SAN RAMON, Calif., Sept. 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMF Media Group, a growing California marketing and public relations firm, beat out major national and international communications firms to earn the top award for crisis communications from the Ragan Communications-Dow Jones PR Daily Awards.
The award, which was announced at a luncheon in Washington, D.C., last week, recognized AMF Media Group for its work in managing public communications during the stay of Scott Olsen, an Iraq War veteran injured during Occupy protests and who was transported to Highland Hospital in Oakland for treatment. Olsen became a focal point for protesters and the media covering the Occupy Oakland protests that had already been taking place and building momentum throughout the summer and fall.
AMF was called upon by its client, Alameda County Medical Center (ACMC), to lead and manage communications at Highland after concerns arose that Occupy Oakland leaders were planning to march on the facility, a move that would likely have interrupted the hospital's healing mission.
"Our client knew that a major protest would block streets around Highland, which is situated on a hill in a residential neighborhood of Oakland," said AMF President Vintage Foster, who led the crisis communications team. "Highland was, and still is, the site of a number of major construction projects on its campus so the streets around the facility were already very busy; and adding a large number of protesters to that situation could have potentially cost lives."
The primary crisis team objective was to keep the protest from moving to the hospital. "We knew that media could be a help or a hindrance in that regard depending on how we responded to reporter's needs and those of its many other constituents."
For more than a week, the AMF crisis team, in collaboration with ACMC, worked around the clock to manage hundreds of media queries from throughout the world and to keep Olsen and his visiting family safe.
Highlights of the crisis were a press conference presided over by Foster and Dr. Alden Harken, ACMC chief of surgery, which was attended by dozens of reporters; and a surprise weekend visit from activist filmmaker Michael Moore. Media camped out in front of Highland Hospital every day and small groups of Olsen's supporters were almost continuously gathered near the main entrance, seeking to get in to see him in the Intensive Care Unit, though none did.
In the end, no major protest or march on Highland Hospital materialized and Olsen was eventually transferred to an undisclosed location to continue healing. Foster said that ACMC's reputation in the community was preserved.
AMF was named to this top award over large U.S. firms with international operations such as Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Burson-Marsteller.
"ACMC's executive and communications teams, as well as several senior members of the AMF Media Group staff, are also to be congratulated for their skillful and successful work on this project," said Foster. "We're all proud to have helped ACMC continue its mission uninterrupted during that tumultuous time."
In addition to winning the top crisis management honor from Ragan-Dow Jones PR Daily Awards, AMF Media Group also received an honorable mention for its ongoing media work with ACMC.
About AMF Media Group
AMF Media Group (www.amfmediagroup.com) is a full-service strategic communications management firm staffed with writers, graphic artists, public relations professionals, web development, video production and event management personnel. Clients include Hewlett-Packard, Jamba Juice and Kaiser Permanente. Follow AMF Media Group on Twitter @vintagefoster.