Last Updated:5:14 PM EST 9/30/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Provided Photo Members of PRIMA attended the Public Relations Society of America's North-East Regional Conference in Buffalo, N.Y.

In an effort to give students real-world experience in the field of public relations, a group of Communication/Journalism majors created Fisher's very own student-run firm.

Public Relations Integrated Marketing and Advertising (PRIMA) gives students the chance to work with local not-for-profit organizations and small businesses, just as a real firm would.

Due to the fact that they work with not for profit organizations, they were awarded a grant from LeChase Fellowship, which is providing them with seed money to better their efforts in working with local community projects.

"It is a real life experience," said Kristy Guerra, president of PRIMA. "You work with real life clients with a team to meet deadlines. It's exactly like a firm, you get a project from a client and you work through it."

PRIMA is currently working with Artist's Unlimited, which is an acting group made up of mentally handicapped individuals. They are working on promoting a production of Wizard of Oz which will be performed in November. In a partnership with CTV, PRIMA is also helping create a documentary of the group.

Other projects include working with Habitat for Humanity, for which they are creating advertisements and flyers. The goal is to help Habitat for Humanity get clients to aid in their mission of renovating homes for local residents. PRIMA is also helping professor Tim Madigan promote his recently published book.

"We do everything from creating ads, marketing, public relations, special event planning and creating collateral materials," Guerra said. "We have something for everybody, no matter what your interests are."

PRIMA meets every Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. in Basil 213, but regular attendance is not required.

"We want all Fisher students to understand they can get involved, and that PRIMA was designed to fit their busy schedules. Our student freelancers have already taken on projects without committing to a weekly meeting," said professor Kyle Reinson, adviser of PRIMA.

Reinson urges students to get involved, as the experiences had will be beneficial for a future career in the public relations field.

"The best reason to be part of PRIMA is to gain practical professional experience and begin building up your portfolio and network of people who might help you find career opportunities," Reinson said.

To get more information on PRIMA Connections, visit their website at www.primaconnections.wordpress.com or e-mail them directly at prima@sjfc.edu.

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