Nearly two months to the day of our SXSW debut, the podcast is up for Why Gen-Y Wants to Work “With” You vs. “For” You. Click here to have a listen!

With that, I say: “Get on the boat!”

And there’s video (this one is the long one).

And there’s more video (this one is shorter, in case you have ADD).

So let’s chat – Gen-Y – all it’s cracked up to be? If you identify yourself as Gen-Y, what are some stereotypes you run into? How can Gen-Y better succeed in the workplace? Are you on the boat with this whole “With” vs. “For” thing? Why or why not?

So I went to the premiere for Saturday Night, an SNL Documentary by James Franco while I was in Austin (gold badge FTW). I wanted to share with you the creative process that the SNL writers and cast use on a weekly basis. This idea of creativity and establishing creative habits has been particularly top of mind lately, since I’ve fallen into another blogging black hole, where I’m trying to figure out where things are going here. But that’s another blog post in itself.

So, I present to you, a week with the cast of Saturday Night Live, and what they go through every week to get a show together on Saturday.

And yes, I was the interactive geek TAKING NOTES during a film premiere. I get it, I’m a strange duck.

MONDAY – Pitch day

• All writers/cast pitch their ideas for the week
• “If you pitch something that sounds funny, you’ll blow the joke by Wednesday, so the funny pitches rarely make it to set”
• 50% of the pitches are bullshit, the other 50% actually have a chance

TUESDAY – Writing

• Writers have 24 hours from pitching to the table read to write and deliver scripts.
• Everyone works on as many pitches as possible before Wednesday’s table read, most writers don’t sleep between Monday and Wednesday – and if they do, they don’t sleep until Wednesday morning if they’re lucky
• Approximately nine out of 50 sketches will actually make it to set for Saturday’s performance

WEDNESDAY – Table Read

• Producers decide script order for table read
• Confidence at the table read is tough, especially if you’re following the script of a veteran cast member who has been writing for the show for five, seven, ten years
• Table read is done with entire cast, in character, but not dressed, and not on a set

THURSDAY/FRIDAY – Production Logistics

• Production figures out logistics – sets, lighting, costuming, etc
• “If you’re not going to surrender to the process, then you can do nothing” –Lorne Michaels on refining the script to be the best it can be, regardless of what the writer had planned for the skit
• “it’s not like a movie. At SNL, you get points for trying – there is no room for perfectionists”

SATURDAY – Dress Rehearsal/Showtime

• They test the show on a full live audience to see which sketches need revision and which ones should be cut
• Executive producer watches rehearsal to gauge the audience – something that may have been hilarious at a table read may not actually translate well on set
• “Some parts kill it and some parts die. Cut the ones that die.”
• “If you get the right mix of people there is nothing better, if not, there’s always next week.” – Lorne Michaels on how you’re only as good as your last show

TAKEAWAYS:

• Similar to life, work, personal decisions – a lot of the ideas will suck, some of the ideas will stick. Cut the ones that suck and focus on the ones that stick. (DUH – but it bears repeating.)
• Confidence at the table read can be tough for junior cast. Some have great ideas but are terrified to speak up – regardless of the fact that they are on the cast BECAUSE they have great ideas. It can be intimidating to present an sketch following a senior cast member who is notorious for having great sketches.
• “What people lack in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm” –Lorne Michaels on each cast making the show their own – and finding new talent.

When you write a blog post, create a video, or INSERT CREATIVE ACTIVITY HERE, is there a certain process you go through? Where do you draw inspiration?

If you’re going to be in Austin for SXSW Interactive, we would love to see you at our panel: “Why Gen-Y wants to work “with” you, not “for” you.

We’ll be in room 10AB in the Austin Convention Center on Monday at 3:30.

Check out SXGenY.com for more details!

Panelists:
Yours truly, Elysa, Nisha, Ben and Ryan.

So in 17 days, I’ll be hopping on a flight to Austin for SXSW. In 21 days, I’ll be speaking on a panel with four of my fellow Gen-Y bloggers/pros/friends/future colleagues. I’m so freaking excited I can’t even stand it.

I’m excited because, HELLO, this is an awesome opportunity. I think we’re going to have an incredible discussion about why Gen-Y wants to work “with” you, not “for” you. I anticipate a lot of our Brazen buddies and other community members will be there. I also hope to see many of my mentors, some of which I met at the conference last year. I’m excited because just a year ago, I dreamed of someday speaking at SXSW, and now that “someday” is 23 days away. Safe to say that happened a little bit faster than I had planned.

I’m excited because there are a TON of people there that I’m super-stoked to finally meet offline. I’ve been talking to Jenny Blake for over a year now and we finally get to connect face to face. That’s going to be AMAZING! There are a bunch of students from USF that are coming, and I can’t wait to see them again and catch up on their lives in Tampa and see how their coursework is coming.

I’m excited because I want you guys to tell us what you want to hear. I know a handful of you will be at the panel – and we’ll obviously have video to share afterwards. So what do you want to hear? What parts of the Gen-Y reputation/stereotype/etc would you like to have discussed? Is there any part of “with” vs. “for” that you agree with? Disagree with?

This is a huge opportunity for five of us to have a voice. If you were on the panel – what would you say?

After I won a flip camera from Wendy Piersall at SXSW (thanks to an awesome recommendation from Adam Keats of Weber Shandwick Chicago), Adam advised me to get out there and do interviews with people, asking them their one tip for the Almost-Grad.

One place I knew I could get some good feedback was at the Mashable/Blurb party at Six and the Taproom. Not the best environment for image quality, but the feedback itself is amazing. In the next couple of days, I’ll be featuring the people that I interviewed, sharing their videos with you all and some additional feedback as well.

First up in the series, Aaron Strout, VP of marketing at Powered, Inc. Aaron is big on networking, here’s why:

Aaron Strout’s One Tip For Almost Grads from Sydney Owen on Vimeo.

Tell me about Powered, Inc. in a few sentences:

Powered creates social marketing programs that help brands connect and build relationships with their customers through managed online communities. Unlike other marketing programs, online communities allow businesses to engage with customers through a combination of expert content and online community interactions. A good example of a client that embodies this is Sony.

In addition to the importance of networking, is there anything else you’d like to share with the class?

I’m a big believer in “being the media” (vs. pitching them) and that I think authenticity and transparency in business are going to become increasingly important.

And there you have it! Advice from someone established in the industry. Aaron’s segment is the kick-off to the video series, “Tips for Almost-Grads”. Aaron, thank you for taking the time at the Mashable party to meet with me. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Do you agree with Aaron? How important is networking? Should we focus more on contributing than taking away? What are your thoughts?

Are you a professional in PR, Marketing, Social Media or any combination of the three? Would you like to be a part of this series? Check out my contact information at the top of the page, or follow me on Twitter to get involved.

Trace back to the days of old when I was a teen, writing of my journey on every cruise around the Caribbean and you’ll find at the end of each story, a bit about how each vacation changes me. On the first part of this series, I was contemplating whether or not I should include the part about change then, or wait until I got home from SXSW to evaluate it. I am on the plane from Houston heading back to Tampa after having several hours to myself in a non-interactive, non-tech, non-SXSW environment, so here goes nothing.

Lesson #9: I have made the commitment to my career. I came down to Austin on my own dime, and the only thing I wanted out of this was to learn as much as possible, while meeting some great people along the way. Mission accomplished, and then some. The cost of this trip alone will be a wash thanks to the lessons learned and the connections made. I had the privilege of meeting with some amazing people, and I can’t wait to continue those relationships beyond the city limits of Austin.

After I met Bryan, I told myself I could go home the next day and I would have gotten my moneys worth. Then Sunday’s panels were incredible and full of bright minds and intelligent conversation. The parties? Forget about it. All of the sponsored parties I went to had an open bar – so the money I planned to spend on the nightlife stayed in my account. I managed to achieve a great balance between going to panels, hanging out in the blogger’s lounge with some extremely talented writers, and partying my face off.

To be around the innovators and early-adopters for nearly a week was such an amazing environment. Being saturated in conversations with the industry’s most creative and brilliant minds, all in one place, sharing what they know, challenging what I know, and learning from others is going to make it hard to adjust to exist in a world with “normal” people thrown in.

The light came on for me this week. Something triggered that “ah-ha” moment. I kind of fell into my own on Sunday, and just rode it out the rest of the week.

Lesson #10: Surround yourself with brilliance, and you too will shine. If you surround yourself with people who you want to emulate, you will challenge yourself to be better. If you settle for less, if you are okay with “run-of-the-mill” or if you are surrounded by people with no drive – you will lose yours. People with no drive suck the life out of me. I don’t produce as well, I complain a lot, and I’m relatively unhappy (part of the ah-ha moment stemmed from this discovery). People with drive feel my energy, feel my enthusiasm, and encourage me to be better, to keep motivated and positive. I am more fun to be around when I’m surrounded by like-minded individuals. I grew exponentially this week because of the environment I was in.

It’s not all about me. It really isn’t. Well, the choices and sacrifices that I make in regards to my career – yes, that is all about me. And I will be selfish when it comes to those decisions. But I learned this weekend that it’s about what you can contribute. Are you making a difference? Do you matter? Are you helping other people matter?

As SXSW Interactive starts to wind down, I want to leave you with a couple of pointers from one of the big guys in social media, Peter Shankman. This is by no means the end of my posts about my time here at SX, but I felt this was of the utmost importance.

1. Take as many journalism classes as you can. If you understand journalism, deadlines, how to write for a particular beat, what the newsroom is like, AP style, etc, you will succeed at a rapid pace as a PR professional. If you can pitch to the appropriate people, and understand what a journalist considers a good pitch – you are set. For life.

2. Talk to as many people as you can. I know I’ve been harping on this for several months now, but networking is huge. Anyone who follows Peter on Twitter can see that he’s got it down. Anyone that’s ever had the pleasure of meeting him in person can see that he’s as passionate offline as he is online, if not more so. Having the opportunity to interact with Peter at SXSW on multiple occasions was amazing. I was able to see him both as a panelist and as a rocker. “Rocker?” you say? Yes. Which leads me to number three…

3. Learn one song that you can rock at karaoke. Okay so this wasn’t actual advice that he gave me, but damn, this guy can rock the Bon Jovi. Seriously. Don’t believe me? Check it out.

Thank you Peter for your amazing input and fantastic rendition of “You Give Love A Bad Name”. I look forward to working with you in the future.

My journey in Austin, navigating everything that is SXSW Interactive started off with a good dose of reality. While Mentor #2 made some great points and definitely opened my eyes to how everyone should be approaching PR, his stand-offish attitude about my enthusiasm for social media wiped my usually-amazing smile right off my face. And then he wonders why I’m not smiling. Well I decided to change it up.

Since I spent much of Saturday wasting away possible networking opportunities with some awesome dramatics (the sarcasm is actually dripping from “awesome” if you look closely), I woke up Sunday, plastered a smile on my face and hit the streets. It was time to make up for a botched “interview” and time wasted.

The goal of the day was to go to as many panels as possible and network with as many people as I could. I went to three amazing panels including “HealthCare and Social Networking”, “Old Media, New Tricks” and “Are PR Agencies a Dying Breed?”. For a recap of those panels, if you aren’t already following me on Twitter, you should, and search for these tags: #snhealth, #sxswOMNT, and #pr2. You can see some of the amazing discussions that took place during the different sessions.

Lesson #6: It’s okay to Twitter during sessions (and in bars!), in fact, it’s encouraged. During my first session, Ben created a tag for the conversation so we could all follow along. It made the experience that much better, because what wasn’t being said in the discussion was being said on Twitter. It was incredible to see the dynamics of the conversation change. At my second panel, Dan and Rob had already established the tag they wanted us to use.

The fact that being on your computer, playing around with Twitter and texting was all encouraged was an awesome thing. The fact that all of the people here are early adopters if not innovators makes me feel right at home. The lightbulb went off when I walked into the first party – I am a nerd. And it’s confirmed. And I like it. I’ve found my happy place.

Lesson #7: Don’t mold yourself to the company you’re thinking about. Be yourself and if it fits, it fits. My live-tweeting drew attention to my site and in turn, I made a lot of new contacts. I met Adam Keats of Weber-Shandwick in Chicago and he introduced me to anyone and everyone that I needed to know. My conversations with Adam were the extreme opposite of those with Bryan. The conversation had a good flow, both of us asking questions and talking about how social media is revolutionizing the way we do PR. Adam is clearly an awesome guy to know, as his networking skills are amazing, and he passed my communication test (he finished one conversation before he started another, in short). With Adam, I walked away with that “I nailed it” feeling.

Lesson #8: Being energetic and passionate is going to get me places. I know I already touched on this several posts ago – but my energy is what is going to get me the job. Why? Because the people I want to work with are the people that feed off of a good energy, people that see my passion and can feel it. Experience is still necessary, yes, but I don’t need to be stressed out about how much I have an if it’s enough. Because it is. Nobody expects me to have all the answers, I’m too young to have all the answers. But I do have an incredible hold on what I do, and am eager to learn and grow and show people what I’m all about.

Talking to the people I talked to, both last night and today, made me realize that I am doing everything I can and that I’m on the right track. This conference has been the most powerful thing for my career so far, as I have had four interviews, all different in their own right and all something that I can definitely learn from.

And, I won a flip camera today! I guess I’ll have to start looking into doing some vlogging.

More to come. Dinner at Rio Grande, then Mashable Bash.

I’ve been fortunate enough to connect with some pretty influential PR people in the first 24 hours I’ve been in Austin for SXSW, and feel like I learned more about myself last night in 3 hours than I have in the 23 years I’ve been on this planet. I’m always interested to know more about what people think about me, or how people perceive me, and last night I got a good dose of someone else’s reality.

I had a very informal interview last night and for the first time, I feel like I didn’t nail it. After every interview I’ve ever been in, I always feel like a rock-star, and last night (this morning) was a real shock to my entire being. As I boarded Continental flight 1437 en route to Austin, I was totally confident in my skills, what I have accomplished and where I want to go. I had the support from the PR department head, other professors, students that admire how driven I am, and I was ready to take on anything that came my way.

Lesson #1: I need to get more comfortable talking about what I want to do, in front of more than one person. Last night was so intense. It’s 2 am at a diner in Austin and I’m being interviewed by one of the most influential people in PR. Across the table from me is a big-wig, owner of a boutique agency, past-president of three major agencies. Next to him is my roommate, who came along for a bite to eat. She’s never heard me talk about myself like this, and how often is your best friend in the interview with you? Sitting next to me is another big-wig, a social media god (though he prefers “deity”). It was a totally different environment in which to be interviewed, so I’ll chalk it up to a good experience, and definitely something to learn from.

I couldn’t stop sweating. I stuttered like someone with a legitimate speech impediment. I avoided eye contact. I was not me. I was some nervous wreck. I’ve never been so uncomfortable in my life, so unsure of what was coming out of my mouth. Who was that at the table last night? The girl in my place was someone who was all of the sudden in the presence of people that matter, people that have seen tens of thousands of people like me. I shut down, I forgot everything I wanted to say, I couldn’t remember anything that sounded halfway intelligent.

Lesson #2: I don’t deserve shit, and I’m intellectually behind.

After talking to Mentor #2, I feel like I have a ton to work on. He asked me if I thought I deserve more, and I said I did. “You don’t deserve shit, Sydney”, he said. And he’s right. I need to work. I need to succumb to the passion and just let it rip, and then things will come. I don’t think I meant it like I want everything handed to me on a silver platter, but the message is the same, regardless of what I meant.

When I told him I feel like I’m behind, he said “you are, intellectually.”

Lesson #3: PR is about making people understand why they matter – not social media. Social media is a tactic through which you can disperse the story, but the story is the key, and the story comes from believing in the client, and understanding why they matter.

When he asked me why we’re here (as PR professionals), the correct answer was not everything I’ve been taught in school. The correct answer was not “to represent X and maintain their image” or “a communication function of management” or any other definition that I’ve swallowed and regurgitated for every test in the PR sequence.

The correct answer was, “to make people understand why they matter”. His approach on PR is something I’ve never seen. It’s everything I never knew I wanted to be. Sure, I have ideas of what I want to do (though they aren’t very concrete, after saying them out loud) but talking to Mentor #2 really put things in perspective.

The guy is a genius. Maybe a little crazy, as most creatives are, but brilliant nonetheless. He asked me what kind of releases I was writing for Moffitt. I told him about this doc who has been here for less than a month and has performed two first-ever surgeries at Moffitt. The way I had been writing these releases was more like an announcement, not a story. Mentor #2 asked me why that doctor wanted me to write a release about the surgery. The answer, after like four attempts to answer, was simple.

“You want to write this story about the surgery to make people aware that Moffitt is on the cutting-edge for this procedure. People that need this procedure should want to come to Moffitt and Moffitt alone to get it, which in turn creates profit for Moffitt.”

Lesson #4: Quit blaming everyone else.

I was blaming the institution for not allowing me to write it as anything but an announcement. I was taking the fact that I didn’t know of any other way to convey the information and turning it around on them. I was blaming my teachers for not teaching us how to think this way. The fact of the matter is, he may be the only one who does. And then everyone who meets him, has anything to do with him, is made into a believer.

“Quit blaming them Sydney, and write it how you know it should be written,” he said.

Turns out, I haven’t been giving myself the experience I should. I’ve been going with the flow, not looking for avenues to break out. I didn’t know I could. And I don’t know that I can. But think about it. What if everything I’ve written this semester was re-drafted to give it purpose and to make it matter, not just to announce to whoever is listening that this has happened. What if I re-wrote it to make people want to listen, to make them want more, to make them believe in what we’re doing.

“That’s the kind of stories I’d like to tell, Sydney. That’s compelling stuff. I get clients that hand me a spoon and want me to make the spoon matter. You’re handed content that does matter, that is important. Think of what you can do with that.”

Lesson #5: My resume is a work in progress, as each mentor has different advice.

We worked on my resume, which is like what every mentor wants to do with me right now. I love how different people from different backgrounds have me writing it differently. This guy has been the president of three different agencies, he knows what’s up. He doesn’t do the hiring, and the guy has never written a resume for himself in his life, but he’s seen tens of thousands of resumes, so he knows what the people that do the hiring are looking for.

So what’s next? I draft my resume per his suggestions and get some more feedback. I have lunch with Penelope today, so that will probably get my mind spinning in the opposite direction.