Public Relations . Media Relations . Freelance Writing

Patti Murphy has teamed up with national best-selling author Elaine Ambrose to publish a new book on “Momisms” – the odd and silly sayings that mothers tell their children – and are seeking submissions from anyone who currently lives in Idaho. The book, tentatively titled “Mother Knows Best: 100 quotes Idahoan’s Remember From Their Mothers,” will be published in time for Mother’s Day, 2011 and proceeds from the sale of the books will be donated to the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) in honor of  its 100^th anniversary. The WCA provides safety, healing and freedom to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Details about submitting momisms can be found at www.mymomisms.com. Submissions may be sent directly from a submission form on that website, or can be emailed to info [at] mymomisms [dot] com. In addition, the authors have launched a My Momisms Facebook page where people may post their favorite quotes.

Momisms are those interesting things that mothers say to their kids as a way to make them behave or teach them a life lesson. Examples might be, ‘If you keep making that face it will freeze that way,’ or ‘Always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident.’ Momisms can also can be wise and inspirational sayings unique to a particular family.  We are encouraging  people to send in any saying – funny or serious – that their moms used to tell them as they were growing up.

Once a momism is selected for inclusion, the authors might also request a photo of the featured mother. Submitting a Momism automatically grants the authors and publishers permission to publish the material in the upcoming book, and to use the submission in promotional materials if needed.

August 21st, 2010
Tags: Elaine Ambrose, momism book, momism sayings, Momisms, Mother Knows Best, Patti Murphy
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

My feature article, “Memories of Minidoka,” which I wrote for Sun Valley Magazine (www.sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-Magazine/Winter-2010/Memories-of-Minidoka/), received the Excellence Award from Capital City Communicators in the 2010 IMPACT competition. The article chronicled the weekend that several Japanese Americans returned to the Minidoka  Internment Camp, where they had been imprisoned during World War II. It told the story of their feelings and memories at returning to the camp and how old and new friendships were kindled.

The IMPACT (Idaho Marketing, PR and Communications Talent) Awards recognize the top work of Idaho’s communicators in a variety of categories, ranging from public relations and marketing, to websites and video scripts.  “Minidoka” received the highest award in the Feature Writing category.

May 24th, 2010
Tags: Impact award, Japanese internment camp, Minidoka, Patti Murphy, Sun Valley Magazine
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

It was an honor to hear my name called out as first place winner in magazine writing, serious feature category at the 2009 Idaho Press Club Awards. One reason I was so pleased was because I received the award for my story, “Memories of Minidoka – Revisiting Idaho’s Japanese Interment Camp,” which I had written for Sun Valley Magazine (you can read it online at www.sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-Magazine/Winter-2010/Memories-of-Minidoka/). For me, writing that story was an amazing experience. I spent a whole weekend with many of the Japanese-Americans who had been interned at the Minidoka Camp during WWI. Many of them were in their 70s and 80s. Together we went on a pilgrimage back to the historical site of the former camp, where they recalled memories of living behind barbed wire and guards with machine guns, how they were forced to live in near squalor, how their families lost everything they owned, and how they had long ago forgiven those who had wrongly imprisoned them. The pilgrimage is organized every summer by the Friends of Minidoka (www.minidoka.org). It was a moving, emotional and important experience and for anyone interested in this part of history, I would encourage you to be a part of this summer’s pilgrimage, June  25-27.

This was the seventh Idaho Press Club Award I have won over the past few years. All of them mean a lot, as they acknowledge the quality of my work. But for me, seeing the story of Minidoka recognized was very special.

April 21st, 2010
Tags: Idaho Press Club, Japanese internment camp, Minidoka, Patti Murphy, Sun Valley Magazine
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

The Summer/Fall 2008 issue of Sun Valley Magazine (which included two of Patti Murphy’s articles on the sport of falconry and on the Peregrine Fund) has won the 2009 Maggie Award for best Semi-Annual Consumer Magazine! The Maggie Awards are the most prestigious national publishing awards in the Western United States (presented by the Western Publications Association), considered the “Oscars of the magazine publishing industry.”  Sun Valley Magazine is in good company, as other winners have included Shape, Sunset, Arizona Highways, Western Interiors and Design, Backpacker, Yoga Journal, Sierra, Mother Jones, and San Francisco Bay Guardian.

And this same issue was also the proud recipient of a 2008 Ozzie Award for “Best Use of Photography” and a 2008 Eddie Award for Best Editorial Content (including Murphy’s two feature stories). The incredibly prestigious Ozzie and Eddie awards are open to all nationally-distributed magazines and are given in recognition of excellence in magazine design (the Ozzie) and editorial content (the Eddie). It is the largest national competition for magazines, and we are proud to have been able to contribute to this wonderful honor.  

May 5th, 2009
Tags: falconry, Maggie Award, Murphy Media Services, Peregrine Fund, Sun Valley Magazine, World Center Birds of Prey
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

Murphy Media Services owner Patti Murphy received two Excellence Awards from the Idaho Press Club on May 2 in recognition of her freelance writing and her media campaign and public relations work on behalf of her client.

Murphy received an award for the Media Campaign she developed for the National Diving Dog Tour sponsored by Oust and Purina. Murphy partnered with FusionSet, Inc., another Boise, Idaho marketing agency, on the program which was designed to gain media and community awareness of a nationwide traveling Diving Dog competition during the Summer of 2008.

Murphy also received an award in the category Magazine Writing-Light Feature, for her article, “The Elegant Barn,” which she wrote for Sun Valley Home Magazine. The judge, commenting on Murphy’s article, wrote, “The opening of this story set up the rest of it beautifully, not an easy feat to accomplish when writing about anonymous owners.”

Previously, Murphy won the 2005 First Place award for Crime and Courts Reporting for Weekly Newspapers for her reporting on a double murder trial. In 2004 she won a Second Place award for Media Campaigns; a Second Place award for Script Writing; and Third Place for News Release Writing. To see a complete list of 2008 award winners, visit the Idaho Press Club.

May 2nd, 2009
Tags: Idaho Press Club, Murphy Media Services, Patti Murphy, writing awards
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Idaho Business Review blogger Michael Boss to talk about how public relations is changing. Mike asked several local PR colleagues to share their thoughts, and I was pleased to be included in this great group of professionals.

I’ve worked in the public relations industry since 1981, and it’s been only in the past few years that I’ve seen such significant changes in the profession. Traditional public relations has always been about working with the traditional media – television, newspapers, radio – to get the word out about a organization, program or person. PR people had the media connections and, in turn, media people stood as the gatekeepers on what news got published and what didn’t. It’s been like that since the day I wrote my first press release.

But over the past few years, social media – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, etcetera – have opened up whole new ways of communicating. In theory, anyone can post anything they want – a blog, a video, a Tweet on Twitter, and become their own “media.”

It’s a new landscape for sure, but public relations professionals still have a critical role to play.  Why? Because its still all about communicating the accurate message, and reaching the appropriate audiences. We can help organizations and the media (traditional and new) get to the facts and uncover the accurate information that is so important for the public to know.

Here is Michael’s blog, “How many PR people does it take to issue a press release”!

March 19th, 2009
Tags: blogs, Idaho Business Review, Michael Boss, PR, public relations
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

Murphy Media Services has been selected to provide marketing and media outreach for the launch of the new Redmont Health Services drug and alcohol addiction treatment center opening in Boise in January, 2009.

Murphy Media Services will partner with FusionSet, Inc., on this project, which will involve conducting a statewide media outreach and publicity campaign to promote the new facility and its services. Redmont is a private treatment facility that will provide  affordable and effective treatment options for adolescents and adults including assessments, individual, group and family counseling, and personal, individual treatment plans.

Headquartered in Alabama, Redmont is expanding into Idaho to address the state’s acute need for affordable and effective substance abuse treatment. The company will open its outpatient center in January 2009, and has plans for a 48-bed residential facility to be built in Meridian later in the year.

This is the second project that Murphy Media Services and FusionSet have collaborated on. In the summer of 2008 they partnered on the national launch of the National Diving Dog Tour presented by Oust® and Purina®, which involved developing and conducting media and publicity campaigns in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, and California.

January 2nd, 2009
Tags: Alcoholism, drug abuse, inpatient outpatient treatment, Redmont Health, substance abuse
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti

The May, 2008 issue of Sun Valley Magazine, which carries two of Patti’s articles on falconry, just won TWO of FOLIO Magazine’s prestigious awards − the EDDIE Award, which recognizes editorial excellence, and the OZZIE Award for best use of photography. The publication won Bronze in each of those categories and competed against other national magazine with circulations of up to 250,000. As an award winner, Sun Valley Magazine now shares the company of such giants as Bon Appetite, Billboard, Travel & Leisure, Architectural Record, Harper’s Bazaar, National Geographic, Forbes, INC, Time, Fortune, SELF, and other respected publications that have also been honored with this coveted industry award.

According to FOLIO, this year’s competition drew more than 2,800 entries, and more than 100 expert judges spent weeks evaluating the entries and selecting the winners.

September 24th, 2008
Tags: EDDIE Award, FOLIO Magazine, Murphy Media Services, OZZIE Award, Patti Murphy, Sun Valley
Posted in Agency news, News
Posted by Patti