Explaining Hollywood: How to get a job as a publicist
LOS ANGELES — An up-and-coming star lands a role on a television show, suddenly graces the cover of a major magazine and gains a million Instagram followers. A celebrity is photographed by paparazzi in a park where she just happens to be all glammed up. An actor becomes the face of an emerging social justice movement.
From the outside, it's fun to believe in the Hollywood fantasy that these things just magically happen. But it takes a lot of work and planning to carve out a public persona and to get that story in front of a large audience. That's where a publicist comes in.
Unlike advertisers who pay others to run their promotions, publicists specialize in "earned media," said Annalee Paulo, executive vice president at 42West. Their role is to pitch ideas and persuade people (media, celebrities, influencers) to help them share information more widely.
An important part of the work is talking with clients, said Erica Tucker, owner and founder of Ascend PR Group. "What do you want to do? What do you want to be known for? And how are we going to get there, step by step?"
Tucker sees her job as helping people shape their legacies. The behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood are often written by journalists but nurtured and strategized by publicists.
In Hollywood, some publicists work for talent — that is, actors, directors and other people who work in front of or behind the camera. Some are hired by studios or streaming services. Others promote specific films, television shows or digital
