Steppin' Out Radio: An Update

Inez Armendi, Account Executive

Hi, we are the team working for Steppin’ Out Radio! My name is Inez Armendi and I am the Account Executive for Steppin’ Out Radio! I am a sophomore, majoring in Communications with a double concentration in Public Relations and Advertising. 

This is my first year in North Road Communications, and being appointed an account executive was a daunting task at first, but I have learned so much this semester working with my team and Denise from Steppin’ Out Radio. From this experience, I was able to fully immerse myself in real-life experiences regarding my major while also further developing my leadership skills and maintaining professionalism. Steppin’ Out Radio has been one of North Road’s clients for the past couple of years. However, for those new to the firm, Steppin’ Out Radio is a podcast that features real-life stories of people who have overcome drug, alcohol, and food addiction & other mental health issues. Inspired by the 12 Step Meetings in the recovery programs, broadcast executive Denise McIntee invites different people each week who are willing to share their inspiring tales of how they reached sobriety. 

While working with Denise on Steppin’ Out Radio, I have been able to practice my communication skills and challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone by conducting teleconference calls and in-person client meetings. I also have been able to create social media content for their Instagram, which has been another great learning opportunity for me. Since I would like to pursue a career with social media, my experience here in North Road has equipped me with the right tools and skills I need in the future. This semester, I was able to hone in on my creativity and expand in my content design skills, which all would not have been possible without working in this firm. Although some of our initial plans, which is described more later in this post, have been cut short or slightly modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our team is still working through this difficult time and I am still able to obtain and learn so much. Steppin’ Out Radio has made a tremendous impact in their community, advocating for addiction recovery and mental health awareness. I am so grateful to have worked with such an amazing client alongside Piper and Rob, who have been very Account Representatives! Looking forward to next year and continuing to challenge myself in the PR/Advertising industry! 

Piper Bailey, Account Representative

Hi, my name is Piper Bailey and I am an Account Representative for Steppin’ Out Radio. I am a junior, majoring in Communications with dual concentrations in Public Relations and Advertising. This is my second year working on the Steppin’ Out Radio team, and I have greatly enjoyed all we’ve been able to accomplish in the past couple years! It’s a client that impacts a large population of people and I am grateful for the opportunity to help aid reach those populations. 

Although being sent home for the rest of the semester, one of my favorite things that we were working towards was our second annual Steppin’ Out Radio LIVE Podcast, hosted right on our Marist College campus. Last year, we hosted the inaugural live podcast event in collaboration with the rest of the North Road Communications firm, Marist College Counseling Services, NAMI, and Steppin’ Out Radio. It featured three speakers sharing their addiction stories, and then we offered a Q&A panel. We received sponsorship from Marist Dining Services and had delicious refreshments provided for our audience of Marist students and community members. We had about 50 people in attendance and we went over our time by almost an hour because of the demand of questions! 

In preparation for this semester’s event, we were excited to add a potential collaboration with the veteran’s group, Vet Zero, that already has on-campus connections. In order to attract more attention to our event, we were looking for contact information of local media outlets to send pitches to for more coverage. We were also planning posts for our new Instagram account we’ve launched this semester for Steppin’ Out Radio. All of our ideas are not going to waste however, there will always be next semester to hold the second LIVE podcast and build off what we were starting to plan! 

Rob Fallen, Account Representative

Hello! My name is Robert Fallen and I am one of the Account Coordinators for Steppin’ Out Radio. I am a sophomore Communications major with a double concentration in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Music.

After joining North Road Communications this semester, I have been able to use the valuable skills I have learned within a real-world setting. One of the most exciting things I have done this semester has been in expanding Steppin’ Out’s social media presence by creating an Instagram account. On the Instagram account, the team and I showcase previous episodes, provide mental health tips, and promote new episode releases. With North Road, I have learned about the importance of consistent content creation, defining an audience, and understanding ‘who the brand is.’ I am very thankful for both North Road and Steppin’ Out Radio to allow me to constantly expand my knowledge in preparation for my future career!

If you would like to check out Steppin’ Out Radio, you can find them on Instagram @steppinoutradio_!

LoriBeth Greenan