Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Joining rock star, Playboy photographer and Zamboni driver on the list of dream jobs will be chief beer officer, courtesy of Four Points by Sheraton.

The Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide brand will launch an executive search starting today for someone with brew eloquence and a rich knowledge of beer as part of its Best Brew program. The job posting appears in a full page in the Wall Street Journal and on HotJobs.com and Monster.com. The new hire—who actually would be brought on as an independent part time consultant—will be showered with Starwood Preferred Guest points and a generous travel and expense account for fulfilling duties like attending beer fests, sampling more than 300 brews, touring breweries, hosting Oktoberfest and choosing beer menus for new hotels. The CBO will assume the post by mid-January and begin documenting beer-related activities while imparting knowledge to others through a Web blog. [Brandweek] -By Mike Beirne

I've been a Rocketboom viewer since the beginning (and persecuted for my advocacy of the lighthearted daily news by friends and colleages): I think I tuned in on her 3rd podcast on iTunes. Not a iTunes subscriber? Check your Tivo; Rocketboom is now available to most Tivo subscribers. Like many loyal followers of "citizen journalism," it was sad to see her leave Rocketboom. The good news is now everyone can see her on the boob-tube; watch for Amanda on ABC, maybe even prime time! Again, congratulations. Yesterday's headline read:

Amanda Congdon, the former host of the Rocketboom video blog, has been hired by US TV network ABC.

Congdon is also in the process of developing a show with US cable channel Home Box Office (HBO).

The Back-story: Congdon left Rocketboom in June this year claiming that she was fired, but Baron alleges that she quit to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.

Baron apparently gave Congdon a 49 per cent share of Rocketboom. The two are currently in a dispute as to whether the agreement still stands.

In true Congdon spirit, here is an interpretation of perky quirky "news babe" memorable highlights. You may get a kick out of it if you watched Rocketboom since the beginning.

"I am going to be video blogging for Disney ABC, specifically ABC News," Congdon said in a video message on her Amanda Across America blog.

"I'll be the first person to fulfill that role for the network. Because ABC is continually pushing ahead and innovating, I'm super excited to be a part of their team.

"I'll also be appearing on ABC's News Now from time to time and occasionally I'll pop up on Good Morning America, Nightline and 20/20 to serve as an Internet correspondent."

In our continued effort to support bloggers and citizen journalists we are opening up our vote for Publicist of the Year to you. In the past we have only asked the media and producers to participate. If you've worked with any of our publicists, please vote today.

I became aware of a job opening at Microsoft through Easton Ellsworth's blog, "Business Blogwire." It seems that Microsoft is really getting into the blogging world by looking to hire a Product Manager to manage Windows consumer bloggers and The Hive, a new consumer blogger program, among other responsibilities. One of these responsibilites is to create a buzz for Windows Vista, although hopefully not through a flog. You can see the job requirements at Job.com.

Maybe Robert Scoble taught them something after all.

PR professionals are laid off, change careers, rotate agencies and some individuals even start up their own shop around this time of year. The years end is a natural time for corporations to evaluate their talent pool and make appropriate changes. We've had a fantastic year of tremendous growth which has required constant tweaking of our staff to better serve our clients and provide our team with the best tools and resources available.

Of course, good people are in high demand. It’s always been my manner that if an employee doesn't love working with us, then I always feel like it's my responsibility to find out why and fix it! This was a year of change and growth for our firm; we've said goodbye to a senior staffer, switched up players on our different teams, beefed up our training and mentoring program, restructured reporting relationships in all three offices, promoted two directors to vice presidents and we added two new senior vice presidents to help lead the charge in 2007. It's been exciting to see the positive results in the last few months!

I hear stories all the time of an employee jumping ship and starting their own agency and stealing a few clients as they pick up the last paycheck. While it may be a common practice in our industry, this type of behavior does not display the level of professional ethics that are so vital in business. In fact, we're proud to help employees transition out of PR when they realize it's not for them any longer.

Here are some guidelines that every PR professional should understand:

1. PR firms own relationships both on behalf of the clients they represent and for the staff that they train and mentor.

2. PR firms should be compensated if those relationships are jeopardized or challenged.

3. Employees are accountable to their PR firm first and foremost rather than clients or the media.

4. It is always better to take the high road; business relationships are recycled everyday and you never know whose path you will cross again, so never burn bridges.

My golden rules for maintaining integrity as a PR professional are:

This month, Pierce Mattie PR presented the highly anticipated and coveted Annual Media Awards. Arriving in New York, our Los Angeles and Atlanta teams joined forces with our New York Team all with baited breath, awaiting the results. After a sumptuous holiday feast, (it was sumtuous!) we announced our winner and runner-up of Pierce Mattie PR's top honor: the 2006 Publicist of the Year Award. The winner is awarded a six day and five night all inclusive trip to Paris for two, while the runner-up receives a 5 day session package for Pilates.

Drum roll please...

Congratulations to Lance Buckley (NY office), our 2006 Publicist of the Year who also got his three year anniversary Louis Vuitton briefcase. We had over 3,000 editors and segment producers write in to tell us who they thought should win. It's not just a popularity contest but a testament to which publicist created the best rapport with the press.

Having worked at Pierce Mattie PR for three years, Lance brings creative insight and encyclopedic knowledge of his market all packaged together in a calm and thoughtful demeanor. He has led such successful campaigns as Desperate Housewives, Lotus Sports Cars, Hommage Razors, NoNami Clothing, and Lock Stock & Barrel to name a few.

Maryam Zarkesh (LA office) came in with the next number of votes. With Pierce Mattie PR for just over a year, Maryam has risen quickly by displaying a tireless work ethic, a strong grasp of the brands on which she works and a charming manner that has made everyone adore her.

Also awarded were:

2006 Best Print Media Placement of the Year
Nafi Saboor (NY)
Xtreme Lashes in Teen Vogue

2006 Best Broadcast Placement of the Year
Nikki Walker (Atlanta)
Black Opal on the Today Show

2006 Platinum Service Award
Ivy Cartagena (NY)

2006 Best Media Event of the Year
Lauren Branche (NY)
Jane Iredale Global Beauty Launch Event

Of course our holiday event wouldn't be complete without our Blooper Awards but that's for our eyes only. Even our CEO received the biggest blooper!

We are proud of each and every one of our team members. While we honor the few whose work shone brightly, we are a family and recognize that each person's work is a reflection of the larger whole.

Onward to 2007!

Joanna Roche, NYC Let’s file this under “keeping up with the Jones’” - and for the record I feel compelled to participate. It’s like getting a chain letter and not sending it when you can really use the good karma.

1. Even though my work life is centered on the beauty and spa world, I have a rugged side. I go camping and hiking, I am proficient with a hammer, I have a pistol permit, and I can ride a horse. I plan on sharing all these experiences with my son Luke when he gets a bit older.

2. I love Karaoke! Even though I am not a good singer, it has always been my ultimate fantasy to be a rock star.

3. I made it to the final round of tryouts for College Jeopardy and missed the last question to which the answer was Guy Fawkes. And I still love trivia and pop culture!

4. One of my proudest moments was when my team won first prize in the Lee Fireman’s Muster – I was captain of the Lenox Dale ladies team and we competed in the wet hose event and beat many of the men’s teams and made the front page of our local paper.

5. I am an avid reader – I read all 64 Nancy Drew books by the time I was in second grade and have been reading obsessively ever since. It is my ultimate goal in life to write a book, and I have several ideas I am working on right now.

Find out more about Joanna in her industry profile