Raven-Symone
Being based in Los Angeles, I run into a lot of people who either do or want to do entertainment public relations. It sounds glamorous, you get to hang out with celebs and go to all the Hollywood events, but it’s not all its cracked up to be. A former co-worker said she would not want to do PR for a celebrity, because they are notoriously volatile. My former co-worker dreaded getting that 2 a.m. call to come run interference for your client who had just been busted driving the wrong way down the freeway while high as a kite.
Apart from being notoriously difficult to work with, it seems a lot of celebrities are also getting lousy public relations advice. I think one of the reasons why this is happening, is because they often hire friends or family to do their PR, because they think it’s an easy gig requiring no training. This is what allegedly happened to Tom Cruise during the period when he jumped on Oprah’s couch and fought with “Today Show” host Matt Lauer over antidepressants. Apparently Cruise had fired his long time PR rep and handed the job to his sister. Cruise’s PR rep had managed to keep a tight lid on his image, got him to stay on point during interviews, and not discuss Scientology. Finally, after releasing his image was being tarnished, Cruise brought in some professionals, who set him back on the right course.
It’s evident to me many celebrities are either getting no PR advice or bad advice, because they seem to blunder through interviews making ill-informed comments, which are only amplified by social media. Say something crazy and you’ll probably be trending on Twitter and Facebook in a few hours.
Rapper Azealia Banks recently did an interview with Playboy, where she said she hated fat, white people who live in flyover states. She also said she hated America and wanted to leave the country. Banks is known for her militant black nationalist views, so I expect she is hard to control. But comments like this are going to affect her sales and ability to negotiate deals in Hollywood. Although, I doubt if she cares.
Also Raven-Symone was on “The View” recently and defended Univision host Rodner Figueroa, who was fired for comparing Michelle Obama to an ape. Raven-Symone said “Some people look like animals.” This is not the first time she has invited the wrath of black people online. Last year, she said she didn’t want to be called an “African American.”
I’m wondering is anyone preparing these people or giving them media coaching? And are they listening? In the case of Raven-Symone, it was live TV, so there is not much you can do to control that. I wrote an article about this subject about five years ago, when rapper Wacka Flocka Flame went on BET and responded to a election question by saying he knew nothing about politics.
If celebrities would actually invest in trained PR people, who have a track record of dealing with the hostile media, preparing clients for interviews, and teaching them how to answer questions and dodge verbal mines, they would save themselves a lot of heartache, bad publicity and lost revenue. I would advise entertainment figures to approach the press with caution, they’re not your enemy, but they are not exactly your friends either. Approach every interview with the idea that anything you say, even after the interview is over, can be used. There is no off the record. So if you make a controversial comment when the reporter is packing up his things and getting ready to head out, chances are it will be the focus of the story. PR veteran Terry Allen says,
“In my many years as an award-winning PR practitioner, one of the most basic advisories I give local and national celebrities is before you speak think, and after thinking before you speak, think again!”
Entertainment figures might like to think they can say whatever is on their mind, but they have to protect their brands. If they develop a reputation for being difficult and for making insulting comments that alienate large segments of the country, it’s going to affect their ability to move units. Also, other Hollywood insiders are going to think twice about putting them in movies and TV shows, if they bring a lot of negative baggage with them.
All that negative publicity affected Cruise. Sumner Redstone, owner of Paramount Studios, said he was so concerned about Cruise’s reputation he considered axing him from the “Mission Impossible” franchise and moving forward with a different star. Redstone was concerned Cruise, who bashed mothers who use antidepressants to treat postpartum depression, would drive away female moviegoers. However, Cruise was able to clean up his image, and the studio decided to proceed with him as the lead in the “Mission Impossible” movies.
Hollywood careers are a roller coaster ride. Sometimes you are on top of the world, other years you literally can’t get arrested. The smart stars, especially hip hop artists with notoriously short careers, learn to take their fame and transition into other arenas such as acting, endorsements or fashion. However, to be successful in the entertainment world, you have to be able to sell your product to as large an audience as possible. Alienating your audience is essentially shooting yourself in the foot.
