GLORIA STEINEM WOULD BE PROUD
Philadelphia, PA - For years, mutual friends of Michele Malin Seidman and Jamie Joffe told them they should work together. But in the dog eat dog world of Public Relations, cozying up with the competition is not always welcomed with open arms.
As one of the leading PR and event production firms focusing on Philadelphia's fashion and lifestyle scene for over 10 years, Malin Seidman's M3PR and Special Events had a full roster of clients - including theory, The Philadelphia Ad Club, Cirque du Soleil, Belly Maternity, and The Greater Phila. Film Office, Hugo Boss, Metro Newspapers, to name a few. Malin Seidman who is currently expecting her first child realized that the girl about town needed to slow down, but wanted to provide her clients the same level of service and expertise they'd come to expect, and didn't want to lose her competitive edge, while in her spare time Malin Seidman also owns an apparel company called Conception, which includes a maternity and kid line of clothing.
Joffe, a seasoned marketing and PR professional focused on the legal and business world, had recently left Cozen O'Connor as their in-house Public Relations coordinator following the birth of her second child. The firm was looking for a full-time commitment which Joffe was unwilling to make at the expense of her family. So, in January of 2004, Joffe struck out on her own to create j2 Communications – a public relations firm focused on legal and business clients. By March, Joffe had a full roster of clients, including Anapol Schwartz, Martin Banks Lehocky & Wilson, The Speech & Communication Center, and Mednick Mezyk & Kredo and was working 60+ hours a week. Constantly juggling her duties between work, wife and mother was exhausting.
Then, as luck (or fate) would have it, the two were asked to co-chair the Public Relations efforts of the AJS Foundation, a charity created by one of a mutual friend to help aid her ailing child.
And that changed everything.
Malin Seidman and Joffe bonded immediately, and after sharing their own "war" stories decided to create a new kind of alliance. A non-traditional job share, Malin Seidman and Joffe would "partner" together while maintaining their separate companies, M3PR & J2 Communications.
One afternoon they created a sort of unwritten "partnership" agreement over lunch at Shank and Evelyn's, agreeing to keep their own clients, but offering each other's clients support and counsel. They also agreed to introduce one another to their current client base, and provide personal cell phone numbers and email addresses in case the client's primary contact was unavailable.
And, with Joffe's business background and Malin Seidman's lifestyle contacts, they are able to pitch both sides of the client's story to the media.
"Our relationship works well because we are able to service a full and diversified roster of clients --providing a valuable resource for any writer looking for a story in the Philadelphia region,” says Malin Seidman. Adds Joffe "We are not superwomen, and we do realize that a work-family balance is something that most people can never achieve, but by job sharing everything becomes a little easier to handle."
