Hollywood’s Take on PR
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I came across W Magazine’s “Who is Television’s Ultimate Fashion PR Pro?,” which I thought was an interesting perspective and analysis of three fictional fashion industry PR gals and their work. As a PR gal who appreciates a good pop culture reference and is familiar with two of the three characters, I enjoyed the read.
The article got my brain jogging, thinking about just how many characters in shows and movies I’ve watched have careers in PR or PR-adjacent fields. It’s always interesting to see how Hollywood portrays a character that works in the same or a similar field as you – like Samantha Jones, who owns a PR firm in S*x and the City, Olivia Pope, the crisis communications queen (and queen of the White House, IMO) in Scandal or Alexis Rose, owner of Alexis Rose Communications, in Schitt’s Creek.
There’s also a handful of characters that work in PR-adjacent or related roles, such as Liza’s character in Younger, working as assistant to marketing executive Diana, some of Peter and Peggy’s work in Mad Men, which intersects the worlds of advertising and PR or Andy and Emily’s roles as assistants to the editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine Runway in The Devil Wears Prada.
While these are fictional characters, and they are often in dramatized situations or have over-the-top actions, there are a few things we can learn about PR from their roles:
Samantha Jones: It’s difficult to decipher when Samantha is at work and when she is at play. Those two worlds seem to merge for her in the show. Despite that, she is almost always pictured planning something – usually an event. Planning is a large component of PR. We are always planning for something – usually for more than one project at a time – whether it be media interviews at an upcoming tradeshow, a new product launch, logistics for an event, or an announcement.
Olivia Pope: Olivia and her team will do almost anything – and I mean almost anything – to make sure issues are handled and their clients are seen in the best light. One of their main motivators is ensuring a positive image for their clients in the political arena. Providing counsel to best help clients do good and be seen as good is a key component of PR work. While Olivia goes to many extremes – oftentimes illegal extremes – to do so, outside of Hollywood in the real world of PR, it’s never worth compromising honesty or morals.
Emily Cooper: If there’s one thing Emily excels at, it’s staying “in the know.” She’s constantly on her phone, scrolling through social media. The W article says it best, “If you want to shape trends, you have to know what they actually are first.” In PR, it’s important to know what’s going on in the industry and adjacent industries we work in. Every day, we review industry news, monitor competitive news and research current trends. Knowing the ins and outs of the industries we work in is part of the job. It’s the key to being able to determine and capitalize on timely reactive media opportunities, shape effective messaging that resonates with where the market is currently and ultimately, recommend smart business decisions.
