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Happy National Publicists Day!
We’re back with more flowers, positive energy, and gratitude for the hardest-working ladies in any room: publicists!
Since the beginning of forever, publicists have proven themselves to be the real MVPs who guide clients, elevate careers, connect move-makers with power-players, flip potential disasters into wins with one eye on their phone and the other on their email-flooded laptop during endless work days.
And that’s not even including the racist shenanigans faced by Black publicists like AM PR Group founder Vanessa Anderson who formed a coalition called ‘My Publicist is Black’ with Yvette Noel-Schure (who reps Beyoncé), Erica Tucker (Yara Shahidi), Ernest Dukes (Publicity at Capitol Music Group), Phylicia Fant (Head of Urban Music at Columbia Records), and Trell Thomas (Founder of the Black Excellence Brunch).
“Once the group was created, we immediately started trying to put money in each other’s pockets [with referrals,]” said Anderson in an interview with Variety.
“It’s really morphed into a sounding board, a safe space for us to talk about anything and everything.”
Since its creation, the refreshingly inclusive movement has amplified networking opportunities while providing a therapeutic space for Black publicists to express their frustrations in a mostly white industry.
“A lot of folks like to put us in boxes, like we can only represent Black people, and that’s simply not true,” said Ascend PR Group’s Erica Tucker (who reps Kendrick Sampson and Yara Shahidi) in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
I experience that all the time, like [at] get-to-know-you lunches with agents and managers, and they sometimes think, ‘Well, you just represent Black talent.’” She emphasizes, “We can tell a variety of stories.”
Who are the most important people in any industry and why are they publicists? Tell us down below and enjoy another collection of on the flip.
Chelsea S. Phillips, Sports Publicist at CPR
Alexis N. Johnson, PR at Beats by Dre
Imani Ellis, Vice President of Communications at NBCUniversal
Dominique Simpson, CEO/Senior Executive Publicist at CMPR Inc.
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Danielle Lockhart, Director of Multicultural Marketing & Publicity at Universal Pictures
Erica Knox, Communications Coordinator at BET
Christy J., Experiential Publicist & Brand Strategist
Taylor Brooks, PR & Branding Specialist
Yasmine Gila, Hunter PR
India Hollis, 10 Squared Agency
Mariyesi Acosta-Diaz, Hunter PR
Gianina Thompson, Head of Communications at The SpringHill Company
Kierra Felton, Media Manager at Republic Records
LaQuita Washington, Allied Global Marketing
Ariana Drummond, Allied Global Marketing
Tequilla White, Founder/Founder, Principal Publicist at TWPR
Evan Seymour, Series Publicity, Apple TV+
