Navigating an Unexpected Adventure: From LinkedIn to Editors to Actors, Griffin Strategies' Team Wears Many Hats

In the world of PR and communications, it’s funny how something can start off as a simple project and lead you on an unexpected adventure. The Griffin Strategies team is known to wear many hats, but after recently finding ourselves on the set of a “submarine” for a full-length movie, we realized just how often we are called to navigate through uncharted waters with our clients.

It all started with a LinkedIn invitation last June. Throughout the course of my writing and editing career, I’ve managed to take on the role of copy editor in each position, and as a result, had those experiences listed on my profile. (Note to those of you who don’t see the value of LinkedIn – keywords are a powerful tool that will help people find you!) Our now-client David Sullivan was searching for copy editors in Dallas and stumbled upon my LinkedIn profile.

A little background on David Sullivan: David is a member of the DFW Association for Psychological Type, which focuses on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) for different personality types. David is currently producing a full-length film, “Christmas With Winston,” to be used for training purposes within companies to help build self-awareness and understanding of others within the context of multiple business operational challenges.

David approached us with a simple request – to have Griffin Strategies copy edit rough scripts he’d written for the film. So we put on our editor hats and were happy to help. But what started as a very narrow scope began to expand into other areas. Could we look at this training module and see if it makes sense? Of course. We put on our consulting hats and offered some advice. Then after giving each of us an MBTI personality test, he offered us a chance to climb aboard his big adventure, asking if we would like to be actors in his film. So, for the first time since ninth grade, I brushed the dust off my old acting hat and wore it alongside Allison a couple of weekends back.

I think we surprised ourselves that day. According to David, we did a pretty decent job in our acting gigs as sailors aboard a submarine in the midst of stressful conditions and with a big mission to fulfill. He’s already planning the next scene for us. And Allison and I are looking forward to the next part of the journey!

This experience makes me think there’s something to be said about the relationships we build with our clients. David isn’t the first to come to us with a simple request that has ballooned into something much more involved. As PR professionals, clients depend on our expertise to guide them through every step – even for processes they have yet to think up. We, in turn, are open to new opportunities and new adventures that come with this career, performing our due diligence and doing our very best to steer our clients down the right path.

By the way – if your company’s HR team is someday watching “Christmas With Winston,” keep an eye out for two PR professionals steering a submarine!