013

Those who know me well have likely heard about my pipedream to live in Nashville and work in the country music business. This stems from my deep love of music that took old when my mom brought home a Reba McEntire greatest hits album when I was 8 years old. Since that day I have […]

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Gregory Crewdson's Surreal Photography

By Ann Smith | Jul 8, 2013

Brief Encounters tells the story of  this “theatrical” photography. Working as a designer involves a constant search for new inspiration and unique examples of self-expression. A few evenings ago, amid an underwhelming selection of questionable films on Netflix streaming, I came across a truly inspiring documentary. Brief Encounters follows Gregory Crewdson‘s 10-year odyssey creating a series of surreal, […]

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The Value of the Story

By Ann Smith | Jul 8, 2013

We live in a world where new information is constantly at our fingertips. We’ve been told that this has affected our attention spans, our memorization skills, our ability to concentrate. When scanning the web, we may balk at a large block of text, bookmarking and moving on to bigger headlines, something we can skim. There’s […]

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The End of the Print Era: Where Do We Go from Here?

By Ann Smith | Jun 27, 2013

Last week’s shake up at The Oregonian In 2013, it is no surprise to see a publication move away from print to focus more heavily on online content, but it still stings each time I see it happen. Last week’s shake up at The Oregonian is a good reminder of the ever evolving ways we […]

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Is That What You Call an Apology, Paula Deen?

By Ann Smith | Jun 26, 2013

Ever since she was a no-show on TODAY last Friday I’ve been eagerly awaiting Paula Deen’s interview with Matt Lauer that was rescheduled for this morning.  First of all, what was she thinking not honoring her commitment to be on the program last week, immediately following revelations that she has used racial slurs?  Instead of going […]

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