How to Be a Publicist's Dream

While greeting audience members after a performance of Of Mice and Men, San Francisco actor Karl Erickson demonstrated his talent for fostering good public relations. "You were amazing," gushed a teenage girl, meeting Erickson after his performance.
"What's your name?" asked Erickson.
"Margie," beamed the girl.
"Well, Margie, thank you very much. It means a lot to me that you enjoyed the play," Erickson said. "Thank you so much for coming tonight, and please tell your friends how much you like the play."

Karl Erickson is a publicist's dream.

A successful public relations campaign is more than landing that photo spotlight or courting critics. Publicists and public relations representatives rely on actors in their efforts to garner good publicity for a production or theatre company. Newspaper stories, broadcast interviews, and meeting the general public are some of the ways actors are called upon to help the cause.

Here are a few ways an actor can be a publicist's dream:

Be ready. Have good-quality, high-resolution JPEG files of your most recent headshot, casual shot, and a photo featuring you in your first high school play or in an award-winning role. Keep those photos ready, along with your résumé and short bio in a Word document, to email your show's publicist for potential articles.

Be interesting. You probably have a great story or interesting "hook," but maybe you just don't realize it. Don't be afraid to tell your publicist about your day job or your first theatrical experience. An actor once told me he became involved in acting at age 10 when his mother went to the local recreation center to sign him up for a summer soccer camp. The soccer camp roster was full, so his mother signed him up for an acting camp instead. I submitted a story pitch to a daily newspaper with the headline "Soccer was the goal, but theatre made the point," and a profile of the actor was published.

If you've been scheduled for a broadcast interview, have performance information on hand, and instead of saying the show is "great," use phrases that are informative, descriptive, and engaging. Be prepared with a few interesting anecdotes about the play, playwright, or theatre company.

Be thoughtful and prepared. Reporters, editors, producers, and fact-checkers sometimes need information, and they need it quickly to meet deadlines. If someone from the media calls, call them right back. Delaying your return call could result in another story selection. Always have the details of your production close at hand, in the event the editor or news assistant is pressed to make only one call. Also, double-check your personal information, the run date of the performance, box office number, and website address.

Be thankful. If you've been the subject of a story, received mention in a review, or been the spokesperson for a broadcast interview, send a thank-you note. An email is okay, but nothing beats a handwritten note to thank someone for a special mention of you or the production.

Be personable. Just as Erickson was, be gracious when meeting audience members or fans after a performance or at other locations. Ask their names and ask to be introduced to companions, family, or friends who might be with them. When people make an effort to acknowledge your performance or career, thank them for saying hello or for coming to see the performance.

Always thank members of the press or media for attending a performance or event, and if you're a fan of their work, mention it. Engaging them to discuss their own participation in fostering awareness for performing arts is thoughtful as well.

Using these tips can go a long way in helping your production and its cast and crew. Plus, you'll be a publicist's dream while establishing a great reputation for yourself.

--Kim Taylor

 
Kim Taylor, an entertainment publicist in Northern California, is the 2007 recipient of the Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle Barbara Bladen Porter Award, presented to an active midcareer member of the theatre community.

Comments

[Misty Lockheart]

thanks for the article. I have been written up in a book called 100 Young Americans. They came from Ca. to film me on the streets of Boston to interview people. They have sent a copy of the book to Boston Herald and they met us and are doing an article on me. What can I do to get mileage out of this? I was picked as one of the 100 from across the country.

[Rodney Robbins]

Dear Kim,

What a great article! So many performers are great on stage, but clueless about how much fun and how easy it is to do publicity. I really feel that these outgoing "look at me" types should be natural publicity magnets, but it just doesn't happen for most of them. I'll bet you help your clients get TONS of media attention! More articles please.

Best wishes,
Rodney Robbins
Playwright and Publicity Groupie

[Mitchell Field]

Important information here Kim, well written and informative.
Seems obvious but the obvious sometimes needs to be repeated.
Mitchell Field
Theater person.