PARKER PR has worked with the Kensington BIA for over six years focusing on media relations, running social media accounts, securing sponsorships and organizing a variety of events. The Kensington BIA and its businesses have received local and national coverage. Kensington was named Calgary’s Best BIA in Avenue Magazine’s Calgary’s Best Neighbourhoods 2022 issue.
Squash Canada
PARKER PR was thrilled to offer media relations and content creation support to Squash Canada for the 2022 Oxford Properties Canadian Open. This year's tournament was featured in several local and national outlets including Global News, Calgary Sun, CBC, Toronto Sun, Calgary Herald and CTV News. PARKER Media captured both video and photo content throughout the entirety of the tournament.
ATB Classic
For the second year in a row, PARKER PR supported the ATB Classic in bringing awareness to the annual tournament through media relations, digital marketing, and content creation. The tournament reached a record attendance in 2022 and was featured through national and international outlets including TSN, CTV News, Global, Edmonton Sun, PGA Tour, Golf Now, Golf Ontario and Calgary Sun.
UPTEN Grand Opening
PARKER PR was pleased to host a grand opening media conference with the honourable Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Strategic Group CEO, Riaz Mamdani. Both Global News and CBC attended to capture remarks from speakers on the excitement about the new residential development.
UPTEN Art Unveiling
PARKER PR was pleased to have our client, Strategic Group, featured in the Globe and Mail. Outside of their newest development, UPTEN, stands an exquisite 12 foot statue of a young Vincent Van Gogh, created by international renowned artist Bruno Catalano. To celebrate the unveiling of this masterpiece, PARKER PR hosted a media conference in fall 2020. Additional event coverage included CTV Calgary, Calgary Herald, Daily Hive and Curiocity Calgary.
Kensington BRZ
PARKER PR has worked with the Kensington BRZ for over six years gaining a number of media spotlights from local, provincial and national news. Kensington has transformed into a media hub for reporters to produce stories on local businesses, community events and more.
Exergy Solutions
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic PARKER PR client, Exergy Solutions, designed, developed and donated 200 ventilators as a response to the medical needs of the pandemic. PARKER PR hosted a virtual, COVID-friendly media conference to announce the donation to Alberta Health Services. The conference included Exergy Solutions CEO Billy Rideout, Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Dr. Braden Manns.
Media coverage for this announcement included CTV Calgary, CBC Eyeopener, Global News, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal and CTV Edmonton. In addition, Exergy was mentioned and thanked in Dr Deena Hinshaw's daily address and update on COVID-19.
Willow Park Village
By providing quality communications for Willow Park, PARKER PR not only benefits the village as a community, but is also supporting each individual small business. PARKER PR showcases each business through tactful social media content and monthly blogs posted to the Willow Park Village website. The team successfully coordinated the first annual Willow Park Winter Wonderland event - a festive celebration that connected community and implemented relations between shops and customers. The event featured a petting zoo by Butterfield Acres, complimentary hot chocolate from Starbucks and a candy cane lane.
Calgary Folk Music Festival
PARKER PR is proud to work with the Calgary Folk Music Festival; A not-for-profit music and arts festival that has showcased a diverse roster of local and international artists for over 40 years. The festival has unified the Calgary community, seeding music and art to the public. We have a mandate of working with clients who elevate the cultural climate of the city and give back to the community. Our team works to garner media coverage for the Calgary Folk Fest, utilizing our professional network and technically trained writers to help the festival achieve local and national exposure. The Calgary Folk Fest was featured on Global News, CTV and major publications including The Calgary Herald, Star Metro and more during and after the festival. We are pleased to provide full media tracking for all of our clients. PARKER PR has assisted in elevating the festival into a year-round celebration through media coverage and event strategy for Block Heater, the festivals budding winter installment.
Alberta University of the Arts
PARKER PR has worked with the Alberta University of the Arts (formerly Alberta College of Art and Design) for years. In February 2019 the college transitioned into a university and PARKER PR supported in announcing this to the media, unveiling their name change and coordinating all media segments. The efforts of PARKER PR resulted in a Global News Calgary live-on-location and online article announcing the newest Alberta University.
Calgary International Film Festival
PARKER PR worked with The Calgary International Film Festival to manage all publicity and media relations for the 2019 festival. This included managing media coverage for their 20th Anniversary Opening Gala red carpet. PARKER PR secured over ten traditional media outlets and additional bloggers on the red carpet to interview guests and celebrate the launch of the festival. As a result the red carpet was bustling for the entire evening and we gained an abundance of media coverage. This included an article on the front page of the Calgary Herald discussing the Red Carpet and various other events happening though the duration of the festival.
YYC Jam
PARKER PR worked with The Balance Foundation to gain awareness and media attention for their inaugural YYC JAM event. The event celebrated the legacy of Brett Wiese and raised money for The Balance Foundation, a charity aiming to create meaningful experiences and equal opportunity for youth through sport and education. The efforts of PARKER PR resulted in an abundance of coverage from all major media outlets in Calgary including a full video story airing a few days before the event on Global News Calgary. The media coverage surrounding the inaugural event was a huge success and hundreds of people flooded the streets, including live-on-locations from CTV Calgary, Global News Calgary, the Calgary Herald and HYPR Magazine, to enjoy the event.
Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar serves sustainable beer that gives back
PARKER PR worked with the Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar to establish the newly renovated restaurant as a go-to spot for elevated meals crafted with locally sourced ingredients. Our team worked with restaurant staff to cultivate stories around the Hawthorn’s brand and its incredible commitment to locally sourced ingredients, right down to the hand soap used in the washrooms. This unwavering ode to local producers also captured the attention of Forbes Magazine, which led to an outstanding international article highlighting the Hawthorn’s true farm-to-table mantra. The Hawthorn serves it own unique pale ale called ODB which is crafted from unused bread from the kitchen, and the beer is brewed in partnership with Last Best Brewing & Distilling. One dollar from every pint served goes to the Calgary Food Bank. PARKER PR produced a media event to share this story and showcase how the beer is made, and gives back to people in need. Global News Calgary & Savour Magazine covered the launch where a cheque was presented for over $3,000 to the Calgary Food Bank. CTV Calgary had to leave due to breaking news, so PARKER PR filmed interviews with each spokesperson and sent video to the station, which was later used for broadcast in the 5/6 p.m. news. In addition to the coverage for this event, our team secured a number of earned media spots with CTV & Global News Calgary for Hawthorn events including the Downton Abbey tea series, fall menu launch, gingerbread wall installation, charity tree lighting and multiple online stories by various outlets including Daily Hive and the Calgary Herald. Through connecting with prominent influencers, partners and journalists, PARKER PR has helped the Hawthorn increase its brand recognition, public image and bookings.
Brenda Strafford Centre holiday fundraising gala
PARKER PR is proud to work with The Brenda Strafford Centre as one of our pro-bono clients. This organization is a second and third stage shelter, providing support for people who have experienced family violence. The Brenda Strafford Centre creates a safe environment and provides comprehensive support services for individuals and families so they can live safely in the community. The centre launches the Brave Campaign every November, with a goal to commemorate Violence Awareness Month and share information on the shelter’s services and domestic violence support systems. The campaign concludes with a Holiday Fundraising Gala, coordinated by PARKER PR. Our team produced press releases and media alerts, which garnered live news coverage of the campaign on Global News Calgary morning and noon broadcasts. We also facilitated media training for on-air appearances. For the fundraising gala, PARKER PR secured Pulcinella Italian restaurant as a venue and reached out to our network to produce a roster of silent auction items. We curated live entertainment through our connections in the music and arts community and CTV Calgary’s David Spence was live on location at the event and interviewed Brenda Strafford staff to further spread awareness. Brenda Strafford raised $31,500 through the campaign and gala, far surpassing the $20,000 goal.
Masters Gallery Unveils Public Art
PARKER PR worked with Masters Gallery to create strategic communications collateral to maximize media coverage for the public art unveiling of Van Gogh Observes by the late Joe Farfard. This resulted in coverage by Global News Calgary days ahead of the event which created significant buzz surrounding the unveiling. We engaged with influencers, bloggers and prominent members of the community to ensure maximum coverage in both mainstream and social media. As a result, the gallery was filled with over 100 people for the unveiling and the installation made the front page of the Calgary Herald the next day. Following a flood of coverage, additional television media contacted PARKER PR to cover the installation even after the unveiling. CTV Calgary followed up for a full video story airing on multiple broadcasts, including a live-on-location report the evening after the unveiling.
6 Degrees Global Forum
PARKER PR created, implemented and managed all of the media relations for the 6 Degrees Global Forum at TELUS Spark and facilitated all media opportunities for Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul. PARKER PR developed a comprehensive strategy to sell tickets and generate awareness. We engaged all influencers and bloggers to get involved and help stimulate the conversation around inclusivity. This resulted in a sold out event which received 7.8 million media impressions. Ellen Parker was also a volunteer committee member on the Institute for Canadian Citizenship in Calgary.
Client: 6 Degrees
CBC News
Stephen Hunt
April 12, 2018
Churchill Painting Returns to Canada
PARKER PR developed the media relations strategy and content for the homecoming of Winston Churchill's Emerald Lake Painting which Masters Gallery purchased through Sotheby's London online auction, March 22, 2018. Local, national and international coverage was received for this $90,000 piece of history which was expected to go for approximately $11,000.
Client: Masters Gallery
Global News
April 12, 2018
Second Annual Harry Potter event in Kensington draws thousands
PARKER PR hosted an event in the community of Kensington to support Pages Book Store when the shop released the seventh addition of Harry Potter. The event strategy included a social media plan, marketing plan and media relations initiative. We wrote a press release, created a Facebook event and sent an invite to neighbours and friends. We were expecting 5000 people to support this event and we had around 40,000 people show up. Through experience, training and strategy, we were able to manage this event, refine our plan, and host 60,000 the second year.
Client: Kensington BRZ
Anna Junker
The Calgary Herald
July 30, 2017
Wednesday Room Takes You Back a Few Decades
Client: The Wednesday Room
John Gilchrist
The Calgary Herald
December 23, 2017
Enjoy Free Holiday Cheer with Christmas in Kensington
Client: Kensington BRZ
Danielle Grant
The Gauntlet, December 11, 2017
