Networking at the Saw IV Blood Drive.

Seats were in high demand last night in the "teachers' lounge," so I offered a stranger a chair at my table. This person turned out to be Jim Bilello, President and Founder of US Marketing (http://www.usmarketing.bz/jim_bio.htm). Bilello, who represents Lionsgate, was at the conference representing and promoting the "Saw IV" movie to college media leaders. In fact, his PR specialty is very segment-specific: teen and college students. He also has a second demographic specialization, Hispanic marketing, but his focus at this event was to get the word out on "Saw IV" (opening wide at a theatre in near you on Friday, October 26).

I asked Bilello what PR professionals look for in the college graduates they hire, and his immediate answer was CREATIVITY. Everyone is looking for bright people with bright ideas. He said that school projects, whether for class or for extra-curricular activities, can demonstrate strength in conceiving and expressing ideas and strategies. He also said that you should be open-minded about internship opportunities -- often in PR and media, interns work hard for little money.

Bilello also said that college seniors should not just be using Facebook and MySpace for social networking but also start looking at Linked In and other professional networking sites. (Keep in mind that things acceptable and encouraged on Facebook may be frowned upon at Linked In.)

This afternoon I took Brittany over to Bilello's vendor stand. Brittany had raved about the Saw movies to me even before we left for D.C., so I thought she would want to check out the current installment of the horror series' PR campaign: a Saw IV blood drive. (Cool? Eww? Can't decide.) In addition to being a Saw fan, Brittany is also the lone public relations major on this trip, and she spent several minutes getting advice from Bilello about jobs and internships. I was proud to see her networking -- making contacts at this conference could open the door to a job or internship in the future.

Dr. Lee