What is a Publicist, exactly?
A publicist is the person who maintains the publicity and press for a celebrity, whether they be an actor, a writer, a musician, or an athlete. On this page, any time the word "celebrity" is used, it can refer to any of the previous professions, as publicists will usually perform the same services for each type of profession, but information on an actor's publicist is more readily available. The publicist will usually follow the celebrities to events to assist in photo shoots or book signings.
However, according to BusinessInsider.com, a publicist's role can include:
However, according to BusinessInsider.com, a publicist's role can include:
"Crafting an actor's image, babysitting a hard-partying starlet, fielding phone calls from press, or helming a multi-million dollar movie campaign."
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/20-most-powerful-publicists-in-hollywood-2012-10?op=1#ixzz2eerk6TNp
Who are some famous publicists?
Film & Television Publicists:
Luke Windsor: (pictured above) Works at Public Eye Communications representing such stars as Tom Hiddleston, Cat Deeley, and Emma Watson.
Nicole Perna: Works at BWR Public Relations representing Jessica Chastain, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Sharon Osbourne.
Nicole Perna: Works at BWR Public Relations representing Jessica Chastain, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Sharon Osbourne.
Literary Publicists:
Stephanie Barko: Works for such publishing houses as Random House, Penguin, and Beacon Press.
JKS Communications: Manages authors such as Daphna Edwards Ziman, W. Bruce Cameron, and Selene Castrovilla.
JKS Communications: Manages authors such as Daphna Edwards Ziman, W. Bruce Cameron, and Selene Castrovilla.
How much money can I make?
When searching "celebrity publicists," I found degreedirectory.org, which says:
" According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual income for public relations specialists was $51,960 as of May 2009 (www.bls.gov). However, in the realm of celebrity publicity, wages can be significantly higher based upon the celebrity status of your clientele."
So, obviously being the publicist of a famous celebrity such as Tom Hiddleston and Emma Watson means raking in the big bucks. Being the publicist of a newly published, not-famous author means you'll probably make closer to that $51k.
Awesome! Money! Being a Publicist can't be that hard.
Don't be so sure. After all, can you imagine being the publicist for Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton? Not everyone has squeaky-clean clients like Tom Hiddleston and Emma Watson. So we go back to degreedirectory.org, where they say the following:
"In order to become a successful celebrity publicist, you must be able to communicate clearly and directly through both oral and written outlets. You must also exhibit sound judgment, possess efficient problem-solving skills and understand how to motivate and influence others. Typical qualifications include a bachelor's degree in public relations, journalism, communications or marketing. Earning one of these degrees can provide you with tools to enhance your communication abilities and your understanding of psychology, sociology, business, advertising and promotion."
So, what does a publicist do for the Celebrity/author?
I am so very glad you asked that! Going back to the very reliable and informational site degreedirectory.org, we find that they describe a publicist's day as follows:
"As a celebrity publicist, you'll most likely have a full-time schedule working in a fast-paced office environment. While you may conduct some business with clients in person, much of the work is done via phone and e-mail. You may be required to attend public or promotional functions, such as red carpet events or photo shoots. Your ability to work under pressure is crucial, since you'll be required to constantly meet deadlines and generate profitable opportunities for clients.
Your regular workload will consist of researching viable ventures for clients, planning advertising strategies and constructing press releases for various media outlets including radio stations, television stations, news services and magazines. Your goal will be to work with media contacts to seek mutually beneficial opportunities that enhance both product and celebrity image. In addition, you must be prepared to appropriately handle any crisis situations for clients where legal or criminal issues, bad press or privacy concerns come into play."
So, what do the publicists do, exactly?
Besides the things mentioned above, publicists are always attempting to make sure their celebrity is shown in the best possible light. The best way to show this is with a video. In this video, we have Tom Hiddleston giving an interview while Luke Windsor (his publicist [in the grey suit]) is looking around to make sure everything is going smoothly and is ready in case Tom requires anything of him.
What kind of degree can help me become a publicist?
So very glad that you asked! Degreedirectory.org mentions that the best degrees to become a publicist are the following (which are also available at Rowan University!):
Communication Studies
Journalism
Public Relations and Advertising
Communication Studies
Journalism
Public Relations and Advertising
So, you have the degree. Now what?
FIND A JOB!
To get you started, I linked a few places where there are places looking for publicists, or something very close to it. Click on each of the following links to see them!
#1
#2
#3
#4
For more links to publicist jobs, click HERE.
To get you started, I linked a few places where there are places looking for publicists, or something very close to it. Click on each of the following links to see them!
#1
#2
#3
#4
For more links to publicist jobs, click HERE.
*Now, you may ask why there is so much of Tom Hiddleston and his publicist Luke Windsor on here. For one, Luke has his own fan following among the Tom Hiddleston "Hiddlestoners," which means there's information readily available regarding him and what he does. Also, it's much, much easier to find information about actors' publicists than author's publicists. However, from what I could gather, both types of publicists perform the same jobs, just with different clientele. The job links, however, are all for literary publicists. The last reason? Tom Hiddleston. 'Nuff said.*