How things look from Los Angeles right now

And, somehow, also sourcing for stories.

I keep starting and deleting this post. What can be said in a few paragraphs to convey the enormity of the situation in Los Angeles?

First, my sincerest love and empathy to anyone reading this who has lost more than I have. LA is my home and has always been home (even when, for a stint, I lived elsewhere). It has always been and will always be one of the greatest cities on the planet. (I’ve had to sit on my hands to avoid engaging with any haters — which, don’t get me started.)

Second, here are some personal updates. My own home, which is in the Miracle Mile/Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles — surrounded by concrete on all sides — is safe. (The Hollywood/Runyon fire came closest to us; I gathered the essentials just in case, but we never evacuated.)

My biggest concern has always been for my parents’ home in Topanga Canyon, the home they built from scratch on a piece of land said to be unbuildable, the home where my sister got married, the home where five grandkids celebrated holidays and watched the sunset over the mountains of the state park.

My parents (in their 80s) evacuated Tuesday. Afterward, flames licked at their home, which was spared (so far) only as a result of full-force firefighting efforts from the air and on the ground; we have video that attests to the heroism of these firefighters, as well as their precision, relentlessness, and sheer numbers.

Today they will try again to check on the house, but they have been twice turned away — first by highway patrol and then by the National Guard. The dangerous winds are slated to return tonight. We’re all holding our breaths.

Although some schools around the district reopened today, my kids’ school is located in an evacuation warning zone (to the east of the Palisades fire) and thus remains closed.

Having children at home is just one reason for my current inability to focus on business as usual. Millions of us have watched countless hours of press conferences and refreshed the Watch Duty app 24 hours a day for nearly a week now. Even those of us with our homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship physically intact are experiencing trauma. Everybody knows at least one person who lost everything.

We ask for your grace and sensitivity. And since this newsletter is nominally where I impart work-related advice, my best advice to PR and marketers now is to think before you send or post. If your messages are reaching anyone around here — again, millions of people — you risk not just being ignored, but also sounding absolutely clueless — or even sort of malicious in context.

I shared this screengrab from my phone of the industry Facebook groups already, but it illustrates what business-as-usual marketing can look like in times of crisis. Starbucks announced “this is your year!” two minutes after I received a notification that my parents’ home was being “immediately threatened.” It’s not a great look. Check your pre-scheduled distribution, please.

Instead of this kind of thing, now is the time for relationship building. Check on people, make it personal, come from a place of sincerity, it will not be soon forgotten. (Neither will insensitive approaches.)

Now a few resources for how to help:

• Gofundme for Kim, an employee of my husband’s company who lost her home

• Gofundme for Henri, my neighbor and friend who lost his business

• Gofundme for the staff of The Reel Inn, an iconic casual restaurant where my family made many multigenerational memories

• Donate to the California Wildfire Foundation

• Donate to Pasadena Humane Society, which has taken in 400+ animals

• How to help victims resource roundup (CBS)

My parents’ home (to the right), bordered by pink retardant dropped from a DC-10. THANK YOU FIREFIGHTERS!!! (And also thank you to the local news teams like KTLA for providing such critical information!)

ShareASale and Awin Zoom is still on

We are still on schedule to host our Zoom session to answer all your questions about the ShareASale and Awin upgrade. Find all of the information here, along with the link to RSVP. We will also be recording the session if you can’t make it, given… *gestures at 40,000+ smoldering acres* or any other reason.

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Open press opportunities

• For Travel + Leisure, I’m looking for travel security experts and/or TSA agents and flight attendants to share anti-theft product recommendations/tips + tricks on how to safeguard your items and valuables while on a flight.

• STILL OPEN: For Good Housekeeping, I’m working on a story about fashion trends from the 1950s that are bound to make a comeback. Looking for stylists, retail experts, or other qualified sources who want to take an expert stab at this one.

• STILL OPEN: For Southern Living, I’m working on a story about how to pack clothes without wrinkles, according to an expert. Open to pitches for commentary from qualified experts such as stylists, etc.

Tools of the trade

You already know my own press opportunities are in this very Substack! I’m also a media member of Press Hook, where publicists can create and manage press kits and brand profiles on behalf of clients and use the AI-driven platform to connect with journalists in a streamlined way. If you’re not using Press Hook yet, you should definitely give it a try: It’s designed as a platform to connect journalists looking for story sources with brands who want to showcase their products and experts, and it’s all really built on trust and meaningful connections (it’s not spammy). It also offers a suite of helpful workflow tools. Journalists can search by product and category, and participating brands get exposure and affiliate opportunities — so it’s designed as a win-win for everyone (in the same vein as this Substack, I like to think). Give it a try — and let me know what you think.

Recently published or updated

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• The 25 Best Hotels in Hawaii for Families of All Ages and Sizes (Elle Decor)

Open jobs

Job posts in this newsletter are now a free perk for paying subscribers. Do you have an open opportunity you want me to promote? First, upgrade here if you need to. Then email me at info@alicedubin.com.

Work with me

• I am available for project-based consulting. Please reach out to discuss your needs: info@alicedubin.com.

• Here’s how to pitch: Simply respond to this email with a new subject line or pitch me at pitch@alicedubin.com.

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How to help

• Donate to the International Committee of the Red Cross and Save the Children.

• Donate to the Anti-Defamation League to support the fight against hate.

• Donate to Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety.

• Donate to Planned Parenthood.

• Donate to the California Wildfire Foundation

• Donate to Pasadena Humane Society