Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work at General Mills. Working with leading and trusted brands like Cheerios, Wheaties, and Betty Crocker was an eye-opener and powerful learning experience.

May 1 is the anniversary of the original launch of Cheerios in 1941. In honor of Cheerio’s 76^th anniversary, here are three reflections from my time in Minneapolis working at General Mills.

The Inheritance:  Sometimes you build a brand, but sometimes you inherit one. Thousands of people worked for 50 years on the Cheerios “brand” long before I got there. And thousands more will continue to do so for years to come.

This weekend the international community is celebrating the world’s 47th Earth Day. US Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day to raise public awareness about environmental protection. The first Earth Day resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. Now, Earth Day is celebrated around the world. It is as important as ever to advocate for environmental protections that are now under attack.

In honor of Earth Day, the FCP staff  is sharing some of our best communications tips for environmental clients— as well as the wisdom we’ve gained from working with them.

Dan’s Reflection: Connecting to the Community is Key

Dan working the Press Riser at the 1990 Earth Day celebration in New York’s Central Park

FCP helped an organization in the South Bay called Valley Verde launch their Plant, Eat, Share Campaign, with a goal to plant 20,000 gardens in the Silicon Valley area. The idea was to help Latino community members and families that were struggling financially to build gardens and grow their own vegetables. Not only would it help increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables, but it would teach a new generation about healthy eating and encourage families, across generations, to be outdoors together.

The lesson for us was in how to extrapolate the impact of one single backyard in San Jose to the larger goal of changing an entire community’s relationship with food and nature. We accomplished this with powerful and personal storytelling paired with key statistics that indicated that there was indeed an existing problem and that this initiative was a part of the solution.

(Note: This is NOT the reporter in question)

We recently spent a quiet moment talking to a talented and harried local TV news reporter.  We asked, off the record, about what he/she likes about the job and more importantly, how we could help him/her do a better job of telling stories. We also wanted to share these insights with our clients and friends to ensure all of us are better prepared when we reach out to reporters.  Here’s what we heard…

What would you tell people you interview?

I wish they knew that the rehearsed answer and/or written statement that they read on camera sounds terrible. It will never get used on TV.  We are looking for a natural, heartfelt answer.

The Full Court Press team is celebrating a milestone this week: two years ago, Caitlin Scott (Senior Communications Counselor) and Audrey Baker (Communications Counselor) joined our team. A lot has changed over the past two years. Our state, our nation, and the world of communications are not the same. FCP sat down with Caitlin and Audrey to discuss how much has changed and what they’ve learned over the years.

Today is International Women’s Day, a celebration of the many social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. To celebrate International Women’s Day, Full Court Press rounded up some of the female figures who have most inspired us. These change-makers are merely a small sample of the incredible women working to make the world a better, more just place for all. They demonstrate for us all ways to #BeBoldForChange .