Chris Crabb Oral History Interview, June 2, 2016

Partial Transcript: So you were born in Portland, is that right?

Segment Synopsis: Discussion of upbringing, family life, and early interests, as well as memories of Portland in the 1970s and 1980s, including teen culture and hangouts during these years.

Keywords: 80s music; Age gap; Beaverton; Beaverton Mall; Camping; Downtown Portland; English; Escape from New York Pizza; Family activities; Friends; Fun Center; Interest in writing; Journalism; Litmans; Merwin Dam; Portland; Public Relations; Shopping; Skate ring; Skoochies Dance Club; Sunset High School; Teen curfew; The Metro; Tri-met; University of Oregon; Washington Square; Young Land store; siblings

Partial Transcript: So did you consider staying in Portland to go to school or was it an easy decision to go to the University of Oregon?

Segment Synopsis: Discusses decision to attend UO, memories of Eugene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, experience at Delta Delta Delta sorority, academic progression including interest in Sociology, food scene in Eugene, lack of connection between academic work and subsequent career in public relations.

Keywords: Academic fraud; Ambrosia; Art History; Bicycling; Birkenstocks; Bubba’s; Chantrelle (restaurant); Delta Delta Delta; Electric Station; Eugene, Or. – Food scene; Eugene, Or. – culture; First generation college students; Gospel choir; Greek system; Interviewing; Journalism research; Mazzi's; Oregon State University; Portland State University; Public relations; Science and math aversion; Sociology; Track Town Pizza; University of Oregon; Writing

Partial Transcript: So, you graduated in the early ‘90s with your degree, and then what came next?

Segment Synopsis: A discussion of first jobs after college, Crabb’s internship at the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, the importance of informational interviews as a networking strategy, Crabb’s first job as an events planner at the Galford Group, the work culture at the Galford Group, saving money, and building a relationship with her future husband.

Keywords: Boyfriends; Cascade Run-Off; Cycle Oregon; Dating; Events planning; Galford Group; Good Neighbor Fair; Homemaking; Informational interviews; Internships; KGW-TV; Knives; Paula Fasano; Portland Oregon Visitors Association; Portland, Or.; Salary savings; Sunset Highway; Travel Portland; Tri-Met; Work environment; bingo parlors; snack bars

Partial Transcript: So that was mid-90s? What was Portland culture like then?

Segment Synopsis: Chris talks about food culture in Portland while she worked downtown in the mid-90s and her thoughts on the importance of the brewpub experience. She also talks about how she got involved in the Oregon Brewers Festival

Keywords: Bridgeport; Chris Crabb; Galford Group; OBF; Oregon Brewers Festival; PR; Portland; beer; brewpub; craft beer; craft brewing; food culture; oregon

Partial Transcript: How did you prepare for doing PR for beer?

Segment Synopsis: Chris talks about what doing PR for beer is like, who some of her other clients are other than OBF, and how PR has changed with the advent of social media.

Keywords: Art Lawrence; Briedgeport; Chris Crabb; OBF; Oregon Brewers Festival; PR; Portland Brewing Company; Portland Historic Races; Winter Ale Festival; beer pr; social media; social media in PR

Partial Transcript: How do you work with that [trends] and work with a really informed beer drinker culture?

Segment Synopsis: Chris talks about how she uses trends in her PR work, and what some of those trends have been over the past few years.

Keywords: Beer trends; beer culture; craft beers; gose; microbrewing

Partial Transcript: What are the things that you love the most about the work that you do?

Segment Synopsis: Chris talks about what she enjoys and dislikes about her job, her problems with the buyouts that have been happening among the breweries, her PR work with people other than breweries, and whether or not she wants to take any more breweries into her portfolio.

Keywords: OBF; Oregon Brewers Festival; Oregon Garden; Oregon Garden Resort; PIR Swap meets; PR; Portland; beer PR; brewery buyouts; buyouts; info booth; microbrewing

Partial Transcript: What are some ways that you see the brewing community has an impact on the community itself?

Segment Synopsis: Chris talks about how a brewery impacts the communities they start up in, whether she has thought about branching off and doing PR for cider or spirits, and what the differences between cider, beer, and spirits PR might be.

Keywords: OBF; Oregon Brewers Festival; Oregon breweries; PR; cider; craft industries; microbrewery; spirits

Partial Transcript: What are some things you thought I might ask that I didn't ask?

Segment Synopsis: Chris closes the interview by talking about how things have changed since she started working on the festival and how proud she is of the brewers she knows.

Keywords: OBF; Oregon; Oregon Brewers Festival; Portland; beer industry; festival industry; microbrew