And That’s a Wrap!

Photo courtesy of Claire Satera on unsplash.com

Simultaneously maintaining my blog and social media was kind of like riding California Screamin’ at Disney California Adventure. There were highs and there were lows.

The smooth and easy take off was like choosing a blog theme and making my personal social media plan.

But all of a sudden comes the first drop, when I had to pick my first topic and I realized that I haven’t used Twitter in two years and I have three connections on LinkedIn.  While of course the first drop is scary, it’s also really exciting. What’s going to come next?

For awhile I was used to the ride, the drops still came but they didn’t scare me as much. I got used to blogging and was more aware of my social media.

Then came the big loop. This was about 3/4 of the way through the term when I realized that, although I was paying more attention to my social media, I wasn’t following through with my plan. I continued to have trouble finding the PR angle in my blog posts. I got stressed out and wasn’t sure what was this meant for the rest of the term, or in this case the rest of the ride.

Finally at the end of the ride, I am somewhat relieved that it’s over, but at the same time I want to get back in line and do it all again. Although keeping up with a blog and social media at the same time was a little stressful, in the end it was something that I really enjoyed and would definitely get back in line for.

Here are a few lessons that I learned:

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take

You’ve probably heard it before, and you’ll definitely hear it again (especially if you watch season five episode 23 of “The Office”), but that’s because this is a big one. I told my self at the beginning of the class that I was going to put my blog link in my social media bios to increase viewership. But each week I would write my posts and I wouldn’t love them or didn’t feel like they were “right,” so I never did. Of course, this turned into the only people seeing my blog were my teacher, my mom and myself. I really feel like this was a missed opportunity on my part. If I were to get back in line and do it again, I would definitely have been more open to sharing my blog.

Practice makes perfect

If I learned anything in the past couple of months in my strategic communication class, it would be that there is always room for improvement. My writing got a lot better just by writing these blog posts. By knowing that my writing was going to be available publicly  made me be way more aware of what I was writing. That being said, I have a long way to go with my writing and my AP style. Not only writing, but I also learned that it is important to practice your social media.

Digital native shmigital shnative

While yes, I have had social media for almost ten years (WOW), I am still not very good at it. I was especially reminded of this when Dr. Karen Freberg came and gave a lecture on social media and PR. There is always something more to learn, especially with the ever-changing world of social media.

The show must go on

The entertainment industry is incredibly fast paced and it can be hard to keep up. This term has taught me that when you’re working within an industry such as this is essential to be confident and follow through. I put out my best work when I was confident and passionate about what I was writing.

I can’t wait to continue to find my way in PR and entertainment, but for now, CUT!

 

A digital native who doesn’t know it all

Yes, it’s true.

I have had social media since before the last Harry Potter movie came out. But if I learned anything from Dr. Karen Freberg’s talk on social media, it’s that there is a lot that I don’t know.

Photo from William Iven on unsplash.com

Social media has been an integral part of my personal and social life for as long as I can remember. I’ve seen it evolve and transition into finding new places and purposes. I have switched from being a heavy Facebook user, to favoring Twitter, to exclusively using Instagram and everywhere in between. Something I’ve discovered that I need to learn but am having trouble figuring out is the strategic side of social media; how to make my content benefit me professionally.

 

Dr. Freberg, a professor of social media, taught us countless lessons in her lecture–too many to recount. There were a few things that she said that really stuck out to me.

Here are my key takeaways:

I’m not alone

After almost every question that we asked Dr. Freberg, she would say “I actually get this question a lot.” It made me feel much more confident in myself and it was comforting to hear that people struggle with the same obstacles that I do in PR.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Something that Dr. Freberg said that really stuck out to me, was that in social media campaigns you should really focus on the big picture and not get caught up in the details. When running a campaign, of course it’s important to take into consideration everything that your client has done. But, one small thing shouldn’t dictate the entire campaign. People are more likely to remember the overarching story rather than a single mistake.

Find your fit

Congruency is a word you hear all of the time when learning about PR. Dr. Freberg discussed the concept’s relationship with social media endorsements. Although it may seem obvious, it was really interesting to think about successful versus unsuccessful partnerships. If you plan on using a social media influencer, it’s important that they are for one, credible. Similarly, it’s essential that the person aligns with not only the company’s brand, but also they’re values.

 

I could go on and on about what I learned from this discussion, but I will leave you with those snippets for now.

 

By the numbers

There’s no business like show business

The other day I was talking to my advisor about what to write for my senior thesis. I am a public relations student with a passion for film, what does one do with that? He pointed out to me that this is an extremely unique time in the entertainment industry, saying that Hollywood has begun to look internally, especially in regards to representation.

Just look at #MeToo or TimesUp.

After this discussion I was inspired to look into just how underrepresented women are in Hollywood.

I started by simply searching “Women in entertainment.” Every link that I looked through had the same general consensus: men grossly outnumber women in the entertainment industry. The Hollywood Reporter had an issue dedicated to detailing women’s roles in the industry. I also found endless facts based on female representation. I thought it was important to show in numbers the significant difference between men and women in the industry.

I really enjoyed this assignment because design is one of the things I’ve always loved about PR.

Here are my key takeaways:

-Less is more

I picked an extremely large issue that has so much that could be said about it, so it was hard to find a compact way to represent all the things I wanted to say. Because people typically scan through things they see online, it is important to draw in the reader with visuals and differentiating text. But most importantly, I learned that it can’t be too text-heavy or it looks messy and people won’t read it.

-It’s important to let the numbers drive the design

If you let the design take the wheel over the numbers, and not the other way around, it is more likely that it won’t be an accurate depiction of what you want to represent. The numbers are what you are trying to demonstrate, so it’s important they are accurate. I had trouble figuring out how to visually represent some things and sometimes I found graphics that I wanted to include, but didn’t have any fact to pair it with. It was hard to chose one over the other.

-Represent your client

It is easy to want to put the facts that feel the most interesting, but if they don’t go with the message you’re supposed to be sending, then it’s best to not include them. I found a lot of things that I wanted to say, but they just weren’t congruent with my key message, so I had to make the executive decision to not include them.

-Be yourself

Sure it sounds cliché, but there are endless ways that you can make an infographic. I kept trying to base mine off of examples I’d see online or in class. It didn’t work. Sometimes you just need to do your own thing.

-Trust the process

I can’t tell you how many times I arranged and rearranged the information on my infographic. I changed each font probably seven times, I even changed the facts I used. It is all necessary in order for you to be happy with the final product.

Lessons learned!

Heaven on Earth?

The annual and extravagant Met Gala has come and gone, but the outfits will never be forgotten.

The theme: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination

The initial reaction: What?????

The reaction after they saw Blake Lively:  I get it now

Photo from Blake Lively’s Instagram

The gala is an opportunity for the entertainment stars to showcase their brands. This year however, the theme was slightly controversial. Regardless of the stamp of approval from the Vatican and art pieces lent from the Sistine Chapel, embodying heavenly bodies could really be considered offensive–especially if those bodies are wearing skin-tight gold sequin dresses emblazoned with the cross.

Even though the theme was controversial, the intentions were good. The gala is meant to be a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. With a ticket price of $30,000, adorning jewelry worth two million dollars, and wearing dresses that take 700 hours to make, there has to be more to it then just a fundraiser. Like I said, for the stars it’s all about showing their brand.

Here are three reasons the Met Gala should be considered one of PR’s biggest nights:

1. Stars have the ability to show they care about social issues
2. It’s good publicity for the museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Instagram account added over 67,000 new followers in the span of two days
3. Stars such as Rhianna broke the record of engagements on social media accounts

The Met Gala brought a lot of hype this year, as it always does, despite the apprehensions many people had about the theme. No surprise there though, what’s that saying again? Oh right. People thrive on controversy.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen

You may have heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

It may surprise you, but this is *drumroll* a myth.

Of course there is such thing as bad publicity! There have been countless examples throughout the decades that prove bad publicity can absolutely have an impact on your reputation–take Tiger Woods for example, or BP Oil.

However, it is true that not all bad publicity is the end of the world.

In a recent post, Rory Caroll detailed Johnny Depp’s not-so-graceful departure from Hollywood’s favorite leading man. Depp is amidst several lawsuits from former employees citing a toxic work environment and unpaid wages, as well as dealing with the aftermath of allegedly verbally and physically abusing his ex-wife Amber Heard. Yet he has still managed to keep his role as the namesake character in the newest Harry Potter spinoff “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald“

The reaction to Depp’s fall from grace is noticeably different than the Weinstein scandals, where Hollywood banded together and embraced the #MeToo movement. In fact, Disney is currently deciding whether or not to cast Depp in a sixth “Pirates of the Caribbean” film.

Depp has always been a fan-favorite ever since he stole hearts in the original “21 Jump Street.” It’s easy for audiences to turn a blind eye to the bad and only see the good. Weinstein was an extreme, and almost impossible to overlook, which is likely why it had such an impact.

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Audiences have begun questioning Depp’s character and his brand has come under attack. Sticking to a personal brand is tough because there is a lot of contradicting advice. We talked about the myth of bad publicity already, but are there any others?

Here are a few other myths about personal branding:

• All brands should be invented. While it’s true that PR is there to help mold your brand, keeping it authentic and building onto your true self is essential, especially with celebrities. If you lose yourself, your audience won’t be able to connect with you either.
• You can only have a personal brand if you’re famous. Having a personal brand is not about having 10,000 followers on Instagram, it’s about learning how to strategically communicate with and influence the audience you’re trying to reach; whether that’s your friends, potential customers or your professional world.
• Personal branding is just a form of bragging. Yes, it can come across that promoting your brand is just a way to show off the work you’ve done. But it really isn’t. Your personal brand is about showcasing your work and demonstrating your abilities.

All branding talk aside, I can’t tell you why people seem to care more about Weinstein than they do Depp, but what I can tell you is that I don’t think it is the right call to continue with the casting of Depp. How can we inspire change if we don’t hold each other accountable?

Women in Hollywood

Photo by Ahmet Yalçınkaya on Unsplash

Recently, Marvel’s Infinity War broke the box office and grossed over one billion dollars in the first week. Fans have been flocking to theaters to get a piece of the newest phenomena in the Marvel Universe. However, of the twenty or so superheroes portrayed on the screen, less than half were woman, and really only two had a good amount of screen time. Even then, their sole purpose was to serve as a plot point for the male characters. November’s upcoming release of Ant-Man and the Wasp will be the  first Marvel film with a heroine’s name in the title ever.

What people see on screen shapes their perceptions of the world around them. If people see under or misrepresentation of certain groups of people, they are going to start to believe that it paints an accurate portrait.

Female characters need to be multi-dimensional as well. There has become a common theme in Hollywood, where the one role of females in major movies is the love interest. Or if a female happens to be the protagonist, they also have a love interest. Can you name one movie that has one an Oscar for Best Picture that did not have a romantic story line?

It’s not just Marvel either, other top dogs such as Disney are culprits too. Almost every Disney movie, especially the princess movies, center round a princess finding her prince. This idea plants in the heads of young girls that the end-all-be-all in life is to fall in love and get married. It promotes gender stereotypes and roles that do not align with the reality of 2018. Disney, at least, has done well to provide alternative story lines that do not involve romance, Moana and Big Hero 6 are just two examples.

Big names in Hollywood need to learn how to embrace female characters and plot lines. There has been so much progress made in recent years for women. Marvel is a big player in the entertainment world–shouldn’t they be a big player in progress as well? Women in Hollywood have recently been banding together on social media and the red carpet. Two movements to demonstrate both inequality, under-representation and sexual violence in Hollywood have become huge in recent months. These movements are called Time’s Up and #MeToo.

So…

What makes the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements unique?

While the answer to that is multi-layered and complicated, but I think one of the big reasons why these two movements in particular is because the rise of social media. It has been a long time on the rise, but social media has become a key component in many PR campaigns. And yes, it’s a bit of a stretch to categorize these movements as public relations, they’re not as separate as one may think.

Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash

The power of social media has truly proved itself once again. On the night of the Golden Globes, when countless female stars wore all black to protest gender inequality and sexual violence, social media engagements were highly centered around the Time’s Up movement. Throughout the night, #TimesUp was mentioned in Tweets almost 473,900 times, while 174,300 mentioned #MeToo.

This is a demonstration of the sheer impact social media can have, not only to raise awareness but to prove solidarity.

 

The struggle to be politically correct

Don’t offend.

This is the first rule in being politically correct (PC). Somewhat recently, the call for political correctness has been on the rise. Many people have attributed this to the Trump administration and its condemnation of speaking politically correctly.

The shift to become increase sensitivity of groups of people is a necessary and important transition, but a lot of people have thought that the movement has gone too far. A big issue for many is that looking at things through a PC lens has become anachronistic. Which basically means you can’t judge something from the past as you would see it in the present.

Photo courtesy of Wang Xi from unsplash.com

In a recent post, Matthew Haag explained a recent explosion in the world of TV. Recently, Hank Azaria, who has voiced the character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on The Simpsons for over 30 years, has come under fire for portraying a racist stereotype. A documentary titled “The Problem With Apu” looked into how the character has influences many Asian-American children to be bullied. This discovery upset Azaria, and he recently stated he was happy to step aside from the character.

It’s amazing that it took 30 years for someone to say that this character portrayal isn’t OK–it should have been changed long ago. While, I don’t think that Azaria’s decision to finally say that this character needed to be changed took too long, I don’t think it is too late. Any positive change should be welcomed, and not criticized. These criticisms came when everything is under the microscope to determine offensiveness. It’s difficult to decide what to do with the staple character of Apu, because up until now everything was fine.

Azaria made the point to say that the change needs to come internally, from the writers, and the actors. Through this he demonstrated his credibility in the industry, as well as his sincerity in his answer–he didn’t just blame other people. This was even more proven when comic Hari Kondabolu responded by saying he appreciated Azaria’s words.

Political correctness can be sticky just because everyone has different opinions on the levels it should be. In order to attempt to simplify this phenomenon, I’ve created a SWOT analysis of integrating strict political correctness in mainstream media.

STRENGTHS: Inclusive, non-offensive

WEAKNESSES: Anachronistic (we can’t go back and change old media, so what does that mean for reruns and streaming sites that have those available?)

OPPORTUNITIES: Eye-opening, progressive

THREATS: Over-sensitivity, someone will always be offended

Accessibility is a universal public relations tactic. It is important to provide something that all audience can enjoy. We shouldn’t be going backwards and judging everything in the past for being offensive, we should be moving forward and making necessary changes to incite inclusiveness.

 

In Netflix We Trust

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All of my friends hate watching TV with me. I employ all the qualities that viewers are not supposed to have: I always have the subtitles on, I am constantly asking questions and if I’ve seen it before, I am reciting every line that I know. Despite these pitfalls, I still often get invited to movie nights, I still come home to my roommates waiting for me to watch the next episode of Stranger Things. Even though I get yelled at, watching together has become a ritual. The more I’ve thought about this, the more I’ve realized that regardless of the ever-changing face of TV, it has always been about togetherness.

While my friends and I don’t have to gather around one small screen every Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the dot to catch the newest episode of The Brady Bunch, we still gather.We have the privilege of discovering worlds and rooting for relationships, anytime anywhere.

Photo courtesy of giphy.com

Binge watching has been given a bad reputation. Ok–it is easier to procrastinate when there are thousands of episodes of shows to watch on the other side of the screen–BUT it also provides a way to forget about your stress. Binge watching brings people together, not only physically, but also it gives you something to have in common with someone.

If you’ve been following, you know that I grew up having family movie nights every week, it was the dedicated quality time that my family spent together, and now I get to share that with my friends.

As much of an advocate that I am for binge watching Netflix, I have started to think that Netflix could be doing a lot more good with its time. I could find almost no information on Netflix trying to get involved with social issues. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) not only helps the world, it also benefits the corporation by improving their image and media coverage.

These are two CSR initiative ideas for Netflix:

• Sustainable Summer. Hollywood is one of the largest contributors to pollution. A film set goes through energy like there’s no tomorrow. To counter this, for the entire 2018 summer, Netflix could only use sustainable and recycled materials for their sets. Similarly, Netflix could use fewer lights and camera to decrease the amount of power used. This would decrease not only Netflix’s, but also Hollywood’s carbon footprint.
• Film Festival. Netflix has an incredible outreach that a lot could be done with. This idea would be for Netflix to host a weekend-long film festival to benefit at-risk youth. This would provide these teens with a constructive outlet and something to work toward. I actually wrote a full mock proposal for this CSR initiative, check it out here.

There is always more that we can do, and corporations such as Netflix should be using its power to do good in the world. Do you have any other CSR ideas?

 

 

 

Celebrities–they’re just like us!

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

“Don’t believe everything you read.”

How many times have you heard that saying? With the age of fake news and social media, people are becoming more and more skeptical of what they see online. Having an authentic brand is a necessity for many audiences nowadays. People want the media they encounter to represent the truth. However, authenticity often falters when controversial topics are added to the mix, especially political ones. Sharing opinions on so-called taboo subjects, often lead to major backlash from publics. Still, when celebrities keep quiet, people question their authenticity (they really can’t win, can they?).

In a recent post, Halle Kiefer detailed Natalie Portman’s attempt to find a happy medium between supporting and keeping quiet. She was meant to be honored with the 2018 Genesis Prize, an award for Jewish people who have reached great success in their fields. However, her spokesperson informed the organization that she would not be traveling to Israel to receive her award because she found the political climate “distressing” and did not want to participate in public events there. While her decision did earn her support, she also received a lot of backlash of people questioning her motives, which led her to release another statement–this time sans the spokesperson.

“Let me speak for myself”

Is how Portman’s revised statement begins. Those simple five words clarify that these words are her own, and she believes them. They make it harder to question her authenticity. She goes on to explain herself, but it’s those five words that make you listen to  her.

Portman is no stranger to taking a stand and sharing her opinion with the public, so her decision to not attend this award show fits right into her brand. Of course, her status as an Israeli plays into this particular boycott, but it is clear that she is not going to keep her opinions to herself just because she is in the spotlight.

Truth be told, if all eyes are on you everything you say is going to be scrutinized and you will get negative reactions. This is likely why celebrities avoid sharing opinions with the public, but lest we forget: celebrities are people too. You share your opinions, why shouldn’t they?

 

Welcome

I was raised on weekly family movie nights, sing-alongs around the piano and reenactments of famous movie scenes. I was pretty much groomed to be a movie-lover, and have wanted to work in the entertainment industry since before I can remember.

However my passion for this industry didn’t stem from getting to the movie theater early just to watch the previews. It didn’t even come from pre-Netflix days of gathering in our playroom to watch the newest episode of Psych.

My eagerness came from the stories I heard my mom and dad and their friends tell. My dad was a theater arts major and he met my mom in Los Angeles where she was working as a production assistant. Their friends were involved in all parts of the industry from actors to writers to advertisers. It was because of all of them that I decided at a young age I wanted to be a part of the same thing.

I have always loved writing, but have never had a chance to translate my style onto the page (unless you count the year I was in editor-in-chief of my high school’s newspaper and was in charge of writing the love column). Being on my school paper set me up well for the world of journalism and communication, but I wanted to find a way to make sure my desire to be in the film industry was realized.

I am passionate about what PR can contribute to the entertainment industry not only because it is something I unknowingly grew up appreciating, but also because I know that there is so much more the industry can be doing in today’s messy world, and PR is the way those messages can be communicated.

And that, in short, is how I ended up here. It took me almost three years, two degree changes and a lot of coffee, but I have found that entertainment public relations is exactly where I want to be. This blog will  cover hot topics in the entertainment industry that I feel are closely related to PR.

Whenever I get overwhelmed with the prospect of entering the professional world of PR, I find solace in watching hours of movie trailers, running my dog’s Instagram account, and perusing Entertainment Weekly magazine to find artwork for my room. Mostly, however, I am just figuring it all out one day at a time, and this blog is an attempt to assist me.

Stay tuned!