Brazilians’ lives were once dictated by television schedules. Mine too! As a child, I created stories for my dolls inspired by shows like “Esmeralda” and “Rubi,” and I knew the drama was worth every second, already influencing the content of my school essays, conversations with friends, and Capricho magazine quizzes.
I watched soap operas like “O Beijo do Vampiro,” and then enjoyed “Buffy” marathons with my mother, never missing an episode. I could review these productions in less than a minute. And if I still haven’t watched “Rebelde” to this day, it’s because, at the height of its popularity, the show aired at the same time as “Floribella,” the sacred viewing choice of the eight-year-olds in my group of friends. But as the dearly missed Hebe Camargo once said alongside the equally beloved Nair Bello, in SBT’s famous Romeo and Juliet Special, “[…] I don’t lament it. Soon I will turn 15.”
Jokes aside, my passion for pop culture, books, music, and television led me to journalism. And continuing to work in PR for the television entertainment industry has brought me wonderful experiences, whether following filming on the set of a reality show or working behind the scenes on publicity strategies for the Tony Awards, broadcast directly from New York to Latin America.
The day-to-day life of someone working in entertainment
The entertainment industry demands quick writing, prompt responses, and a well-maintained media contact list. Changes among journalists are very frequent, and the relationship becomes a partnership. You need to understand both sides; otherwise, it won’t work. But the key to building this relationship is aligning what is needed with what generates excitement.
Keeping track of who is covering trends helps a great deal when developing plans, and crazy ideas aren’t always bad, since strategies in this industry need to have at least three alternatives, as everything can change at any moment. Especially when linear television is competing with video on demand.
The winds of change
At the moment, Hollywood is facing a strike that will change the industry’s relationships as a whole, including the publicity work that we PR professionals do. Actors and screenwriters are fighting for their image rights and fair wages while the industry invests in Artificial Intelligence at the expense of Human Capital. And this will delay productions as well as change their narratives.
As enjoyable as it may be to work with something you love, it is necessary to separate the pleasure of being a fan from what the industry really is, because it changes, and we deal with people, their dreams, egos, and stories.
The role of a good PR professional focused on this industry is to spark conversations in the right spaces, closely observing what audiences are saying about productions and delivering news that appeals to both journalists and fans.
Beatriz Fleira
