When San Diego native Georgeanne Irvine was a young child, her quaint bedroom was filled with plush animals, including a lion, two teddy bears, a tiger, monkey, an elephant and others.
“I made up stories and had the animals talking to each other and interacting with each other, as if in a play,” Irvine told Times of San Diego.
Irvine’s childhood stories foreshadowed her future career as a storyteller, champion for wildlife and author of children’s books about animals and conservation.
The longtime San Diego Zoo public relations veteran has released her latest children’s book, titled “Amazing Omeo: A Baby Koala’s True Story of Survival.”
The story is about how the zoo’s wildlife care and veterinary teams worked together round-the-clock to raise the marsupial after his mother passed away when he was only five months old. Most koala joeys spend their first six months in their mothers’ pouches and then start emerging for short periods of time. Spending less than six months in the pouch typically means koala babies will not survive.
Omeo (pronounced “OH-me-oh”), an indigenous Australian word that means “mountains” or “hills,” was an appropriate name since Omeo faced an uphill battle to survive, said Irvine.
“I checked-in frequently with the veterinarians who thought numerous times that Omeo would not make it through the night,” recalled Irvine. “But, Omeo was resilient and had a strong will to live. The next morning he would be perky and active. He was a fighter who wasn’t going to give up. That’s why the story of Omeo is so inspirational and is a tribute to the dedication and expertise of our extraordinary wildlife care and veterinary teams.
“Two years after Omeo was born, Zoo veterinarian Dr. Cora Singleton said to me, ‘He’s finally out of the woods. You can go-ahead write your book about him.’”
This month, Irvine, 68, will begin her 46th year with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the nonprofit organization that operates the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. She began working at the zoo on March 22, 1978, as a public relations assistant. After 22 years in PR, she led the communications team in the zoo’s philanthropy division for 16 years before her appointment in January 2017 as director of publishing for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Press.
“It’s an honor and privilege to share stories with the world about the zoo’s conversation work,” Irvine said. “I’ve devoted my career to raising awareness about animals and wildlife conservation. I love what I’m doing. It never gets old. I’ll probably be telling and writing wildlife stories until I’m 90.”
Irvine has written nearly 30 books, including eight books that are part of the Zoo’s Hope & Inspiration collection.
In addition to the book about Omeo, the others in the Hope & Inspiration series include: “Karen’s Heart: The True Story of a Brave Baby Orangutan;” “Ruuxa& Raina: A Cheetah and Dog’s True Story of Friendship and Miracles;” Fabulous Floyd: The True Story of a Flamingo Who Never Gave Up;” “Mosi Musa: A True Tale About a Baby Monkey Raised by his Grandma; “Saving Moka: The True Tale of a Rescued Tiger Cub;” “Raising Don: The True Story of a Spunky Baby Tapir,” and “Teaching Tornero: The True Story of a Sloth Superstar.”
So far, each book has sold between 3,000 and 12,000 copies, Irvine said.
The top seller so far has been“Ruuxa & Raina,” a 2019 book that is the story of a cheetah named Ruuxa and his best friend Raina, who beat the odds stacked again them. Ruuxa learned to run after veterinarians surgically corrected his crooked legs, and Raina beat cancer.
“Children identify with the animals and can learn valuable life lessons from these stories, such as never quitting, the importance of friendship, believing in themselves, overcoming challenges and resiliency,” Irvine said.
Irvine said she has received handwritten notes of appreciation from elementary school children after reading one of her books.
“Several months ago, I received a stack of 55 handwritten letters from kids who attend a middle school in England,” she said. “They had read the book about Floyd the flamingo. They talked about how much they were inspired by the story and how it taught them to never give up on things that are important to them in life. Their letters touched my heart and made me cry when I read their comments.”
Another memorable Irvine book, “Karen’s Heart,” is the story of Karen, a Sumatran orangutan who survived history-making heart surgery and a challenging recovery and how, in the process, she won the hearts of everyone around her.
In 1994, San Diego Zoo wildlife care specialists noticed that Karen, age 2 at the time, wasn’t feeling well. Karen was examined by Zoo veterinarians and cardiologists, who discovered that she had a life-threatening heart murmur, caused by a hole in her heart. To save Karen’s life, a surgery team from University of California San Diego Medical Center performed open-heart surgery on her — the first time this had ever been done on an orangutan. Today, 31-year-old Karen is still thriving at the Zoo.
“I’ve received notes from parents whose children were facing similar surgery,” Irvine said. “The parents thanked me for the book because it gave hope to their children who said, ‘If Karen can go through this type of surgery, then so can I.’”
Irvine’s ninth book is scheduled for release in late 2024. It’s the story of Msituni, a baby giraffe born with legs that bent the wrong way and had to wear leg braces until her legs strengthened and straightened.
Books can be purchased at the Zoo or Safari Park gift shops or online at shopzoo.com/.
Taylor Jukes Jumps into Programming Lead at iHeart San Diego
Taylor Jukes has been named senior VP of programming for iHeartMedia San Diego’s cluster of eight radio stations.
Jukes was previously with iHeartMedia in Miami, where she served as program director of WHYI-FM, known as Y-100.
Earlier in her career, she also served as program director of Virgin Radio’s CKFM-FM, 99.9 in Toronto, Ontario, and national content director for iHeartRadio Canada.
“We are so excited to welcome Taylor into our San Diego cluster,” said Noreen Ippolito, market president, iHeartMedia San Diego. “Her knowledge of the audio business and track record speak for themselves. We are eager for Taylor to bring her skill set and big ideas from Miami to an already incredible cluster of stations.”
“I’m thrilled to be heading back to the West Coast to join the team in beautiful San Diego, where they have strong heritage brands and an amazing roster of talent,” said Jukes.
Breaking News Network, a trade publication covering the radio industry, wrote that Jukes’ appointment “represents a strategic move by iHeartMedia San Diego to bolster its position in a competitive market. With Jukes at the helm of programming, the cluster is expected to introduce fresh ideas and innovative strategies that will enhance its appeal to listeners and advertisers alike. Her proven track record and forward-thinking approach are anticipated to drive growth and success for iHeartMedia’s San Diego stations.”
The eight San Diego radio stations operated by iHeart Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: IHRT) include KOGO 600-AM, KGB-FM 101.5, KGB-AM San Diego Sports 760, KHTS-FM Channel 93.3, KIOZ-FM Rock 105.3, KMYI-FM Star 94.1, KSSX-FM JAM’N 95.7 and KLSD 1360-AM The Patriot.
LAI San Diego 2024 Board Includes Marketing Professionals
The San Diego chapter of Lambda Alpha International, the land economics society, has announced its 12-member board of directors for 2024 includes two prominent San Diego public relations and marketing communications professionals.
They are: Beth Binger, BCI PR, as LAI vice president; Jon Schmid, Cook + Schmid, as LAI past president. Tim Hutter, partner with Allen Matkins, is serving as 2024 board president.
LAI, an international honorary society for professionals in land use and land economics, has nearly 30 chapters, including chapters in Toronto, London, Madrid and Tokyo. The San Diego chapter, currently with more than 100 members, was founded in 1979. For more information, visit www.lai-sd.org.
Motion Picture Association State Hires State Department Speechwriter
The Motion Picture Association, based in Los Angeles, has named Jonathan Powell as senior VP for strategic communications, a newly created post.
Powell joins the MPA from the U.S. State Department, where he handled speechwriting duties and advised on press engagement, social media and public diplomacy matters. He served under then-Secretary of State John Kerry and most recently worked as a senior advisor to deputy secretaries Wendy Sherman, Richard Verma and Victoria Nuland.
Earlier in his career, he also worked in speechwriting stints at the Commerce Department and Department. of Homeland Security. Powell also previously served as an advisor to other public officials including Nancy Pelosi, Alejandro Mayorkas, Penny Pritzker and Los Angeles mayors Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa.
At MPA, Powell will report to Charles Rivkin, CEO and chairman, and Emily Lenzner, executive vice president of media relations and communications. Lenzner, who has been in the latter role since 2019, is departing and the MPA has posted her position.
In a statement, Rivkin said that Powell’s “global policy expertise and his gift for connecting with a wide range of audiences around the world, honed through years of service at the highest levels of the U.S. government, make him the ideal choice for this important new role.”
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.