Plum has a brand new website!

I'm so excited to tell you that our new Plum Creative website has launched and if I do say so myself, it's gorgeous! It's choc-full of new work, talent videos and links to their multitude of other interests and talents.

Our blog will be integrated into the site as well, so this will be the last post at this address.

We'll look forward to seeing you at http://plumrep.com/

Do let us know your thoughts!

There’s an upside to the end of summer

And that upside is Fall fashion! I already have my wish list - do you? Here’s my plan - invest in a few key pieces (handbag, boots and coat) and buy up to the minute fashion at affordable prices that I can mix and match with the rest of my wardrobe.

Now we all know the usual suspects for these pieces (H&M, Zara and Target), but there’s a new kid coming to town – Joe Fresh. Founded by Joe Mimran (the man behind Club Monaco), this Canadian brand is coming Stateside & giving us American’s a chance to snap up their classic-with-a twist collections at insanely good prices.



If you can’t wait until the store opens, check out their brand new website (and if the voice sounds familiar, it’s because it was penned by our very own Mark Welsh.)

Happy shopping!

New Workshop - Kick off September and get better clients’

Saturday, September 10th from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.



By now, you know that I represent freelance creative talent. But did you know that I also have another company called Pitch Perfect Presentation where I teach creative talent how to represent themselves?

I started Pitch Perfect because I realized that I couldn't represent all of the creatives that I met, but that I did have a LOT of advice and experience I was happy to share, from how to position their unique skill and connect with clients to how to manage multiple projects like a pro.

For all of you freelancers looking to up the ante this September, I'd love to share an upcoming workshop with you. It's called 'Kick off September and get better clients’. During this workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• define your unique skill or service
• develop your expandable pitch
• build your perfect client profile & call list
• identify and get past stumbling blocks
• create a compelling personal brand
• curate and present your work
• make your pitch to prospective clients
• conduct the pitch perfect follow up
• write and negotiate your proposal
• make your presentation
• manage your project like a pro
• turn your client into a repeat client

Price: $99

Location: In Good Company. 16 West 23rd street, 4th floor. New York City
(nearest Subway stops: R,W to 23rd & 5th, F.V to 23rd & 6th, 1 to 23rd & 7th or 6 to 23rd & Park)

For more information and to sign up please click here.

You can also contact me at justine@pitchperfectpresentation.com with any questions

I hope to see you there!

Customers buy from brands that stand for something

A recent WWD article cited that in the last 7 years, the percentage of people who felt that brands and logos were important went from 3% to 29%. So why the jump?

When we make a purchase, we don’t just buy an item, we buy into a promise. Let’s face it, a new handbag isn’t going to change your life (or so I tell myself as I wish for that Mulberry handbag), but the feeling you get from associating with that product….now that’s powerful.

That’s why, even during a recession, the luxury brands fared remarkably well (Burberry just announced a 40% increase in profits…in this economy!). They continued to invest in connecting with their clients on a deeply emotional level. By the same token, that’s why many value driven brands are struggling….aside from being cheap, it’s hard to determine what they stand for.

During uncertain economic times, it’s easy to go for the fast buck, but it’s important for all businesses to keep their eye on the bigger picture i.e know your client and continually work to improve your product or service. As sure as night follows day, bad economies improve….the goal is to stay true to your vision and make sure that the first person your customer turns to when she’s ready to spend, is you.

Talent Spotlight: Laura Silverman

By now you’ve probably realized that I’m pretty excited about the talented folks that I’m lucky enough to work with at Plum Creative. So this month we’re training our “talent spotlight” on the glorious Laura Silverman.

Laura’s an incredibly talented copywriter who specializes in creating dynamic brand language for clients that range from Saks Fifth Avenue and Brooks Brothers to Interface and Lincoln Center. Now that would be enough to make this agent happy, but it doesn’t stop there. She’s also a style maven, phenomenal cook, gardener and has a home that visitors never want to leave. Thankfully, she believes that everyone should live the good life, so in 2009 she launched her fabulous blog Glutton for Life, an infinitely readable chronicle of her life upstate that focuses on what she calls “truly shameless indulgence.”


I met with Laura to get the inside track:

Your clients range from fashion and beauty to real estate and finance. How do you create a voice that’s unique and on brand for each client?
It’s not dissimilar to how a good hairstylist finds the right cut for every customer. You have to take the time to really understand what makes clients (brands) live and breathe. You try to both reflect and define their personalities to show them off to their best advantage, and then send them out into the world feeling sexy and revitalized.

A couple of years ago you moved from New York City to upstate New York. How has your new lifestyle affected your work?
My life has changed rather dramatically since trading my loft on the Bowery for a 1935 cedar-shingle cottage in Sullivan County. Being close to nature has calmed me, I shop a great deal less and my focus has really sharpened. I am much more prolific. I feel that my imagination has been set free and my creativity has blossomed, making my work richer and better than ever.

What’s a typical day?
Writing, cooking, gardening, writing, hiking, eating, reading, cooking, ballet or yoga, writing.

You’ve described living well as the best revenge. How would you describe living well?
Following your passion. Getting to do what you want on a regular basis. Eating for pleasure and health. Feeling fulfilled by your work. Expanding your mind and palate, not your waistline.

You’ve parlayed your love of cooking and living well into a blog called Glutton for Life. How did that come about?
It was sort of a natural extension of all the above, combined with a desire to share my passion and knowledge with others. And, at this point, what writer doesn’t have a blog? It’s such an accessible forum for self-publishing.



What inspires you?
Creative people, other writers and artists and cooks. Nature. My husband (filmmaker George Billard). Language; its ability to communicate and transform. A burning desire to live fully and help others do so.

What are you reading right now?
“The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet” by David Mitchell; David Chang’s new Lucky Peach magazine; The New Yorker, always; a gazillion blogs, including the new Kinfolk; and a vintage book I got as a gift called “Using Wayside Plants,” by Nelson Coon.

What’s your favorite thing to cook this summer?
Hmm…fresh mint ice cream? frozen strawberry cocktails? skillet corn bread? I’m really into easy grilled foods that bring a little smoky char and caramelization to the freshest ingredients. Simple tacos made with grilled fish, or chicken wings that I poach before throwing on the barbecue come to mind. What kicks it all up is a great salsa. Here are recipes for a few that will enhance practically anything. They’re like adjectives—just pile them on.

Glutton for Life

Photo by George Billard

Annette Berry brands the New York Times Film Club

When the New York Times approached art director (and native New Yorker), Annette Berry to help them brand their Film Club, she leapt at the chance.


Annette’s brief was to create an ad campaign and logo that would appear in print and on-line. It had to be fresh, witty and smart and speak to film/culture lovers of all ages and stripes. The result was a graphic “quotes” campaign that compels the reader to play name-that-movie.

Cute side story: when Annette’s paper arrived without the banner, she called her mum to see if her paper had one. It did, and even though she had no idea that her daughter had designed it, her mum said she had planned on joining anyway.

Now that’s good design!

For more information about how to join the Film Club, click here

Talent Spotlight: Carter & Cunningham collaborates with West Elm

We're so excited to announce Carter & Cunningham's collaboration with West Elm. If you follow the goings on at Plum Creative, you'll know that Carter & Cunningham is a ceramics and art studio co-founded by Plum's very own Mark Welsh & his partner, James Saliaz.

In keeping with their one of a kind, hand made pieces that "both twist and glorify nature", Saliaz hand-crafted two ceramic owls and a citronella candle pot with stamped Swallow. Perfect for outdoors or indoors (and at prices that are almost too good to be true) you'd be a fool to pass them up. Take yourself off to West Elm and treat your abode to a little Carter & Cunningham style.