Gramercy Communications is pleased to introduce Matt Cannon as Director of Integrated Media and Mike Bohne as Public Relations Coordinator.

Matt Cannon earned his bachelors degree from Northeastern University and has nearly a decade of experience in multiple aspects of the communications industry. Prior to coming to Gramercy Communications in October, Matt was employed as a Coordinator for the New York State Assembly, where he produced relevant communications products for multiple Assembly Members. Cannon began his career working in sports broadcasting in Boston, where he worked with major TV networks ESPN and NESN doing freelance production of major sporting events including the Boston Marathon, World Series, Monday Night Football, NBA and NHL playoffs.

Matt is currently serving as the Communications Co-Chair for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Capital Region Chapter.

Mike Bohne has been with Gramercy Communications since July 2011, where he started in the company’s paid internship program. A graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, Mike managed the broadcast, media relations and marketing of Utica radio station, WPNR 90.7FM, as a student. He has also volunteered his time assisting with media relations for the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany.

Mike is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and was previously an active member of the PRSSA Student Chapter at Utica.

Gramercy Communications Principal & Founder Tom Nardacci was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Rensselaer County’s Hall of Fame. This year’s celebration was for the Inaugural Class. Tom spent countless summers as a youth at the Boys Club’s Camp Adventure and every weeknight as a teen in the Club’s gym. When he went off to college, Tom was awarded the Gordon Noel Memorial Scholarship by the Clubs. Tom has remained an active volunteer for youth organizations. He has served as a Board Member at the Rensselaer Clubs, and served as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Albany Boys & Girls Clubs, helping to guide the organization through challenging times. He chaired the Albany Club’s first-ever annual appeal, and helped them raise over $100,000.

Gramercy Communications had the rewarding experience of helping the Rensselaer Boys & Girls Club in December. Faced with serious financial pressures, the Boys & Girls Club needed to raise $100,000 in a few weeks or risk closing its doors. With outreach from Gramercy Communications many local media outlets including the Times Union helped tell the Club’s inspirational story and raise awareness of the situation. The local community responded immediately, and the generous support amazingly helped the the Club’s reach their goal.

Gramercy Communications was recently called out by The Record in the December 26, 2011 Tailspin Column as a 2011 winner in the annual “Winners & Losers” column:

“Gramercy Communications: The series of polls conducted on the mayor’s race by the guys from Gramercy were dead on straight through. They first predicted Mantello would crush Campana by some 20 points, then it found she was beating Rosamalia by 7 when he first got in and then found the race was neck-and-neck. The final poll, released the Sunday before Election, had her down by 10.9 points. Everyone kind of questioned that one, but like the others it was dead on.”

The team at Gramercy Communications wishes you a very happy holidays and all the best for a joyful and prosperous 2012!

Tom Nardacci, Gramercy Communications’ founder & principal, was recently recognized as the 2011 Outstanding PR Practitioner by the Public Relations Society of America, Capital Region Chapter.

During his remarks, Tom brought our two fall interns, Mike and Nolan, up with him for recognition. Over the past five years, Gramercy Communications has invested more than $100,000 in our internship program. We have helped students from a wide variety of colleges and universities gather invaluable hands-on public relations experience.

Below is a short video from the PRSA Capital Region Empire Awards event:

Tom Nardacci recently participated in the”Social Media in Business: Everyone is doing it, are you doing it right?” event, hosted by Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, held at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Tom and other members of the panel looked at how social media is impacting the business environment and discussed how it can be effective for marketing, public relations and communications.

Modern Mix Marketing created and posted this video of Tom’s presentation.

Gramercy Communications: Under The Magnifying Glass

by Mike Bohne (Fall 2011 Intern)

I was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP); a genetic eye condition that leads to incurable blindness. I was diagnosed at an early age, have been legally blind since before my teen years and have learned to cope with this condition my entire life.  The level of degeneration of eyesight varies for every person and RP can cause severe night blindness.

This past May, I graduated from Utica College of Syracuse University with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and then began working as a part-time intern at Gramercy Communications in July.  Every morning when I leave for Gramercy before the sun comes up, I open the door and can barely see a foot in front of me as I cautiously walk to the bus stop.  This is one of the many obstacles I deal with daily.

My first day was challenging and I knew I had to find a way to adapt to the new situations ahead of me, or else fitting in at Gramercy would be impossible.  Ask yourself, how do you work in the fast paced office environment of a public relations firm when you’re legally blind and can’t see well enough to read the newspaper or even online media? Most Capital Region media does not offer accessibility options for visually impaired individuals on their websites, a stunning fact considering that a majority of people in the world get their news online.

I did not expect a PR firm to slow down just for me; a PR firm does not slow down for anyone.  Dealing with daily tasks such as writing a press release, scanning the news for articles related to our clients and even meeting new clients are a current challenge for me to overcome.  Communicating with clients can be difficult with a visual impairment such as mine, as non-verbal communication is very important to a conversation.

When reading the news or writing a press release, I adapt to the situation by using handheld magnification devices and computer software designed for people with visual impairments.  My visual impairment can make normal tasks more time consuming, but it only encourages me to work harder and faster.  I do not see my disability as a weakness, rather as a source of motivation to push myself and to be persistent.  I don’t let Retinitis Pigmentosa get in the way of my goals in life or affect my quality of work.

I have had great experiences at Gramercy in my short time here.  I have learned that Gramercy Communications and I share several qualities, the most important is that we both are committed to working harder.  With RP – I have to. At Gramercy Communications, it’s a commitment to our clients that drives us.

The full Gramercy Communications team recently attended the Public Relations Society of America Capital Region Chapter 2011 Empire Awards, where we left as winners and Tom was awarded Public Relations Practitioner of The Year.  Tom explained that everyone at Gramercy played a role in its success, and took the time in his speech to recognize me and my writing skills.  Even as a new member of the team I was able to find my place at Gramercy, it’s nice to be appreciated.

I was looking for a job when I graduated college, but I found something more – an opportunity.  I am enjoying my time here and look forward to the future.  The field of Public Relations is always changing and I am eager to never stop learning. I look forward to my next challenge.

One of our fall 2011 interns created a great video inspired by one of our print ads he saw laying around the office.

Tom Nardacci was pleased to attend the NY Open for Business Statewide Conference at the Empire State Plaza in Albany today. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state has entered into agreements providing for investments valued at $4.4 billion over the next five years from leading international companies including Intel, IBM, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, TSMC and Samsung.

At noon, former President Bill Clinton spoke. From the Times Union, “Clinton said government is not the problem. He said a strong economy requires an effective government that will ‘ask the right questions’ about using local assets to invigorate business.”

We wanted to share with you the recent ad we placed in the New York Real Estate Journal. The edition focused on activities in Upstate New York. It’s actually pretty impressive how much is happening around New York given the sluggish national economy.

One of Gramercy’s strongest niches is in providing public relations and strategic communications counsel in the field of economic development. Our roster of clients has over $2 billion in active economic development projects in New York State. Our experience runs the gamut from healthcare to energy to manufacturing to high tech to tourism to retail and restaurants. We work with our clients to build and maintain credibility for them and their projects.

We are encouraged by the pick-up of economic activity over the past year. I would expect that to continue to trend upward in New York State under the leadership and focus of Governor Cuomo and his economic team.

To see our ad in the virtual edition, click here.