Research Chefs Association Part 2 / Vickie Mabry

Vickie Mabry

With a degree in Journalism from UGA, I've built a career in public relations, marketing and communications for associations. My clients have represented a diverse mix of industries -- from food and beverage manufacturers and restaurants to product fundraising. My writing experiences have been equally diverse -- from newsletters and magazine articles to corporate brochures, annual reports and awards ceremony scripts with supporting PowerPoints. I've developed successful media campaigns to lay and trade press that resulted in unprecedented media impressions. My clients have landed on the pages of Life Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Southern Living and a host of well-respected newspapers and industry trade publications. I love good story telling, the occasional unorthodox approach and the notion that a good lead can draw in even the most hardened reader.

Eat. Play. Innovate. Create.

This save-the-date postcard was put in play to promote attendance for the 2015 RCA Annual Conference.It was a small part of a larger conference branding project that I led with the help of the Kellen Communications team. It included a full page color and banner ads, email and PPT templates and conference program. The postcard was developed and distributed to potential attendees at special events and via postal service.

You gotta start somewhere

Citing famous interns, this postcard was included in conference attendees' tote bags to promote RCA's new toolkit for food companies interested in starting an internship program for their food R&D departments. To help get the word out, I developed the concept for this postcard, wrote the copy and provided art direction.

16th August 2016

We wrote the book on it

Eight years in the making, this book was beginning to look like a sinking ship with several of the 57 contributing authors threatening to bail. After a series of calls to the publishing company (during which I may or may not have rattled a few cages), a renewed push and dogged pursuit of authors began. In March 2016, the book finally debuted at the RCA Annual Conference. Check out the "About the Author" and "Acknowledgments" pages -- a small contribution by yours truly.

Going Presidential

" ' Politeness [may be] the poison of collaboration' ....the secret is to tackle the problem, not each other." When ghost writing for someone else, it's important to speak in that individual's "voice." Ideally, it start's with a conversation about what's happening in the industry and/or association; what the message should be; and why the audience should care.