On the heels of the massively successful PopeisHope campaign, Blast Principals Kathleen Formidoni and Lana McGilvray appeared on the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Show to conduct an interview for an entry-level role at our Austin headquarters. Without a doubt, it was not your average interview, or anything the agency or its two principals could have dreamed up.
Blast was contacted by the show’s producers to appear on a segment that focused on the millennial generation’s struggle with landing a job right out of college. In fact, the segment was focused on helping Marisa Hernandez, the job candidate and recent graduate of St. Edward’s University, land her dream job! Blast was selected because in Marisa’s conversations with producers, her dream was to find a job with a top PR firm in Austin, something she couldn’t find when she initially graduated and took a job in the tech sector to get by. Kathleen and Lana were briefed on the segment’s actual focus and, after receiving Marisa’s resume and a video of her publicly speaking, asked to interview her on air and hire her if she impressed them and was fit for an entry level agency opening. Luckily for Blast, Marisa’s pre-interview qualifications and persona were superb. Top of her class, employed in a relevant sector, personable and interested in the PR field. So, it was off to Chicago for the taping!
Meanwhile, after being suggested to producers at the show by a co-worker, Marisa was prepping in an entirely different manner; she thought she was merely discussing her inability to land her dream job to date, not interview for it!
As Marisa tells it, “Like most students leaving university, I was finding it difficult to gain traction in my field of study. Years of studying and preparation for the ‘real world’ weren’t panning out into what I really wanted to do: work for a world class public relations firm. Instead, I found myself working as an Associate Software Advisor for a national software company. It was a great role but not the star I was shooting for in my career path.”
After walking on set and realizing that there were only two chairs — one for her and presumably one for Steve — the nerves set in. There was a brief introduction on stage, maybe only a minute to process what was happening around her.
As all three were on set, Lana and Kathleen kept the Blast team updated — sending photos of their green rooms, hair and makeup and more. Marisa on the other hand, was seriously thinking about how to communicate her predicament. Soon, it was time for each of them to take the stage; Marisa out in center with Steve Harvey by her side, and Kathleen and Lana behind a wall, seated at a desk where they were ready to interview on live TV!
Lights. Cameras. Action.
After a brief back and forth between Marisa and Steve, stagehands revealed what was behind door number one — Kat and Lana sitting behind a desk, prepared to interview Marisa on the spot. Marisa handled the pressure with grace and professionalism—two major characteristics needed in the PR field. And Kat & Lana were pleased to offer her the job right then and there.
One month in and Marisa is learning a ton, thrilled to have landed her dream job.
That’s a wrap!
