The Public Relations Society of America, Los Angeles Chapter (PRSA-LA), has honored the City of West Hollywood with three prestigious public relations awards in recognition of the City’s innovative communications and community-engagement efforts.

The awards were conferred at the 52^nd Annual PRism Awards Show on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood. More than 400 people attended the awards event, which represents distinguished communications efforts by public relations agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and government organizations in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Bravo, West Hollywood Communications team!,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister. “The PRism Awards are highly competitive and I’m very proud of the staff at City Hall for their hard work and dedication. We’re always seeking to engage and inspire community members with new approaches to communications and these awards are a testament to our City’s amazing efforts and successes.”

The City of West Hollywood won awards in three unique categories:

1. PRism Award in Tactical Programs, Social Media — for its Social Media Takeover During LA Pride;
2. Award of Excellence in Strategic Campaigns and Programs, Events and Observances — for its Automated Parking Garage Launch Event; and
3. Award of Excellence in Strategic Campaigns and Programs, Public Service — for its Winter is Here! But the Drought is Far from Over Public Service Announcement.

The Social Media Takeover During LA Pride was a lighthearted and creative approach to engaging the community in real-time event coverage of LA Pride in West Hollywood events from Friday, June 10, 2016 to Sunday, June 12, 2016. The City’s Communications Department partnered with drag celebrity Willam Belli to “take over” official City of West Hollywood social media channels during the festivities. Belli, accompanied by a small crew, went into crowds, interviewed participants, and posted the LA Pride experience on the City’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter properties — @wehocity. As a result of the Social Media Takeover, the City grew its social media following and received extremely positive feedback. 

The Automated Parking Garage Launch Event was held on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 to unveil the City’s new 200-space fully automated structure at West Hollywood City Hall. The grand opening event and ribbon cutting ceremony was as futuristic as the project — it utilized high-resolution video renderings of the structure’s engineering components displayed on a jumbo-scale LED display, and offered small group tours of public-art murals and vehicle bays. There were heavy appetizers from local restaurants, which benefit from additional parking offered by the Automated Parking Garage, and there was electronic music in a live DJ set by local beat master Derek Monteiro. Every major local television station covered the event with extremely positive reporting about the West Coast’s first municipal automated parking structure. For more information, please visit www.weho.org/automatedgarage.

Winter is Here! But the Drought is Far From Over is a 60-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) produced by the City’s Communications Department in response to the ongoing California drought. Designed as a mock TV-series preview trailer, and based on the hit HBO show Game of Thrones, the PSA features character look-alikes and special effects presented as a dramatization of what West Hollywood might look like if water were to run out. The PSA was created to remind everyone that water conservation is a year-round effort, even in winter months. In July 2016, it was recognized with a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award in the category of Public Service Announcement.

It can be viewed on the City’s WeHoTV YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/ybKFa2X6RB8.

For more information about the 2016 PRism Awards Finalists, please visit the website for the Public Relations Society of America, Los Angeles Chapter (PRSA-LA) at http://prsala.org/awards-programs/prism-awards/2016-prism-awards-finalists.

For additional information about the City’s Communications efforts or about the City’s 2016 PRSA-LA Awards, please contact Lisa Marie Belsanti, the City of West Hollywood’s Director of Communications, at (323) 848-6378. For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.