1853 Communications: Arcadia’s Hidden Gem
Something that I have always loved about the Arcadia community is their dedication to local businesses and organizations. I love seeing Rock the Knight bring attention to local artists and food trucks, Humpty’s Dumplings present at most events, and groups of college students at the El Limon location down the road. Our generation has a great respect for small businesses, and Arcadia has so many opportunities to support them. However, there is one way that Arcadia helps community organizations that has been hiding in the shadows.
Allow me to introduce you to 1853 Communications, a nationally accredited, fully student-run public relations firm! In conjunction with the Arcadia chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), 1853 Communications, named in recognition of the year Arcadia was founded, was created in 2020 by a group of 10 students with the intention of building student resumes while also giving back to our community. Each student in the firm has the opportunity to be an Account Executive, but leadership roles are also possible. I personally am the Co-Director of the firm!
Though the firm is relatively new, we have a robust portfolio and client list, with names like ACCT Philly, Pals for Life, and For Pete’s Sake. These local nonprofits have reached out for help in creating PR campaigns and promotional materials. All of the campaigns that 1853 Communications has written for its clients so far have been actually put into action by these organizations. Which also has given students campaigns and materials to add to their portfolios.
“Working with 1853 has really given me some much-needed insight into how a public relations firm would work and the overall concept of what working in a collaborative team setting would be like. I’ve had an internship before at a PR firm, but because of Covid-19 and the location my position was entirely remote. The experiences between having a similar job online versus in person vary drastically and working for 1853 only solidified the notion that PR is something I’d like to pursue as a career.” – Zaire Hilliard, Account Executive
On September 19, PRSSA and 1853 joined together to run a fundraiser in support of the team’s efforts, as the work we do is pro bono. The fundraiser was “Charcuterie Cups in the Chat.” Here’s what the team behind the fundraiser had to say about the event as well as their roles within the firm.
“This event was definitely something more unique. We wanted to add some “spice” to the average bake sale. It’s always fun to have something you don’t have every day, and what student is sitting in their dorm making a charcuterie board? What’s great about 1853, is that our job is to literally get creative and find new ways for organizations to achieve their goals. Ours was giving Arcadia students an opportunity to get excited about something they probably hadn’t even thought about.” – Sara Stein, Account Executive
1853 Communications hoped that this fundraiser would bring more attention to all that the firm does for the community. We have held multiple events on campus with major success, but want to focus more on promoting the firm itself instead of simply our clients.
So, what is 1853 up to this semester? Well, we are planning a few more fundraisers. We also write the monthly Media and Communication newsletter, as well as the Arts at Arcadia newsletter. We are starting a relationship with two Arcadia students who have founded their own nonprofit, Aiding in Diversity. And most importantly, we are on the hunt for more opportunities to help give back to our local community. We hope to continue this work for many semesters to come! If you are interested in following along as our firm grows, you can follow us on our socials. Our Instagram page is @1853communications_pr and our Tik Tok is @1853comm. 1853 Communications runs as CM120B, which is a 2-credit class offered in both the fall and the spring. If you have any questions about the class or joining the firm, contact Dr. Chris Mullin at mullinc@arcadia.edu.
