[Extinction - a widespread and rapid decrease in the amount of life on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms.] Last night I picked up the stack of Christmas cards that arrived in the mailbox (the real mailbox, not the one in Outlook) and I noticed it was much thinner than in previous years.

This weekend more than 120 people lost their lives in the beautiful and peaceful city of Paris. As Americans, we are all too familiar with their experience and the inevitable emotional outrage. But thanks to the evolution of social media since 9-11, the people of Paris were able to turn to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to vent their outrage and frustration and to understand what was going on.

I am so excited to represent SWEENEY at the CreateTech 2015 conference in New York City. Hosted by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the conference is a gathering of professionals from creative industries who work with, design or build digital tools.

As the autumn temperatures begin to wane, the holiday campaigns simultaneously emerge. Consumers are already being bombarded by companies promoting their seasonal deals — especially leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, REI, an outdoor gear and sporting goods retailer, hopes to win consumer attention by not only NOT promoting Black Friday, but by not even opening its more than 140 stores.

Cleveland – October 22, 2015 – Premium Infused Spirits, LLC, Cleveland’s newest craft liqueur maker has launched the Lillo brand of artisan liqueurs. Lillo Lemon Liqueur and Coffee Liqueur are immediately available in more than 50 area restaurants, bars and state liquor stores. The Lillo brand products rely on old world recipes and production processes to create unique and sensuous liqueurs.

We’re excited to announce the addition of Karsu Nalbantoglu as a video intern on our digital marketing team. In an ever-evolving digital world, video is key for storytelling, and we’re thrilled to bring Karsu on board to add a new perspective.

I have officially ventured into my second year of graduate school. At times, grad school feels like I am a college student trying to fit into a grown-up world. I have had to create a new model of work-life-homework-sometimes-yoga balance.

This past Monday I had the opportunity to be on a panel of alumnae at my alma mater, Ursuline College. We were talking with a cohort of freshmen students embarking on a year of professional development. Being only three years out of school myself, I was curious how the students would react to my personal experiences.

CLEVELAND – September 17, 2015 – Jennifer Manocchio, Sweeney president and GM of global operations, announced today the agency is expanding its presence in South America with the addition of Ayla Nicole. Ayla officially joined the team at 1:45 a.m. on Monday, September 14, following a 9-month internship.

CLEVELAND – Sept. 3, 2015 – Sweeney, a leading full-service marketing and public relations agency, has added Leah Evanovich as an account executive. She will play a key role in expanding the agency’s social and digital capabilities, as well as supporting traditional marketing, advertising and public relations strategies for a variety of business-to-consumer and business-to-business clients.