Corridors of power? Ashleigh Adams has been there and done that.
Adams graduated from the University of Southern California and went on to serve as press deputy to Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. In a 1999 media coup, she teamed with a
local radio station to create a one-hour radio show, "Ask the Mayor," in which listeners could call in and talk to the mayor directly.
She went on to handle corporate affairs at Bank of America in her native Los Angeles, and then headed east to Washington, D.C. to serve as deputy press secretary to First Lady
Laura Bush. There, she worked with national and international media promoting the First Lady's education initiatives, including the first-ever National Book Festival and a White
House Symposium on Early Childhood Cognitive Development.
Adams left the White House in May, and from her new post as an account supervisor with Edelman in L.A., she spoke with PR NEWS about her experience. Adams says the White House
isn't like any place else. It's easy to let it go to your head, but if you can keep your feet grounded, there is a lot to learn there - from the grueling pace, the constant
spotlight, and the myriad details that accompany a White House press event.
PRN: How did you end up at the White House?
A.A.: One of my former bosses and mentors, Noelia Rodriguez, was appointed Mrs. Bush's press secretary, and she called me up and asked me if I was interested in serving as
deputy press secretary. When you are presented with an opportunity to go work at the White House, it is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and having worked for Mayor Riordan in Los
Angeles, I was pretty familiar with the role of a press secretary in the public sector, especially in terms of the media relations part of it.
PRN: What did you learn at the White House?
A.A.: I learned that you need to always ask a lot of questions - and I was very fortunate in that regard. The White House staff and also a lot of members of the press corps
like to tell you that they have been there a lot longer than you have. They don't mean it in a condescending way, but rather as a way to say: "We can be a resource to you."
There were numerous reporters we could call and say, "We are thinking of doing this, how has it been done in the past?" You want to be sure the reporters attending an event are
going to get a good story out of it, and so it makes sense to use them as a resource in that way.
All of that underscores the importance in PR of building relationships with the people you encounter every day. By having good relationships with reporters, you are able to
provide them with information and access - and they can also help you at the end of the day.
PRN: What was your favorite part about your time in Washington?
A.A.: I did a lot of traveling, so that was always fun - going to places not just across the United States but also overseas, where I could work closely with the embassy
personnel. It also was exciting just to go to the White House every day. I would enter the gates on the east wing, the executive side, and every morning it would really hit you:
Not only are you there to serve the First Lady, but you also are doing something in the service of your nation. Also, just talking to the residential staff, some of whom have been
there since the Nixon administration - it's amazing how much history is within the walls of the White House.
PRN: So why did you leave?
A.A.: I knew from the very beginning that I would probably do it only for a year. Also I recently became engaged, and my home and family and fiancé are all in California,
so it just made sense. The press office operations were already established. We already had good working relationships with the reporters covering the First Lady, so I did not
feel like I was leaving Mrs. Bush in the lurch.
PRN: The media were conspicuously not in the First Lady's face during the Bush twins' drinking incidents. How did that come about?
A.A.: Mrs. Bush was very clear from the beginning that her family affairs are private, so whatever happened with the Bush twins was handled as a private matter, something
that was not up for discussion in terms of the White House commenting on their actions.
PRN: What's it like working with Mrs. Bush?
A.A.: While she does come across to some as being somewhat media shy, she is very active behind the scenes and very focused on her agenda of promoting education, through
recruiting more teachers and also through a focus on early childhood development and reading.
PRN: Why have you gone to an agency as opposed to another political post or an in-house corporate gig?
A.A.: People think I am most passionate about politics. While I am passionate about politics, I am most passionate about public relations work, and I really wanted to go to a
place where at the end of the day your product is public relations. Often, for instance, when you are in-house PR, you get involved in doing things that are not PR-related,
whereas on the agency side you are hired by the client to really focus on PR, and that is what I enjoy doing best.
PRN: What are you looking forward to most?
A.A.: I am looking forward to having a balance between work and life again. This is a family-friendly administration, but you do have long hours in the White House, and a lot
is expected of you.
Also, one of the things about being at an agency is that you get to work on everything from stuffing press kits to providing strategy for a client. You really get to experience
the full gamut of PR work. I think I bring a lot to the table, and at the same time I am working with people who have amazing backgrounds and amazing experiences, so I expect that
there is a lot I am going to be able to learn from them.
(Contact: Ashleigh Adams, 323/857-9100, [email protected])
Adams' Tips for Press Perfect Events
Adams was well-acquainted with public service PR after doing a stint with Mayor Riordan. But her work at the White House added a few new tricks to her repertoire.
"The one part that was unexpected was the press advance work, which comes with the job. You are basically traveling ahead of the First Lady to make sure that everything is in
place, and the amount of detail you have to attend to is amazing. You go through her entire schedule two or three times before she does it in order to make sure the event goes off
without a hitch."
Adams offers a few tips on the easily-overlooked details that can mean the difference between a picture-perfect event and a media flop:
- Learn how to make an event TV-friendly, in terms of lighting, in terms of positioning a backdrop that underscores the message you are trying to convey.
- The minute the first camera person arrives and gets set up, ask to look through the lens. You want to make sure a flagpole is not going to shoot straight up behind someone's
head. If you have a good relationship with your camera people, they will help you to do that, and while it is a simple and obvious thing to do, it is something that is easy to
overlook.