After looking at a general overview of the film industry, what I'm interested in is looking at what can a PR practitioner actually do in the field of film production and industry, what PR jobs are out there in the glittering world of the entertainment, movie stars and red carpets?Press and publicity in general represent a vital role when it comes to marketing a film, getting it out there and making it known to the audiences that it's out and worth to be seen.
There are several job profiles in the film industry which PR practitioners might be interested into, and all of them require dealing with the media in one way or another.
I don't won't to give you just a list of typical PR jobs in movies as I am more interested in profiling the kind of work a PR specialist is called to the when it comes down to marketing a movie, that is the role of the publicist.
A publicist, in general, is a public relation professional who manages a client's image in the eyes of the public, by getting good press (or sometimes even bad press will do as well) for their client in all the media outlets. A good publicist will know all the editors, TV reporters and journalist who have the power to change a person/company image in the public eyes, as well as just being able to draw attention and put the focus on whatever the product is. But what do publicists exactly do, how can they succeed and how do you break into this business? The answer is to follow.
1. Job description
There are many ways of pitching a good story to the media; press releases are one of them and the good thing about it is that you get to reach all the media very fast and potentially, you get them interested right away if you have a good story up your sleeve.
Another very effective way of getting your story out there is by cultivating good working relationships with editors, TV news producers, journalists and so on, therefore networking with the media is essential. What is important is that these same good relations with the media might come very useful in times of crisis, and that is when the image of our client is threatened, and that is the time you will need good publicity and an opportunity of rebuilding a damaged image in the media.
In addition, publicists also handle interviews with the cast when working for a movie production, or with the client if we're talking about actors and celebrities as individuals; they organise press tours, work on marketing strategies such as publicity stunts, and deal with any other aspect that involve the media in general.
2. Required skills for the job
First of all you have to think like a journalist. Publicists need journalists as much as journalists need publicists therefore it is essential to know exactly what a media representative wants and needs to do his job, and the job you want him to do; that means that if we are to set the agenda of what a journalist is to write about, we have to know what he might find interesting and exciting; therefore excellent communication skills are needed.
Another thing that is essential is being a ''people's person'', outgoing, know how to network and know how to menage your relationships to get the best out of it.
Patience and flexibility are essential as well, as being able to deal with crisis and emergencies at any time.
3. Becoming a publicist
As written/oral communication skills are essential, a degree in journalism, PR, communication is very useful.
Getting experience is the first step to work your way up the ranks; internships for marketing/PR agencies are the best way to start to understand how to work and deal with the media as well as learn how to promote and spread the news.
The next step is building up your networks which eventually will get you the job you want, the media coverage you need, and the inside knowledge of the industry you're working for.
By now you should've got the idea of what is a publicist and what is his/her job, but if you need more info, click here and it will get you to a Q&A with a publicist who talks about the job in a more detailed way.
In addition to that, as being a publicist isn't the only PR job in the film industry, here are some websites on PR jobs available, and PR agencies which deal with the film industry, as such info gives you an idea of the PR work needed in this sector:
www.premierpr.com/client/index.php?t=h
www.film-tv.co.uk/
jobs.trovit.co.uk/jobs/film-pr-company
filmindustrybloggers.com/jobs/
Nicole Kidman with her publicist, always in the background, but always present
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