You might see something a little different the next time you log onto your favorite brand’s Facebook page – perhaps even an event that happened prior to Al Gore’s invention of the internet.

In a never-ending quest to confuse users, while simultaneously increasing our reliance on their social media platform, Facebook recently announced they would be rolling out the “Timeline” feature for brand pages. Similar to its current layout, the Timeline for brands will be “consistent” with the current layout, but not identical according to Facebook’s VP, Marketing and Business Partnerships.

Timeline for personal pages received mixed reviews here at Story Partners.  Some of us remain purists and long for the days that required new Facebook users to have an “.edu” e-mail address, and we didn’t have to worry about our parents posting novella length posts on our walls regarding our aging, childhood pets.  Others embraced the change and switched over to Timeline immediately to showcase pictures of them taking in all our quaint little town on the Potomac has to offer.

Regardless of our personal feelings about the Timeline for brands rollout, Story Partners is ready to integrate that approach where it benefits our clients to have an opportunity to construct a full narrative.  For example, a brand’s presence would no longer be limited to the time at which it joined Facebook and the tabs or apps currently on the brand’s page may turn into boxes in Timeline, to showcase current coupons, contests or polls.

Facebook is planning the complete roll-out at a day-long conference targeted at marketers on February 29, 2012.

Stay tuned, you may be hearing from a Story Partners team member soon about moving your brand’s page to the Timeline.

Follow us on Twitter! @StoryPartners

I wish I could say that as a young girl I knew what I wanted to be professionally. I didn’t. In fact, I’ve always admired people who knew their career aspirations at a young age because they could really focus and be the best at it. What got me ahead all my life was doing the best I could at what I did. And as I got older, it became important to also love what I do, because that’s when you get really good at it.

I grew up in a family with parents who showed me that taking care of people is a priority. So I thought I wanted to be in criminal justice or social work but many social workers at the time told me to go into business because you can affect change better if you’re on the management side. So I went to business school. A previous internship at the Massachusetts State House connected me to an internship in the District under former speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill. It was on Capitol Hill where I fell in love with public affairs. This was in the early ‘80s when it was a tough time politically. President Jimmy Carter lost the election and a lot of Democrats lost their seats in the House. But I saw how every debate on Capitol Hill was one that impacts people’s lives greatly. And I saw how important it was to use communications to shape a message, issue and policy.

During that internship, I worked really hard to do a good job because I had a deep concern and respect for the institution of the Congress and I wanted to do right by it. I ended up with a full-time job for seven years.

Since then I’ve worked for a number of clients, including nonprofits, doing public affairs in health care, energy and financial services.

Serving as a partner in a government relations firm that was heavier on the lobbying side solidified my desire for the public relations side.

I found that I am a communications person.

I put myself through some training, got more involved in communications and got a job at a small, woman-owned public affairs firm doing a lot of focus group work, marketing and grass-roots work.

I eventually transitioned to another firm but the difference was that it was a start-up. I enjoy that entrepreneurial environment where you could be creative and make impactful decisions for the company. I helped grow the firm from seven people to 60 until it was sold.

When I learned about Story Partners, I loved the marriage between its experienced senior people and really bright junior people who understand digital and social media.

As president, I want this company to be a growing public affairs firm that is respected and recognized for its work in digital and social media.

I may not have known that I would arrive at this point in my career but everyone finds their way as they go along. It’s never too late to find your path.

—Interview with Vanessa Small

November 14, 2011

Washington, D.C. – Story Partners, one of the nation’s most dynamic and rapidly growing public affairs firms, is pleased to announce that respected communications strategist Debra Cabral has joined Story Partners as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in their Washington, D.C. office. In this senior leadership role, Cabral will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the firm’s client services, business development and operations functions.

“Debra Cabral has shown time and time again that she sets the gold standard for public affairs professionals in Washington,” said Gloria Story Dittus, Story Partners Chairman. “I am so pleased that Debra and I will once again be working together, this time building a 21st century public affairs firm that is developing the next generation of strategies and tactics to deliver measurable results for our clients. Together we built Dittus Communications into one of the country’s most respected public affairs firms and I know that we can recreate that same magic.”

A highly esteemed communications counselor and executive, Cabral brings more than 25 years of experience to Story Partners in a variety of sectors including nonprofits, health care, finance, technology and corporate communications.  Prior to joining Story Partners, Cabral served as Executive Vice President of Porter Novelli Public Services where among marketing, business development and client responsibility roles, she also managed the DC office’s digital/social media team.

“At its inception, Story Partners set out not to be the biggest public affairs firm, but simply the best,” said Cabral. “I am beyond excited to be leading the Story Partners team toward achieving that goal and using my experience to continue to build on our core business model: couple seasoned professionals with the best and brightest young communicators around and focus on results.”

Prior to joining Porter Novelli, she served as Executive Vice President for Dittus Communications where her responsibilities included overall client management and company operations.  She has also held leadership roles at The Capitol Group, The Jefferson Group, HealthNet Federal Services and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Additionally, Cabral spent seven years serving in the leadership office of the former House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr.

Cabral earned an MBA from The George Washington University and B.A. from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

“Story Partners makes a commitment to each and every client to amplify their story no matter how challenging or cluttered the communications environment,” said Amos Snead, Story Partners Principal. “Having Debra on board will give Story Partners an unrivaled edge in providing our clients with the strategic guidance they need to ensure that their communications campaigns are compelling in design and successfully executed.”

About Story Partners

Story Partners is an experienced team of public affairs professionals who have a long history of influencing outcomes – whether clients are trying to impact a public debate, define and dominate a market or successfully position an executive team. With offices in Washington, New Orleans and Birmingham, and a national network of proven political and communications operatives, Story Partners is well positioned to meet client needs at the federal, state and local level.

For more information about Story Partners and its services, please visit www.StoryPartnersDC.com or contact Amos Snead at (202) 706-7800 or Amos.Snead@StoryPartnersDC.com.

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September 3, 2011
By: Christopher Hopkins

Andrew Fimka, 31, describes himself as a “political hack who wants to be a policy nerd.” He makes a living framing the issues, but he is also attentive to data and documentation. “It’s almost too easy to push out an issue these days,” he says. Since the advent of the Internet, “some folks maybe take things a little irresponsibly by pushing out things that aren’t cited, that aren’t based on quality. In the end, that’s a detriment to the public debate.”

Last month, Fimka was named a director at Story Partners, a communications firm founded by Gloria Dittus, doyenne of the public-relations world. He arrives from the National Federation of Independent Business, where he made up for a modest budget by appealing directly to voters. “The [federation] has never been the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where you’ve got millions of dollars to spend in paid media. We’ve always found that if you really want to move issues, you’ve got to move lawmakers, and the only way to move lawmakers is to move their constituents.”

Like other sectors of the Washington professional class, public relations has been transformed by the Web. By melding traditional tactics with new media, image-makers can now “drill down” on a specific audience. “A lot of folks buy a lot of banner ads and say they’ve had 1 million impressions, but is it really resonating with the folks that matter?” Fimka asks. “Especially here in the Beltway, people have only so much bandwidth. They can only pay attention to so many things.”

Fimka grew up in Enfield, Conn., which he describes as a blue-collar, “old manufacturing town.” His mother and father—who emigrated from Columbia and Poland, respectively—met in English class in New York City. “I bust my dad’s chops because I tell him that must have been one hell of a pickup line.”

When Fimka’s father was laid off from his job on his 50th birthday, he resolved to start his own business. “My father is the American story personified,” Fimka says. “I think that’s a huge reason why I’ve been at NFIB. I definitely believe in free enterprise as both an economic system and a way of life.”

By his own admission, Fimka is “a company-town kind of guy.” After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford and a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University, he joined a roster of “seasoned and salty politicos” at the National Republican Congressional Committee, under former Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia.

In 2008, Fimka took a leave of absence from NFIB to oversee small and midsize business coalitions for Sen. John McCain’s GOP presidential campaign. “I was at headquarters the day Lehman Brothers went down. That was a game changer—the economy has never been the same since.”

C.S.H.

Fox News

“Andrew brings to Story Partners deep grassroots and advocacy experience, particularly as applied in today’s digital public affairs world. Andrew has been at the forefront of many successful campaigns and we are pleased to bring his expertise to our client base,” said Gloria Story Dittus, Founder and Chairman of Story Partners.

Most recently, Fimka served as Director of Political and Legislative Advocacy for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).  In that role he led NFIB’s issue advocacy and political communications campaigns that successfully targeted grassroots activists, as well as policy stakeholders.  Prior to joining NFIB, Fimka worked in a variety of campaign roles for Congressional and presidential candidates.

“I am excited to add my experience in grassroots advocacy to Story Partners. Today’s effective public affairs campaigns must blend outreach to lawmakers in D.C., with their constituents back home. It takes a campaign mentality to build the type of grassroots support that is critical to moving issues forward, both on the ground and in the digital space,” said Fimka.

Heather Coddington brings a background in local and state government, corporate, and non-profit communications. With her background in website design and development, Coddington understands how digital communications play a vital role in advocacy efforts. Heather’s strength lies in the ability to build and execute online advocacy campaigns that are vital in today’s digital environment from concept to “click through.”

“Heather’s technology background and creative savvy are excellent additions to our expanding advocacy practice that specializes in advertising, online engagement and digital strategies,” said Amos Snead, Principal of Story Partners.

Summarizing her new role, Coddington said, “I’m excited to bring my skill set to Story Partners and work alongside a great team on interesting issues and clients.  It’s both challenging and rewarding to see a client’s vision come to life.”

Williams’ experience in the technology policy arena comes from her work with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and has enabled her to hit the ground running with existing technology clients. A native of Georgia, Tamara attended Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Dittus summed up the new additions as a tremendous gain for Story Partners’ growing client list, “We are excited to be able to choose the best and the brightest in their fields to join our team and continue to grow Story Partners at a rapid rate while providing our clients with unsurpassed service and results.  Expanding our expertise in digital public affairs combined with our strengths in traditional media create a winning combination for every client in today’s world.”

For more information about Story Partners, visit www.StoryPartnersDC.com or call (202-706-7800) or info@StoryPartnersDC.com.

POLITICO: Story Partners Adds Three

The Hill: Andrew Fimka has joined Story Partners

Potomac Flacks: Story Partners Adds New Talent to Washington DC Office

Aspen Festival: D.C.’s summer camp
By: Patrick Gavin
June 28, 2011 10:34 PM EDT

For Washington’s A-list, it doesn’t get any better than this: seven summer days talking policy in the cushy and comely mountain town of Aspen, Colo.

And it’s not just the standard Washington policy discussions that dominate Beltway think tank symposiums: The Aspen Ideas Festival prides itself on digging deep into the issues — even the quirky ones.

While there is the standard fare of D.C. talkfests — “Making Democracy Work” with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer or “America — the Great Debate” with White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee — there are plenty of slightly off-kilter ones as well. Panel discussions at this year’s festival include “Hip Hop Deconstructed” and “Reality TV and Pop Culture.” One program even explores the idea and implications of “happiness.” And on one evening, you can catch such notables as Sandra Day O’Connor, John Negroponte and Zeke Emanuel dressed up in 16th-century garb for the evening performance, “All’s Well With Will: Shakespeare and Happiness.”

Think of it as summer camp for adults. And the sessions not only dominate the day but bleed into the night with events at the Belly Up music venue or the Hotel Jerome.

“By 11 p.m., the bar area at the Aspen Institute is just filled with everybody,” said institute CEO and President Walter Isaacson, whose organization sponsors the event along with its co-sponsor The Atlantic.

For Washington’s speaker circuit set, it’s one of the plushest gigs around — if you can get it.

Previous speakers have included Bill Clinton, Hugh Grant, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Harry Shearer, They

It’s all expenses paid for speakers, with the institute covering airfare and three nights at the Aspen Meadows Resort (or local hotels if the resort fills up).Might Be Giants, Charlie Rose and Lewis Black. This year features Lance Armstrong, David Axelrod, Haley Barbour, Frank Gehry, Alan Greenspan, Arianna Huffington, Wynton Marsalis and O’Connor, to name a few. (POLITICO is also represented, with Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin on hand to yak about politics but also to do the very real work of covering the bevy of administration heavyweights on hand.)

As you might imagine, invitations rarely get declined.

“It’s rare that we get ‘no’s’ nowadays other than scheduling problems,” said Kitty Boone, an Aspen Institute vice president who runs the festival. “By and large, people are enthusiastically accepting our invitation.”

It’s become so popular that the festival forces itself to rotate speakers from year to year in order to avoid the same heavy hitters each time around. Still, some have regular access: Supreme Court justices and U.S. presidents (current or former) can come anytime. So, too, can New York Times columnists Thomas Friedman and David Brooks, who, according to Boone, “are so popular here and are doing such interesting work and are so diverse in how they think of the world that they have standing invitations and they’ve made several appearances at the festival.”

Now in its seventh year, the festival’s popularity might seem as if it goes without saying. But its ability to persuade Washington A-listers to travel 1,800 miles during the summer is certainly no easy task, and it provides a lesson in speaker seduction: time, treasure — and a town that is seldom titillated by celebrities.

Where most conventions or symposiums might take place over a few days or a long weekend at best, the festival provides attendees with a full week of events, thereby providing for greater depth and breadth.

For the speakers, that expansive terrain is both a welcome relief from the Beltway’s sound-bite culture (to say nothing of the gift of having more time to hear yourself talk) and a more flexible timetable to

“The time thing really is a great advantage because they can both cover more ground and do 100 different subjects, rather than 10 different subjects,” said Friedman.accommodate busy schedules.

“And they can do 20 different angles on something like education and funding and K-12 and pre-K and what’s new in education and technology, so that you can actually do a deep dive in some areas and really immerse yourself and get one-stop shopping.”

The location doesn’t hurt, either. “It’s a great place for hiking,” Friedman admits. “It’s just one of the most beautiful spots in America to do that.” Within walking distance of the festival are miles and miles of mountains, fields, trails and streams.

It’s a theme that comes up a lot among festival regulars.

“The hiking and the river rafting and the fishing is fairly extraordinary, so people like to do that,” said Boone. “I know some presenters this year really want to get time on the river.”

“It’s damn beautiful,” said Isaacson. “I mean, Aspen in July? Come on.”

Beyond a pristine property, Aspen provides one other benefit for some of Washington’s most famous politicos: privacy. Aspen’s rich residents are fairly used to hobnobbing with notables, and the town’s secluded location makes it too much of a hassle for paparazzi to bother with.

“Aspen’s the kind of place where even known entities can walk around town and not be disrupted by people walking around the street,” said Boone. “It’s pretty casual in the sense that people eat out on the grass, and they’re eating hot dogs in tents around the campus.”This means head-turning speakers can largely bop around without much of a hassle.

“You may hear a former U.S. president speak in the morning and then see him jogging in the park, hiking a trail or taking in the great music and food we have here,” said Mitzi Rapkin, the City of Aspen’s community relations director, whose favorite festival memory was seeing Clinton jog through town, trailed by his Secret Service detail.

“You feel very abstracted from the day-to-day static you’d find in Washington or New York,” said Isaacson.

Interesting encounters abound.

“When I first got here last year, I went for a run and ran into (Harvard foreign policy sage) Joseph Nye, who was fishing,” said Steve Clemons, The Atlantic’s Washington editor at large and an Aspen regular. “Barbra Streisand once attended a forum I was speaking at. … And I ran into actor Robert Conrad yesterday at the airport with his German shepherd.”

Perhaps because of the comparative lack of head-turning, the festival doesn’t get as segregated between the A-listers and “everyone else” as you might suspect. Lynda Resnick, a wealthy businesswoman and Aspen Institute board member, throws a dinner one night for all the speakers, but that’s about the end of the “cool kids club.”

“There’s not like a whole lot of private, secret things happening,” said Isaacson. “If you go to Davos, there are thousands of people there, and then there are inner circles of meetings and then inner circles of parties and then inner circles of dinners. You don’t have that in Aspen. You only have 400 people at any time, and everybody is hanging out with everybody else.”

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Hot Happy Hour

By Neda Semnani
Roll Call Staff
June 9, 2011, 12:55 p.m.

HOH teamed up with FamousDC to throw a recess happy hour on Cava’s rooftop bar Wednesday night. And we are not exaggerating when we say it was hot like whoa.

The place was dripping with sweat and packed to the rafters with Hill folks. (Dudes, we have to ask, what’s up with the blazers and the button-downs? Take off the jackets. Roll up the sleeves. It’s summertime and way too hot for propriety.)

Obviously it wouldn’t be an HOH happy hour if the drinks weren’t free (thanks, Roll Call!), the guests weren’t sassy (thanks, FamousDC!) and we didn’t overhear Hill people.

Jim Billimoria, communications director for the majority with the House Ways and Means Committee, looked dashing sporting a new haircut. We’d tell you where he got it done, but he won’t let us. Never mind that, because he did introduce us to his friend, Daniel Reilly, spokesman for House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Kyle Downey, communications director  for Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), also stopped by, and we spotted him chatting with Congressional Quarterly’s health care reporter Emily Ethridge. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce boys, Nick Schaper (former staffer for Speaker John Boehner as well) and Andrew Kovalcin, also hung out. As did the lovely Carly Baker from the British Embassy.

Tommy McFly, the new morning drive-time disc jockey for 94.7 (he starts in two weeks! Give him love), made an appearance (and a couple Katy Perry jokes) and was laughing with Josh Shultz of NJI Media and FamousDC. Pete Snyder and Sara Diaz of New Media Strategies, the other fabulous happy hour sponsor, were seen chatting it up with Famous Amos Snead of FamousDC and Story Partners.

Media cats spotted sweatin’ with the Hill folk: Rick Klein from ABC News’ “Top Line,” John Bailey from MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown” and Evan McMorris-Santoro and Ryan Reilly of “Talking Points Memo.”

Here’s what we know, kids: Hill folks plus news folks plus free booze times a rooftop (and after a Congressional scandal) equals trouble.

And at HOH we do love trouble.

The fundraiser brought in more than $350,000 Tuesday evening for the victims of the recent tornadoes. With 400 guests and the Alabama Delegation at the offices of Van Scoyoc on Constitution Avenue, the event was a great success.

Story Partners would like to send a special thank you to the Host Committee and Honorary Hosts for their generous contributions to Alabama. This event could not have happened without your help.

Honorary Hosts

The Honorable Jeff Sessions

The Honorable Richard Shelby

The Honorable Robert Aderholt
The Honorable Spencer Bachus
The Honorable Jo Bonner
The Honorable Mo Brooks
The Honorable Martha Roby
The Honorable Mike Rogers
The Honorable Terri Sewell

Host Committee
Mike Adcock, Van Scoyoc Associates
AFLAC
Alabama State Society
Bryan Anderson, Southern Company
John Anzalone, Anzalone Liszt Research
Jennifer Bendall, Eris Group
Kirk Blalock, Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock
Stephen E. Boyd
Cauthen Forbes & Williams
Ray Cole, Van Scoyoc Associates
Johanna Cole
Hon. Bud Cramer, Wexler-Walker
Hon. Artur Davis, SNR Denton
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
Gloria Story Dittus, Story Partners
David Donaldson, Vulcan Materials Company
Stewart Hall, Crossroads Strategies
Cindy Hayden, Altria
Katie Hays, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Susan Hirschmann, Williams & Jensen
Mike House, Hogan Lovells
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama
Louisa Imperiale
Jay Killeen, SAIC
Mary Pat Lawrence, SNR Denton
John Little, Insured Retirement Institute
Ginger Loper, Loper Consulting
MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings, Inc.
David Manke, Pratt & Whitney
Allan McArtor, Airbus Americas, Inc.
Kevin McCall, Larsen Commercial
Fred Miller, Weyerhaeuser Company
Mortgage Insurance Companies of America
National Capital Chapter of the University of Alabama Alumni Association
Leroy Nix, Alabama Power
SAIC
Stu Van Scoyoc , Van Scoyoc Associates
Nick Sellers, Alabama Power
Amos Snead, Story Partners
Scott Starrett, Sikorsky Aircraft
Tennessee Valley Authority
Travelers
Walmart
Michael Wascom, American Airlines

Read about the event in the press:

Birmingham News

Bisnow

Politico

All photos courtesy of John Shinkle