Kristin Harris, celebrity editor of BuzzFeed, will join five other reporters on this beat at the PRSA/New York panel Thursday, March 23 at Cohn & Wolfe.
Harris, who has been with Buzzfeed since July 2016, was previously web and social editor at Seventeen magazine. She has a B.A. in PR, advertising and English writing and a postgrad certificate from the London College of Fashion in journalism, graduating with the highest honors.
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Kristin HarrisShe is on the team focused on pop culture, entertainment and music and is head of talent relations for BuzzFeed NY, in charge of managing relationships with publicists and studios. BuzzFeed employs 770 and had revenues of $167M in 2015.
Leora Arnowitz, entertainment editor, Foxnews.com, and the other celeb editors will tell PR people how to channel “star power” into their programs at the session at C&W, 200 Fifth ave., starting at 6 p.m.
Pop Culture “Dominates”
“Celebrity and pop culture news dominates our entertainment-minded society,” says the chapter, which notes that media of all kinds have expanded their offerings to include entertainment news. Other panelists are:
--Allison Cacich, Life & Style Weekly senior online and social media editor
--Jenna Lemoncelli, Hollywood Life news and entertainment writer/reporter
--Joi-Marie McKenzie, ABC News author and entertainment/lifestyle writer
--Carly Sitzer, In Touch Weekly senior online and social media editor.
Nicole Chismar, account director, consumer media, Weber Shandwick, and Erica Saviano Tsioutas, VP, consumer and entertainment media, Ketchum, are moderators of the panel which will be held at Cohn & Wolfe, 200 Fifth ave. at 23rd st. from 6-8 p.m.
Attendees will learn what it takes “to get the star power your entertainment pitches need to earn the ultimate prize—well-placed coverage,” says the chapter. The best ways of approaching the editors will be explored. The first half hour of the program will be devoted to networking.
Retaining “Stars” Can Be Costly
Celebrity Leverage, by West Hollywood publicist Jordan McAuley, is a guide to linking products and personalities to celebrities of all types. Cost for linking to a celebrity can range from a few thousand to $100,000+, he notes.
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His book capitalizes on the celebrity mania that is gripping the country, noting that celebrity mags and publications like Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly and Star are booming.
The book, which lists 59,200 celebs and 14,000 reps, sprinkled with scores of useful web addresses, notes that celebrities can not only be retained directly for use in publicizing products but that look-alike and sound-alike celebrities can be used cheaply and to good advantage.
He is the founder of Celebrity PR, which operates ContactAnyCelebrity.com.
Internet marketer Corey Rud hired George and Laura Bush impersonators for an event and the “crowd loved it,” says McAuley. Other celebrity impersonator sources are carboncopiescelebs.com, elvisthrasher.com, melodyknighton.com, and lookalike.com.
Celebrity voice impersonators sounding like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, for example, can answer your phone or do blast phone-messaging. Among those offering this service is Susan Berkley of greatvoice.com.
McAuley cautions that Woody Allen once reportedly sued a "sound-alike” and says users of fake voices may have to sign a "hold-harmless" agreement with the impressionist.
Rent or 'Piggyback' Celebs
McAuley notes that many celebrities, when between jobs, make appearances for commercial purposes although the costs can range from a few thousands to $100,000+.
But he also notes that celebs can be used without ever contacting them or paying them.
Safety expert Debra Holtzman saw a photo of Britney Spears driving in her convertible with their eight-month-old son Sean Preston in the back sitting in a car seat facing forward, a safety "no-no."
Holtzman posted it on expertclick.com, a site run by Mitch Davis, Washington, D.C., which lets experts post an unlimited number of releases yearly for $795. Her story was picked up by numerous top media outlets and celebrity gossip bloggers.
Holtzman also piggybacked on Pitt and Jolie when she saw daughter Zahara strapped to Pitt's back while he rode a bicycle.
Her press release pointing out the danger of doing that got wide coverage. She noted that Zahara did not have a helmet or closed-toes shoes.
Gift Suites' Favored by Stars
McAuley describes the “Gift Suites” that celebrities visit before events that are stocked with everything from clothing, accessories, to gift certificates for spa treatments, vacations and expensive products. Shows such as “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” provide coverage of the suites.
Publicists may pay anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 to participate but the money is "well-spent" if you leverage the celebrity connections and publicity you receive," says McAuley. Firms handling such suites include Gavin Keilly’s GPK Productions and Back Stage Creations.
Amy Stumpf operates Mygiftlistmedia.com, which helps companies get products in annual magazine gift guides.
Among sources recommended are celebrityblackbook.com, with more than 55,000 celebrity addresses; esterman.com, which tracks celebrities who are available for commercial purposes, and Rita Tateel's celebritysource.co
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