If you think you are seeing more NFL players making cameos on TV shows, it is not your imagination. From the Wall Street Journal:

When CBS signed its deal to carry Thursday night football in 2014, part of its pitch was the power of its programming to promote the league and its players and that is when there was a marked increase in cameos by NFL stars.

“CBS uses the prime time line up to promote Thursday night football and they think the best way to do that is to integrate their programming with players, which we love and agree with,” said Tracy Perlman, the NFL’s vice president of marketing and entertainment. “We had a meeting with their marketing people and the conversation became, `what can we do to show you that we’re unique?’”  …

For the NFL, whose image has taken a hit when its players have run-ins with the law — from domestic abuse accusations to gun incidents — putting its stars on TV is an opportunity to show them in a good light and attempt to counter the negative perceptions.

For the second straight year, the NFL inexplicably has fanned the flames of a controversy that threatens to overshadow its signature event, the Super Bowl. Last year, it was Deflate Gate, a controversy that ultimately fell flatter than Tom Brady’s footballs. This year, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy has used the lead up to the Super Bowl to shine a light on an ongoing NFL HGH investigation into Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning.

Diamondback Bicycles named Carbondale’s Backbone Media as its agency of record for North America.

When you help a client involved in a crisis situation, are your communications with the client covered by attorney-client privilege? As with most complex yes-no questions, the answer is maybe. Attorneys Michael F. Buchanan and Angela Redai offer a helpful checklist of issues to consider to best protect yourself and your client:

While there are no guarantees that a court will uphold a claim of privilege, here are some steps that a company can take to improve its odds of maintaining a privilege assertion over communications with a PR firm:

• The public relations or crisis management firm should be engaged directly by outside counsel, not the client.
• The engagement letter should be carefully written by outside counsel to make clear that:
  • the PR firm is working under the direction of outside counsel and reporting directly to the law firm;
  • all communications between the PR firm and outside counsel and/or the client’s representatives shall be confidential and made solely for the purpose of assisting counsel in rendering legal services to the client;
  • all documents and work product prepared by the PR firm are confidential and should be treated as such; and
  • the PR firm has an obligation to protect the confidentiality of the information exchanged with counsel and all documents it prepares.
• To the extent practicable, communications between the client and the PR firm should be through outside counsel or in the presence of outside counsel.
• PR firms should label documents (including email traffic) as “Attorney-Client Privilege/Work Product Communications.”
• Because it is essential that the services provided by the PR firm facilitate legal advice and services, great caution should be taken to define what services the PR firm is being asked to perform.
• Careful consideration should be given to the nature of each service the PR firm is undertaking when contemplating a disclosure to it. If, in connection with a particular assignment, the PR firm is not engaged in helping outside counsel formulate legal strategy, sharing privileged information should be avoided.
• The PR firm should invoice the law firm for its services whenever possible.

Boulder-based Techstars has named Joanie Kindblade Director of PR, where she will manage the worldwide public relations strategy and execution for the organization’s three business areas: the accelerator programs, the startup programs and the venture capital business. Kindblade previously was with 104 West.

Is there a PR crisis brewing at one of the nation’s most respected nonprofits? Chip Reid and Jennifer Janisch at CBS News report:

Where is the money is going? …

CBS News spoke to more than 40 former (Wounded Warrior Project) employees who described a charity where spending was out of control. Two of those former employees were so fearful of retaliation they asked that their faces not to be shown on camera.

“It was extremely extravagant. Dinners and alcohol, and just total accessm” one employee explained. He continued, saying that for a charitable organization that’s serving veterans, the spending on resorts and alcohol is “what the military calls fraud waste and abuse.”

According to the charity’s tax forms, spending on conferences and meetings went from $1.7 million in 2010, to $26 million in 2014. That’s about the same amount the group spends on combat stress recovery — its top program.

Barefoot PR has added Taylor Broderick as an associate. Broderick is a former Barefoot intern who recently graduated from CSU. In her new role, she is responsible for supporting staff members and clients with media relations, social media, community relations and specialized projects.

GroundFloor Media has been awarded a five-year contract from Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR), Forestry Division to help create and implement a public education campaign about the Emerald Ash Borer. GFM’s work for the Ash Borer campaign will include campaign development, media relations, community engagement, social media and partnership cultivation.

Among those hiring this week are the Alzeheimer’s Association of Colorado, American Lung Association, Aurora Public Schools, Chipotle, Clinica Family Health, Colorado Department of Public Safety, Colorado State University, Communications Strategy Group (internship), DMI, Fort Collins Coloradoan, HealthOne, Janus Capital Group, SearchSpring, The ALS Association Rocky Mountain Chapter and The International Erosion Control Association.

PR Week reports that Denver’s Smashburger has selected the Boston-based PR firm Mullen Lowe as agency of record:

The restaurant chain issued an RFP at the start of December and selected Mullen Lowe later that month. Aside from Mullen Lowe, 10 agencies pitched for the business, including DKC, Canvas Blue, Connect PR, Kaplow Communications, Stuntman PR, MWW, M Booth, Spong, Exponent PR, and Allied Integrated Marketing. The finalists were Mullen, M Booth, DKC, and Exponent.

Mullen Lowe will manage Smashburger’s media relations nationally and locally. For instance, the firm will help to get the word out about the chain’s promotion windows, which change every eight weeks, and support restaurant openings with proactive and reactive communications.

The firm’s first order of business is helping Smashburger put together a core PR strategy, including key messaging points to be included in all pitches throughout the year, and defining what beliefs drive Smashburger from a consumer and internal perspective.

Business Marketing Association Colorado (BMA Colorado) is accepting entries for its annual Gold Key competition. The competition features 60 categories, including innovative campaign strategies, branding, integrated internal and external marketing communications strategy, digital marketing strategy, multimedia and video strategy, and successful public relations campaign. The deadline for entry is March 4.

Karsh Hagan has added HuHot Mongolian Grill as a PR client. The agency will support the restaurant’s franchise development efforts.

PR Week reports:

Fast-casual restaurant chain Freshii is halving the cost of its Mexican menu items, when Chipotle shuts its doors on February 8 to meet with employees and discuss its response to E. coli outbreaks. Freshii CEO Matthew Corrin said in a statement, “We figured the least we could do was look after their customers while Chipotle pauses to recalibrate.”

How generous.

One of the major museums in Denver is looking for someone to fill in for their communications manager this summer (roughly May 1 – August 15). It is a 40 hours/week position for those three-and-a-half months. If you are interested, email me.

Proof PR has added The Bombay Company as a client. The Bombay Company is the owner of Bombay Clay Oven in Cherry Creek and the Saucy Bombay Concept, both of which incorporate cuisines from North and South India.

Fitzgerald Petersen Communications has added Roundup River Ranch, PEAK Resources 25^th Anniversary Project, Feld Entertainment’s Marvel Universe Live!, Cirque du Soleil’s newest show TORUK – The First Flight, and Denver Scholarship Foundation to its client roster.

Daniel Victor, reporting for the New York Times:

As Chipotle Mexican Grill tries to recover from a series of contaminations that have caused some customers and investors to flee, it said it would shut all its stores for several hours on Feb. 8 to hold food safety meetings with employees.

“We are hosting a national team meeting to thank our employees for their hard work through this difficult time, discuss some of the food safety changes we are implementing, and answer questions from employees,” Chris Arnold, a Chipotle spokesman, said in an email. The stores will open at 3 p.m., later than the usual start time of about 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., skipping the lunch hour rush on a Monday.

Hard to tell if this will help or just prolong the story, but a lot of market cap rides on the answer.

Congratulations to Sharon Linhart and the rest of the team at Linhart PR, which celebrated the firm’s 20th anniversary. Sharon, Paul, Carri, Dawn and the others – past and present – have built one of Denver’s great PR firms.

PRSA Colorado is accepting nominations for the following awards:

• Swede Johnson Lifetime Achievement
• Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year
• Chapter Service
• PR Person of the Year
• Business Person of the Year
• Mentor of the Year
• PR Team of the Year

The deadline for nominations is Friday, Jan. 29.

Longtime Denver PR counselors Steven Silvers and Paul Jacobson have launched Silvers & Jacobson, a PR firm that helps businesses “prepare for and address the increasingly complex challenges of business growth and crisis situations.” The Denver Business Journal has more details.

Holmes Reports is out with the news that Denver-based Chipotle has split from its PR agency of record, Edelman, and is reviewing proposals for a new firm. Edelman’s work did not include crisis, which is handled by Denver’s GBSM, but its new firm is expected to partner with GBSM to supplement their efforts.

Among those hiring for PR jobs this week are Adams County, Amélie Company, City of Boulder, Colorado PERA, Colorado School of Mines, FirstBank, Jackson National Life Insurance, Jewish Family Service of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, TeleTech and the Town of Windsor.

Former Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post business reporter and columnist Penny Parker has died. She was 62.

Proof PR has added the soon-to-open Cherry Hills Sushi Co. as a new client. CHSC is the first venture from husband-and-wife team Olivia Maeng and Bradford Kim. Kim is a trained sushi chef who has recently worked on the financial side of restaurant groups SBE/Katsuya and Innovative Dining Group.

Silver Spur Marketing has been retained to work with the Children’s Diabetes Foundation in Denver for 2016 and also is working on the organization’s Carousel of Hope Gala in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton.