The Sun-Sentinel takes a closer look at Stu Opperman & Impact Players
March 5th, 2012 | 
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March 5, 2012
Stu Opperman: making an impact on his own terms
Stu Opperman founded Hollywood-based Impact Players public relations firm in 2009
Stu Opperman founded Impact Players in 2009 and now represents a variety of businesses, including those in the mixed martial arts (MMA). (Photo by Jim Rassol)
Details: Stu Opperman/Impact Players: 954-815-2303; web: impactplayers.com; Facebook: ImpactPlayers; and Twitter: @StuOpperman
By Cindy Kent, Sun Sentinel
Having the voice and resources of an entire company behind you is important in any field, including public relations.
Indeed, leaving a senior position at an established PR agency means leaving a certain comfort zone, says Stu Opperman, founder of Impact Players, the Hollywood-based public relations firm.
When it’s time to strike out on your own as an individual, small business owner, it’s more about doing things your own way and building your brand, he says. So, Opperman created strategies for a successful start.
He parlayed his decades of South Florida connections into a launching pad. Opperman drummed up new business.
Then, in 2009, he launched his firm with his first client, syndicated radio’s “Paul & Young Ron Show.” He took on other project work and added the Andy Roddick Foundation as another early client.
Opperman specializes in media relations, on traditional platforms and through social media; crisis communications and creating or enhancing audiences, content and relationships.
The drill-down:
You left a senior position at an established agency where others would cherish steady work. Looking back, would you have made a different decision? No. While direct deposit twice a month provided a comfortable existence, it didn’t quiet the nagging feeling that I could create something special for myself and my family. It was the right time, even given the state of the economy, to put my efforts into building a business that would provide long-term security.
What are the challenges of being a one-man PR firm? Finding the time to do everything you need to do and want to accomplish. I’m in charge of communications strategy, implementation, client relations, business development, accounting, IT, brand enhancement and everything else that goes into running a small business.
Did you ever feel like the rouge underdog? I’m fortunate to be in business at a time where technology levels the playing field and clients now understand that quality work and results don’t have to come from a large firm with a fancy downtown office. It’s an advantage (and selling point) that my client’s retainer dollars go toward the pursuit of the results they want and not the overhead I’ve taken on.
You’re one guy, how do you provide services for large-scale projects or a multitude of clients? I’ve established a senior-level network that can provide services valued by my clients that I can’t do on a professional level (graphic arts, web development). They are independent practitioners or agencies that I trust, and we share in each other’s success. Sometimes it’s me bringing them in to help with client work and other times I’m the recipient of their assignments.
If it isn’t broadcast on social networks — it isn’t real, it didn’t happen. What’s your take on that? Social media and networks are marvelous tools, but they are just pieces of the communications puzzle. Our job in public relations is to reach targeted audiences in whatever ways are most likely to accomplish goals and objectives. It doesn’t replace face-to-face meetings, handwritten notes or phone calls. Every audience is different, and one tactic doesn’t fit all.
What should small businesses consider before hiring a PR person? Understand the money spent must be accompanied by a level of commitment to seeing the process through. Whatever dollars a business feels it can spend in the pursuit of these goals should be focused and allocated consistently.
What keeps you up at night? The fear that the quest to provide my family a great future could take away from the present we already have.
What clients should know about PR:
- Hire advocates you like, respect and are comfortable with having represent your organization
- Share your knowledge; be open to new ideas, criticism
- Participate in, but don’t try to micromanage, the public relations effort
- Demand a crisis communications strategy, whether you believe you need it or not
What PR pros should know:
- Stay hungry, keep learning, ask questions
- If your writing isn’t significantly above average, improve it
- Challenge yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone on a regular basis
- Connect and be a connector
- Don’t limit opportunities by pigeonholing yourself into one specific niche
Posted in 
Perspective 101
(This post was originally written for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida’s blog. The nonprofit organization is an Impact Players client).
I have been asked to write about ‘what the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Florida means to me,’ but I’d rather share what this wonderful organization and its families have taught me.
While I’m (a little) sorry about not following directions, the perspective gained through the eyes of a little girl is what has stayed with me, nearly a dozen years after she and I met on Fort Lauderdale beach.
Natalie was from Texas and had been through a lifetime of surgeries, even though she was only eight at the time. Her favorite movie was “Titanic” and she had spent much of her recovery time(s) dreaming about the ocean, which she had never seen in “real life.” When Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteers presented the young girl a world full of wish possibilities, she said she’d be happy with a bologna sandwich and green grapes, as long as the food came with an ocean view.
In the movies, Natalie’s long-awaited meeting with the Atlantic would be accompanied by a sunshine-filled chamber of commerce day, but this day was overcast, with wind blowing hard enough that you could feel the sand hitting your skin. While the adults fretted over the weather and worried that it would ruin the wish experience, I noticed that Natalie had a look of pure contentment as she munched on her picnic lunch and gazed at the waves crashing on the shoreline. It was apparently as beautiful as she’d imagined and a little wind wasn’t going to ruin the moment she had waited so patiently for.
I felt small that day, not because I was standing next to a large ocean, but because a sick child was able to see what the healthy adult was overlooking. Nature is its own wonder, happiness comes from within, it’s important to appreciate special moments, everyday life can be beautiful, and if a bologna sandwich is what you like, don’t ask for filet mignon just because you can.
Thanks, Natalie, and Make-A-Wish, for helping me see what’s really important.
“You can’t drive forward looking in the rear-view mirror.”
It was easy to miss Jerry Ross at the Public Relations Society of America’s recent International Conference in Orlando. The session he spoke at was on the last day of the event, at a time when many attendees were more focused on checking out of their hotels and making travel connections. The executive director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center spoke to no more than 60 people in a breakout session at the end of a long corridor far from where the keynote speeches were heard.
But, in many ways, Ross’ message was the most important delivered at the event. He didn’t speak about how to measure social media campaigns or engage Gen Y, but about entrepreneurial thinking, the business behind the craft. His message was that there is opportunity even in the most chaotic of economies, and it was there for those who could harness their internal fire, fuel, and focus. Ross encouraged those in the room to macro manage their careers and stop micro-managing the daily tasks on to-do lists. “Don’t confuse activity with accomplishment.”
While it is easy for employees to wrap themselves in the blanket of direct deposit and feel secure, Ross said it is the entrepreneurs who will succeed in the “innovation economy.” They are the ones who will have clearly identified their unique competitive advantage and found their niche, not as order-takers who can complete assignments but as business owners who know their customers pain and how to relieve it.
Media relations by Impact Players
Shemar, a nine-year-old boy with brain cancer, wished to be a stand-up comedian and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, with some help from The Improv, made his dream come true.
More than 300 people, most of them connected to the foundation, were there to cheer for this courageous boy and provide him a night to remember.
In the News . . .
Friend and client Michael Ajakie’s entrepreneurial side was featured in Las Olas Lifestyle.
His Burger Pocket Press makes perfect stuffed burgers…
One Thing We Do . . .
Media placement is an Impact Players specialty, whether you are a corporation, nonprofit organization, entrepreneur, or mixed martial arts fighter
who benefits from national exposure in Fight! magazine.
“South Florida’s Best and Brightest”
Aventura Business Monthly named Impact Players President Stu Opperman one of “South Florida’s Best and Brightest in June.
Here’s the Q&A:
He has created and implemented both public relations and strategic communications campaigns for, among others, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, the hugely popular “Paul & Young Ron Show,” The Andy Roddick Foundation, Pine Crest School, III Forks restaurant, Castronovo Vineyards, The Broward Alliance, and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. Throughout his career, Stu Opperman has played a vital role in every conceivable aspect of PR, including: crisis management, relationship creation and enhancement, and audience and content generation. He also serves on the board of directors for the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Gulfstream Chapter. Opperman, a University of Florida graduate, founded Hollywood-based Impact Players in 2009.Q: What advice would you give youngsters who want to embark on a career in your industry?
A: Don’t put restrictions on your career path by limiting what you are willing to do. “I only want to work at a large agency” or “I’m only interested in travel industry PR” unnecessarily close the door on opportunities that might be enjoyable and lucrative. Being a generalist (I joke that my niche is not having a niche), and working within a wide variety of industries keeps every day fresh and makes me a valuable resource to many different clients.
Q: Of what professional accomplishment are you most proud?
A: Having the courage to leave a stable, well-paying, senior position at an agency during a recession to devote myself to Impact Players (www.impactplayers.com). I didn’t have a year’s salary in the bank or a formal business plan like the experts recommend, but I did have a belief in myself and a strong sense that I was capable of creating something personally and professionally special. I also didn’t want to be the guy who told his daughters to follow their dreams when I wasn’t willing to follow mine.
Q: What’s the most challenging part about your work?
A: I demand excellence from myself and it’s tough to find the time to be great at everything when you are a one-man band. I’m in charge of strategy, implementation, client relations, business development, accounting, IT [information technology], brand enhancement, and everything else that goes into running a small business.
Q: What did you envision doing for a living when you were growing up?
A: After it became clear that playing for the New York Yankees probably wasn’t going to happen, I assumed I’d be a sportswriter for a newspaper. At the University of Florida, I discovered that working in radio and television was much cooler than the newspaper job I envisioned, so I did that for a number of years, including a stint as the program director at SportsRadio 560 WQAM, before making the switch to public relations.
Q: In ten years’ time, I will be _________________.
A: Successful enough to be living whatever life is best for my family. More selfishly, I’ll also be attending the Florida/Georgia football game, “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” the last Saturday in October, something I’ve already done more than 25 times. What that says about me, good or bad, I don’t know, but that weekend in Jacksonville is one of my happy places.
Q: Who are/were your professional role models and why?
A: Bob Woolf was one of the first sports agents and at the top of the game when I knew him as a young professional. Despite all the success, he never big-timed anyone, and he treated everyone, from the commissioner of the NFL to the guy who cleaned the locker rooms, with respect. He also taught me to return every phone call, because you never knew where the next opportunity might come from. Also, my dad, who worked hard every day and sacrificed for his family. He wouldn’t spend a penny on himself, but the rest of us always had everything we needed.
Q: If you could do anything else in the world for a living, what would it be?
A: One of the great things about public relations is that it enables you to work in many business environments, because accounts are very often in different industries. It is a requirement to become somewhat of an expert in many fields, to stay informed, and to constantly navigate a shifting landscape. Those skills, and the ability to communicate effectively, would serve me well in other careers, but because there isn’t an obvious one I’d switch to, I know I’ve found the professional niche for me. I love that I already get to live in other worlds, everything from nonprofits to mixed martial arts (MMA), without ever having to leave the job I already have.
Q: What’s the best part about your job?
A: Freedom to do things how and when I please. If I’m willing to work at midnight, which I am, then I can also take a bike ride at the beach at two in the afternoon. I make decisions about who I want to work with, the type of work I want to do, and, ultimately, how much money I make. The “obligations” you have working for someone else become “opportunities” when it is for yourself.
Q: What’s the worst part about your job?
A: The worst part, whatever it may be, is better than a lot of people’s best part, so I’ve got nothing to complain about. That being said, it’s probably the desire to always do more for your client’s business or for my own business, knowing there are only so many hours in the day. That’s especially difficult for me because I’m also focused on sharing time with family and friends.
Q: What’s the one most important thing that experience has taught you?
A: How you look at situations determines your level of happiness. It’s true that “things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.” Your attitude is the key, and thankfully, that is something over which each of us has control.
Q: What’s the best career advice anyone has imparted on you?
A: Never lose sight of the big picture.
Q: What one thing would you do different/better if you could start it all over again?
A: I’d learn to speak Spanish. In South Florida, especially, being bilingual is a huge advantage.
Q: What’s your favorite South Florida charity?
A: The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida. I’ve seen firsthand “the power of a wish” and the life-changing impact it has for children who have life-threatening medical conditions. One little girl told her mother on the day her wish was granted, ‘For the first time I feel like a real kid, not a kid who has cancer.’ The Foundation delivers that type of magic every day.
Lessons Learned from Andre Agassi
Back in Andre Agassi’s acid-washed-jean-shorts-and-tights-wearing days, he was identified with the tagline, “Image is Everything.” It was the centerpiece of ads he did for Canon and no doubt helped sell cameras, in part because it embodied what we thought was cool at the time. Whether it was an athlete, a product, or company, the early ’90s were all about convincing audiences that how you were perceived (brash, edgy, glamourous) was all that mattered. Style trumped substance.
Agassi ultimately regretted being the billboard for narcissism (and is now, credit to him, known for helping educate children)
, and there is a lesson that all business people can take away in the post-mullet era. Especially in the service industries, it’s reputation, not image, that’s everything.
No one wants the sizzle without the steak. What your potential clients/customers really want is to hear good things about your work or product from people they trust, whether that be word-of-mouth or through any of the social media/networks where like-minded people gather. While they still have to buy (into) what you are selling, the difference between getting the assignment or not may very well come down to what that third party says.
How comfortable are you that your reputation works for, not against, you?
What Would Fudgie (the Whale) Do?
Faced with the “adapt or die” scenario, one would assume business people would understand the need to change. Yet each day there are numerous examples of those who still cling to the thinking of the past, even at the expense of their future. Here’s one example:
My daughter really likes those crunchy, chocolate things that are often between layers of an ice cream cake. With today being her birthday, I decided (with a little prodding from mini-me) to get some extra “crunchies” to go with the cake mom and sister had baked. Happy to overpay for a small container as a birthday treat, I’m told at my local ice cream shop that they won’t sell them to me unless I first buy a cake from them (the least expensive was $10). No exceptions, they say, we’ve never sold them separately (even though they do get requests to do so).
While I’m no expert on the cost of producing crunchies, if that’s even their name, or the potential scarcity should people be allowed to eat them outside of cake, I am confident there was profit to be made if they charged me, say $4, for a small cup. It might even have been the best margin they recorded all day.
Still, the manager refused to even consider the sale, since the preservation of the store’s decades-old business philosophy was apparently the top priority. Forget trying to survive a bad economy (somewhat prophetically there was an abandoned mall, 350,000 sq. ft. of retail space, directly across the street), making an obscene profit on a special request, or satisfying customers so they’ll come back/tell their friends, the store didn’t sell crunchies outside the cake 30 years ago and they weren’t about to start now.
Is your company doing things the way it always has even though the business arena and customer (service) expectations have evolved? While the resistance to change may provide some short-term comfort for those who enjoy the non-thinking zone, it’s also the fastest way to insure the number of birthdays your business enjoys is limited.
