Скачать или смотреть Amanda Puck, XA, The Experimental Agency Inc. (2009)

40 UNDER 40: 2009
Tired of bad news? We are, too. So we asked this year's 40 Under 40 honorees to tell us something anything good. And they delivered, with tales of triumph over adversity, inspiration drawn from family and friends, good advice from mentors and lessons learned in this historic economic downturn. Read Amanda Puck's profile below.

Impeccably dressed and surrounded by beautiful people in Chicago's hippest restaurants and clubs, Amanda Puck has all the makings of an A-list socialite. But her "Sex and the City" look doesn't do justice to her reputation in the boardroom, where she's considered a cool-under-pressure strategist and brander.
"She brings a nice balance of professionalism, organization, creativity and a lot of energy," says Julia Burnham, vice-president of JMB Realty, which hired XA, The Experiential Agency Inc. to market the 900 Shops on Michigan Avenue because of Ms. Puck. "She understands how to brand our unusual mix of tenants."
Ms. Puck grew up in Staten Island, N.Y., where she fell in love with food while spending time in her grandparents' garden. She went on to the Cornell School of Hotel Administration and she earned bachelor's and master's degrees.
There she also met her future husband, the brother of chef Wolfgang Puck. Mr. Puck hired the couple to move to Illinois (they were living in San Francisco) and open Spago Chicago.
Her marriage didn't last and Spago closed down, but Ms. Puck transformed herself into a TV host as the first face of "Check, Please!" — WTTW-TV/Channel 11's program for foodies around town. She also made a move to work in event sales and production at XA.
"I did similar work for Spago, so it was a natural transition," Ms. Puck says. "Clients needed PR about the events they were doing."
She's gone on to develop the public-relations arm of the company, which serves clients such as the James Hotel, Michael Kors, Le Colonial, Horseshoe Casino and Marcus Samuelsson's C-House.
"I've been in a lot of the same situations that clients find themselves in," she says. "I think that helps."
The parties to promote her clients are fun, she says, but they're part of the job. "I'm usually home in bed by 11."

Shia Kapos

SOMETHING GOOD: Ms. Puck says wining and dining seems to be on the rise. "I couldn't get a reservation for my mom at Gibsons the other day," she says. "But I love it. It means business is great."