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JoAnn Locktov, principal
Bea Vita Ristorante, photo collage
Eric Engstrom (Venice Portfolio 3)
Bella Figura Communications
JoAnn started her career in public relations after writing two books on contemporary mosaics. A UC Berkeley graduate in Economics, she worked as a movie producer, making an early Kevin Costner film, and as a development director, raising millions for PBS. JoAnn’s passion for mosaics and Italy led to Orsoni Smalti Veneziani. Their new mosaic school needed students, and a career was born. JoAnn uses her experience as a writer and an imaginative strategist to effectively represent a variety of clients. Her fascination with art and design, and her innate understanding of public relations, has enabled Bella Figura Communications to assist creative individuals and businesses in the achievement of their dreams.
That Venetian mosaic school? Today, it’s thriving with students in attendance from all over the globe. -
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HAI FATTO BELLA FIGURA.
(Italian for making a positive impression, pleasing both to the eye and to the mind.)
The essence of our service.
Bella Figura Communications functions as a conduit from your enterprise to your targeted market. We explore the unique qualities of your product and develop the stories that render it irresistible. We deliver your message through digital, print, and electronic media. We also make effective use of social networks, events and sponsorships, as well as product libraries. We create and distribute all necessary communications and aggressively track their effectiveness.
Media Relations The key to any successful campaign is exemplary media relations. Bella Figura Communications has established contacts and relationships with national and regional media outlets that get your story heard. We have worked hard to establish ourselves with design, architecture, shelter, and travel publications, as well as the burgeoning field of social media, in order to reach both trade and consumer markets.
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Social Media We analyze and select by relevance the social media tools that will effectively build your community and deepen customer loyalty. We use social media to inspire conversation, to establish buzz, attract and retain admirers.
Press Kits Information distributed to the press is developed according to specific strategies. As our digital world explodes with attendant concerns for the environment and economics, we work almost exclusively with digital press releases. However, we always consider the best tool for the job, which may necessitate a physical kit, especially when samples are involved. Most important are the individual pitches to the media. It is the fine art of customizing your news to be precisely relevant to individual members of the media which ultimately delivers results.
Writing/Editing Bella Figura Communications is responsible for the words that convey your spirit, your product, your history. We write press releases, social media posts, color/trend reports, internal newsletters, articles, white papers, mission statements, and speeches using language that proves compelling and entirely reflective of your individual style.
Events Through the organization and support of conferences, designer events, trade shows, educational courses, showroom launches and competitions, we not only enhance press opportunities and maximize your exposure, but we also leverage every opportunity to maximize your investment.
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This Bella Figura Communications website was designed and built by Evan Jones of Central Coast Evan in close collaboration with JoAnn Locktov. The logo and menu bar were done in Champignon and Champignon Altswash by Diogene. The sliding text box uses jQuery, specifically, a plugin for jQuery created by Ariel Flesler called LocalScroll. If you like it, please consider donating to his project. The sliding boxes are based on Sam Dunn's jQuery coding available at Build Internet. The Publications page uses a small, but powerful jQuery script written by Joel Sutherland. The Social Media icons on the Contact page are the work of Nick La, proprietor of WebDesignerWall, a wonderful source for tips and freebies. Done entirely on a Mac using TextWrangler for the code and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for the graphics.
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JoAnn Locktov has surprised me at every turn with the publicity and promotion work she's done for Travelers' Tales/Solas House, specifically for author Susan Van Allen and her book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go. JoAnn is smart, a great communicator, produces huge value at reasonable cost, everything she does is on time, and her enthusiasm for people and her work is completely contagious. I look forward to figuring out new projects for her to work on! Highly recommended.
JoAnn Locktov is an absolute joy to work with on every level. Her highly professional services combine an elegant style, creative flair, and savvy, customized approach to every aspect of the job. The materials — digital press releases and personalized pitches she generates — are pieces which I am thrilled to have out there to represent my book. Her focused approach on a print and online media campaign for 100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go brought results that far exceeded expectations — increasing book sales and widening its public profile. Bella Figura Communications is a rare gem in the publicity world. As an author, I feel molta fortunata to have my book in such Bella hands!
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Earned Media Placement
ABC.news • About.com • Ambassador • American Builders Quarterly • American Style • Andamento Apartment Therapy • Architect • Architects and Artisans • Architectural Digest • Architectural Record Array • Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel • Azure • Bathonista • Beach House • Beautiful Baths Beautiful Homes • Beautiful Kitchens • Boutique Design • Boutique Design Dreambook • Builder on line Building Products Guide • Canadian Ineriors • Clear • Coast • Coolhunting • Contemporary Stone & Tile Design Contract • Côté Maison Sud • CouchKarma • Custom Home • Dallas Modern Luxury • Decorati Decorating Diva • Décor Dallas • Delta Sky • Design • Design + Milk Designboom • Designcommotion Denver • Denver Post • Digg Travel • Distinction • Doryn’s Dish • Dream of Italy • Dwell • Dwell, Make It Yours • Dupont Registry • Dupont Registry Tampa Bay • Eco Chick • Eco Structure • Eco Zebra Examiner • Florida Design • Fulcrum • Glass Craftsman • Gorgeous, shiny things • Green & Design Hamptons • Home Miami &thinsp•&thinsp Home Spa Interiors &thinsp•&thinsp Home Trends Pittsburgh &thinsp• Hospitality Design Hospitality Style • Hospitality Style • Innovative Home • Interior Design • Interior Design Buyers Guide Interior Design: Fall Market Tabloid • Interior Revolution • Interiors • Interiors & Sources • Jetson Green K + BB • KB Culture • Kitchen and residential design • Living Venice • Materialicious • Met Home
print media
digital media
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Metropolis • Miami Home & Décor • Miami Herald • Miami Modern Luxury • Mosaic Art Now • Mosaic Matters &thinsp•&thinsp MSNBC &thinsp•&thinsp MyMelangeNapoli Unplugged • National Geographic Travel &thinsp• New York Times Office wire • Otto • Pegasus • Picocool • Plenty • Pointclickhome • Press Democrat • Pretty Green Home Pulse JFK • Re-nest • Residential Architect • Roaming By Design • San Antonio Express • Shelterrific Signature Kitchens & Baths • Simple Italy • Solo Mosaico • Southern Living • Stair Porn • Surface Surroundings The Function Key • Tile • Tile Envy • Tileist • Traditional Home • Travel + Leisure • Travel + Leisure: Southeast Asia • Treehugger • UK London Times • Venezia da Vivare • Veranda • Wanderlust Wayinteriors.ru • Western Interiors • Woman’s Day Kitchens + Baths • 6 • 100 Places in Italy
print media
digital media
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We have been working with JoAnn for a long time now and we still have the privilege to retain her services. She is the most amazing PR person I have ever worked with. able to communicate with punctuality, able to absorb what the message is supposed to be and re-styling it so it seems like a symphony orchestra is playing. Her knowledge and capabilities are hard to come across. I truly recommend her.
JoAnn Locktov is a publicist who takes a fresh approach to gaining press for her clients. As a journalist, I am thrilled to work with her because she is organized, dependable and she goes the extra mile to put that creative spin on pitches that makes me want to find placement. She is also one of the most tech-savvy publicists I know, a true plus for her clients in this age of fast-paced communications that include social networking and viral marketing. I've been impressed with her determination to educate her clients as to the benefits they will gain by stepping bolding into the new media that will determine success or failure in the future.
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Public relations is, to say the least, a challenging arena. On the one hand, it's about communicating complicated concepts and often large ideas — and, at times, distilling truth and beauty. On the other hand, it's all about selling, pure and simple. The trick is to do both, and with élan. JoAnn Locktov manages that delicate balancing act about as well as anyone I've ever encountered. I'm looking at about a dozen emails she sent me, convincing, not so much me as my editorial director, that the charming Domus Orsoni — a five-room guest quarters that's part of the world-renowned mosaic studio in Venice — was worthy of SKY’s coverage. From her smart and passionate first pitch to the subsequent follow-ups, Jo Ann addressed the magazine's specific needs and met them, resulting in an item that worked extremely well for both of us. What's more, the interchange I had with her was entirely companionable — in a word, a pleasure, despite how much back-and-forth we ended up with. And that's been the case for every subsequent item she helped us with. Public relations is something we all need. Unfortunately, it's rarely done capably, with both grace and enthusiasm. JoAnn is someone who gets it, who delivers, whose dedication and passion come through with each email and phone call. And that's a very rare thing.
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I have known JoAnn for over 15 years. She is an extremely professional and competent person and has excellent knowledge of and contact with everything that has to do with the world of design and architecture. Her passion and enthusiasm for mosaics have been particularly instrumental to the success in the United State (and as a result, in other countries) of the company, which I have run for 40 years and personally to me as an artist. Beyond her indisputable abilities, JoAnn has many humane qualities and it was easy to transform a work relationship into a solid friendship. In light of what I have said above and by virtue of her uncommon professional and humane abilities, making use of her experience in the field of communications, press releases and public relations is without doubt an excellent investment for the development of the international market and the visibility of the company.
They say you can count your best friends — the people you would trust with your life — on one hand. The same could be said of business consultants. If you have five you would trust with your professional well being, you are lucky indeed. JoAnn is Mosaic Art Now's "right hand". We don't make major business decisions without her. From strategic planning to communications design,
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JoAnn Locktov
(415) 383-1399 California
joann@bellafiguracommunications.com
Skype: JLOCKTOV
Also available @
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JoAnn has consistently supported us, coached us, and poked us into doing the right thing. She has an incisive mind that quickly sifts through the information given to her, connects those "dots" and VOILA! We have a whole new picture for the future of our business that is exciting, supportive of our goals and, most important, doable. JoAnn is a straight talker. She may not always say what you want to hear, but there will be no question in your mind that she has your best interests at heart — and head. Which, of course, is what trust is all about. Besides, she's so delightful to work with, you have to listen. I used to work for an international business consulting firm. I know for good consulting. JoAnn is the real deal.
JoAnn Locktov is a creative and experienced public relations professional with extensive experience in fine arts, artisan crafts, and design. Her knowledge of interior specialties, especially artisan mosaic glass and tile, and her talent for illuminating the creative process and publicizing it is second to none. Her special relationship with Venetian art and design and her deep love and knowledge of Italy has made her a valuable resource to her clients. Her ability to place their
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products in both traditional and electronic media is outstanding. JoAnn's personal counsel has been very important in helping me establish my career as a fine artist, and I treasure her loyalty, friendship and professional skills. I highly recommend her to artisans, manufacturers, and distributors to assist them in developing creative and effective marketing and public relations programs and strategies.
You seem to have done what a lot of PR outfits promise but never quite seem to do!