Intro to the Austin Media Scene @CapitalFactory

Crosswind CEO Thomas Graham will be speaking at Capital Factory's CF Studios for its monthly series exploring the national reach of Austin's media scene. He will join filmmakers, journalists, game designers, communications executives, IP lawyers and more in sharing his knowledge about the city's growing media infrastructure and how to get involved. Click here to learn more and register for the event Thursday at 7 p.m.

Austin Goes Retro With Proposition One Vote

On Saturday, we saw the people of Austin, Texas, vote down 56-to-44 percent a measure that would have allowed Uber and Lyft to write their own ride-sharing rules for this high-tech, apps-crazed city. The action was uncharacteristically retrograde for this city of early adopters, forestalling – for the moment anyway – an easy landfall for the Internet revolution that has come to be known as the Sharing Economy. Read More

We hosted our crisis communications breakfast at the DoubleTree in downtown Houston during OTC last week, welcoming 35 people from various Fortune 500 companies. The initial conversation, led by industry professionals from ExxonMobil, Statoil and Murphy Oil, walked participants through the four areas of crisis communications: Planning, Practice, Response and Recovery. Then we tested the resulting message strategies through on-camera media interviews with an intimate gathering of approximately 10 individuals. Huge thanks to WPNT Communication s and everyone who attended for making Coffee & Conversations a success!

The Salvation Army's
"Doing the Most Good" Luncheon

Our Events + Experiences group recently put on its second event with The Salvation Army: the "Doing the Most Good" luncheon. We helped them raise $274,000 in sponsorships and donations to provide emergency shelter and wraparound services to local women and families experiencing homelessness. The elegant JW Marriott provided the ideal backdrop as a young man, "Sam," told the story of how his family was changed when he, his mother and four younger siblings came to The Salvation Army more than a decade ago when they had run out of options. He credited his mother for her tenaciousness and love, and challenged the guests to donate to The Salvation Army’s mission of making a difference for families like his. Crosswind's own Clayton Corn produced the live performance and film featuring Sam’s story.

“You may wonder if what you are doing is working. I’m telling you today that it worked for me and my family.” – Sam

In the News:

What Does a Pulitzer Really Mean?

Crosswind senior advisor Rich Oppel discusses the changing realities of media in his latest piece published in PR industry news magazine O’Dwyer’s. Read it here.

Behind the Headlines With Rich Oppel

What is the key to pitching a reporter? Building a relationship. Rich Oppel talks with Cision about the similarities between journalists and communication professionals, the steps to developing a successful media strategy and how to build strong relationships with journalists.