EPPS Offers Discounts in Membership Drive for National Entertainment Publicity Organization and New Billing System to Take Hold in January.

LOS ANGELES -- There are some noticeable changes happening with the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS) under the new leadership of recently elected EPPS President George McQuade III, and its new board members. They have a strong commitment to expand membership, member benefits, and involvement within the organization.

One of their first initiatives is to simplify the annual membership renewal process for existing members. EPPS has just changed over the current billing system to start in January. "We want to make it a smoother transition for renewing annual memberships," explained George McQuade, EPPS president. "And since most budgeting is done at the end of the year, this helps new and returning members to remember to include the EPPS dues in their budget." As such, EPPS is offering a prorated discount on all new or renewing memberships through the end of the year. The cost of this in some cases is the value of attending one media workshop, which is free if you are a member.

In addition to taking note of the change to the renewal schedule, existing members may want to use the following information to revisit the many opportunities afforded by their membership status. One of the surest ways to get the most value from membership is to get involved on an Activity Committee. This provides for maximum interaction with members and visiting media professionals who can be instrumental in furthering your professional goals. Additionally, be sure to keep an eye out for updates on new benefits, discounts, and opportunities available only to EPPS members. Updates are available on the website or as announced at events and in the EPPS "Connections" newsletter.

For those who are not yet members, EPPS is home to hundreds of entertainment publicists and marketing professionals in both LA and NY and is the national leader in publicity and marketing education, providing valuable seminars, industry resources and networking opportunities in Los Angeles and New York, focusing on the needs of the publicity community. The organizations media workshops provide members and non-members alike with the opportunity to engage in specialized forums with other publicity professionals, journalists, and booking producers to discuss new trends, pitching techniques, and emerging technologies. EPPS also hosts a bi-annual cocktail mixer to promote familiarity and affinity within the organization. These events are always free to members.

Members receive a whole host of benefits that are not available to non-members including the ability to attend Member Only events and ability to participate on Activity Committees. Members receive a free subscription to the EPPS bi-monthly newsletter "Connections," which will shortly also be available to them online. The newsletter covers the recent EPPS events in both LA and NY as well as providing interviews, dates for upcoming events, important contacts, job openings, membership services, group discounts, and information on new members. Members are also eligible to receive exclusive invitations to industry related events and other entertainment PR related functions.

Additional member's benefits include:

--Reduced registration fees for the Entertainment Publicity Conference

--Confidential and unlimited access to EPPS job bank

--Eligibility to participate on committees to share expertise and experiences

--Eligibility to submit entries to the EPPSilon and Lynne Weaver Awards

--20% discount on SCOOP Seminars

EPPS has six classes of membership types available, designated as follows: corporate, active, allied, associate, field, and student members.

Corporate Membership:

Companies with Corporate Memberships elect five (5) staff to become Active, Associate or Allied Members on their behalf, and may send up to five (5) staff free of charge to EPPS Open Sessions or Mixers, and up to one (1) to Members-Only Events. A Key Contact must be identified.

Active Member:

Any individual working as an entertainment publicist, or as an entertainment marketing or promotions executive, with two (2) or more years of experience. Active Members receive EPPS benefits including free admission to Open Sessions or Mixers, eligibility for Members-Only Events, unlimited job bank access, and subscription to "Connections."

Allied Member:

Any individual working as a vendor, supplier, or in an allied field to entertainment publicity, marketing, or promotions but is not an entertainment publicist, marketing executive or promotions executive. Allied fields would include product and service companies (both commercial and non-profit) that are not industry companies but sometimes work with or partner with entertainment entities. Allied Members receive EPPS benefits including free admission to Open Sessions or Mixers, eligibility for Members-Only Events, unlimited job bank access, and subscription to "Connections."

Field Member:

A member of one of the non-student membership categories who lives and works outside of the Los Angeles or New York metropolitan areas. Field Members are eligible for all of the benefits of the appropriate category of membership (Active, Allied or Associate) that their role in the industry qualifies them for, however they will have no voting privileges.

Student Member:

Any full time student working toward a degree in communications, public relations, marketing or journalism. Student Members receive EPPS benefits including free admission to Open Sessions or Mixers, unlimited job bank access, and subscription to "Connections." Student Members may not vote on organizational issues and may not serve on the Board of Directors. Student Members are encouraged to serve actively by providing volunteer assistance at EPPS events during the year.

In addition to the many opportunities that keep EPPS members connected to each other and to the people they most need to know, there are always new benefits and special promotional rates offered exclusively to EPPS members. One of the most recent benefits is that EPPS members can now receive a huge discount on annual membership to www.odwyerpr.com, to receive their daily publication. Regularly $295, EPPS members only pay $10. That's a savings of $285 per year alone -- which more than makes up the cost of joining EPPS. And new and renewal memberships are prorated through the end of the year. This offer may only be available for a limited time, so act now.

The upcoming August media workshops in Los Angeles and New York respectively, are with "Magazine Editors & Writers" on August 17th at the ICG Publicists Auditorium on Sunset Blvd. and "New York Times Entertainment Journalists" on August 23rd (location TBD). These monthly sessions continue to offer EPPS members and guests the latest information with access to top media professionals who share their insights on achieving success and coverage in their outlets. For more details about EPPS membership or for information on upcoming events visit: www.EPPSonline.org.

ABOUT EPPS

EPPS is the entertainment industry's premiere volunteer organization of public relations, marketing and promotion professionals. It was founded in 1991 to encourage the highest professional standards and to provide a network for skills and educational opportunities for publicists. It is a 501(C)(6) non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1993. The current Executive Board includes President George McQuade, Mayo Communications; Vice-Presidents Henri Bollinger, Henri Bollinger Associates, and Sandi Padnos, SCOOP, Seminars for the Savvy Publicist; Treasurer Bob Werden, Independent; and Sue Procko, Sue Procko PR. EPPS has branches in Los Angeles and New York. Website is www.EPPSonline.org.