Mad Men Season 5 Premiere Party!

To all those Mad Men fans out there, the wait is almost over. In less than two weeks, Don Draper will grace all of our television sets once more, and we will get transported to the 1960's all over again.

In celebration of this highly anticipate two-hour premiere, Missouri State's Chapter of PRSSA and Missouri State's Ad Club is hosting a premiere party on March 25 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Marion Apartments.

Come dressed in your best 60's garb and ready to jump into the world of advertising! There will be themed refreshments, networking opportunities and of course, Mad Men. The event is at the theater at Marion Apartments on 1745 South Marion (near Sunshine and Kansas Expressway).

The party is open and FREE to anyone who would like to attend, so invite your friends, internship supervisors and classmates. No one wants to miss this premiere!

If you have yet to explore the world of Mad Men, come by anyway for a great opportunity to mingle with your fellow students and some local professionals while enjoying a TV pop culture icon. After all, we Missourians must stick together as John Hamm, the actor who plays Don Draper, is from St. Louis, Mo.

For more information, check out the Facebook event.

The Wait is Almost Over!

Barkley Tour in Kansas City

In a previous post, I discussed some things I learned at Kansas City's PRSSA Day that Doug and I attended earlier this month. I also wanted to share about another element of our great day: our agency tour at Barkley.

Each school was offered the opportunity to tour a public relations agency in Kansas City. Doug and I went with some other schools to tour Barkley, an integrated advertising agency in KC.

As soon as I walked into the doors, I felt a creative rush of energy. I felt as if Sterling-Cooper, from the television show Man Men, was just transformed before my eyes and brought into the 21st century.

All of the office was open and clean with random bursts of color throughout the floor. The space encouraged collaborative work and a spirit of creativity with its nearly 250 employees. The entire office was themed around the Barkley rocket, with planet named meeting rooms, and a real rocket ride on the third floor. I loved seeing the inspirational quotes all the walls throughout the office with the theme: "ADD GOOD. SHAKE WELL."

One of the major benefits of agency public relations was clear after this tour: freedom. With the constant strife to impress clients, creativity and fresh ideas are prized. Working within an organization can sometimes put restrictions on your creativity because of tradition and organizational culture. That is not the case of an agency's culture. An organization comes to an agency because what they are doing is not working or because they need a new perspective.

If you are a creative person who loves to collaborate, an atmosphere like at Barkley would suit you well. Doug and I both made some connections to a couple Barkley employees if you are ever interested in learning more about the agency world. You can also check out Barkley's website, Twitter and Facebook page.

Bethany Parry—Vice President: Bethany is a senior at Missouri State University studying Public Relations and Spanish. As Vice President, she promotes professional development, manages communications, and supports the president in anyway needed. You can contact her at Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu or follow her on Twitter at @bparry08.