As soon as fellow Flintster Lacey Nygard told me she watches New Girl, I knew we would be fast friends. I mean, who can help but get lost in the allure of Zooey Deschanel’s quirky, yet adorable, nerd-girl charm?
Lacey and I enjoy our mutual love of New Girl from afar – she’s in Fargo at Flint Communications and I’m in Duluth at WestmorelandFlint. As a public relations coordinator, Lacey supports media outreach and tracks media coverage for client initiatives across all of Flint Group’s agencies.
Outside of work, Lacey is a pop culture fanatic (hence her love for New Girl).
Lacey’s top five pop culture passions:
1. Movies. Her favorite new release: Django Unchained. Good choice, Lacey, good choice.
For Halloween a few years ago, Lacey (left) dressed up as Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) from the movie Step Brothers.
2. Award shows. Lacey told me, “I love that award shows typically feature great music and gather great performers into one place to recognize talent. It’s on my bucket list to attend at least one.”
3. E-books. Lacey says she’s read more than 120 e-books in the last year. In fact, she and a friend, Lauren, started a blog, Girls With E-Books, to review their favorites and hopefully get advanced reader’s copies (ARCs) of books.
These proud book nerds waited in line for the midnight release of Breaking Dawn. E-books are great, but there are just some books you need a hard copy of, says Lacey.
4. Concerts. And finding one to attend isn’t hard, seeing she likes all types of music, from pop, rock and rap to country and oldies. She’s even been to the acclaimed Vans Warped Tour, a traveling indie rock festival.
5. Musicals. “Musicals showcase real talent – it’s all live and there isn’t a chance to edit or correct,” Lacey says. She’s seen many productions at local theater venues like Trollwood Performing Arts School and Act Up Theatre, as well as several traveling Broadway shows, including Legally Blonde the Musical, Next to Normal and The Lion King.
The Oscar review
With the Academy Awards next weekend, I had to ask her to weigh in on this year’s Oscar nominees. Lacey says she thinks Les Miserables will win Best Picture since it has such a great cast. But when I asked her what movie she wanted to win, she said Silver Linings Playbook.
Lacey told me, “I heard the writer/director wrote the movie to bring awareness to mental health issues so that his son wouldn’t be alone in the world. How inspiring.”
Check out this Huffington post interview where Silver Linings Playbook Director David O. Russell talks about the film and his heart-warming motivations.
Learning PR from pop culture
With her passion for celebrities and current events, Lacey says she finds it fascinating to watch how PR teams respond to crises.
“I think that it’s a great opportunity to learn from the mistakes that others have made, and to note tactics and responses that have worked to keep a favorable public perception of a brand or person,” she told me.
In fact, Lacey writes her own blog (which she admits needs some more-recent love and attention), where she analyzes how current marketing/PR/ad trends are integrated with pop culture.
Employee Spotlight: Q&A with Lacey Nygard!
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I’m ordained through the Universal Life Church (just like Conan O’Brien!), and I officiated my cousin’s wedding a few years back. Unfortunately, business has been rather slow since then.
If your life had a theme song from a musical, what would it be?
Defying Gravity from Wicked or So Much Better from Legally Blonde.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation would be great these days. I feel like I’m constantly on the move.
Who is your favorite actress?
I really like Jennifer Lawrence – I hear she’s hilarious in real life. Oh, and Zooey Deschanel (Of course. New Girl, remember?).
What is your favorite blog?
Daily Pep Talk From a Best Friend. My guilty pleasure is Perez Hilton.
If you were on the front page of the paper, what might the headline read?
“Fargo woman wins tickets to Tony Awards” – the best of both worlds: awards and theatre! And, hopefully if I wish for it enough, it’ll happen.
What’s your dream job?
I would LOVE to be on the PR or management team for a musician/actor or at a record label or TV network.
What is one thing you’d be willing to practice for an hour a day?
Blogging. I have a blog and I am constantly thinking of ideas, but I wish I had more time to spend on it.
What is something you’ve learned in the last week?
Lately, I’ve been researching the Barcelona Principles and learning how measurable results can be used to better share the value of public relations with clients and the Flint team.
