When you think of a celebrity, there is a particular image
that comes to your mind. How do you think that a celebrity forms that image?
Although a lot of it has to do with his actions and behavior in his private and
public life, yet, there are some professionals who are actually hired to build
a persona, an image of the celebrity in the people's eyes. These professionals
are known as publicists.
Whether it's a famous sports person or a film star, they are a brand as far as the advertisers are concerned! This means that the more positive image this brand has, the more beneficial it is for the celebrities themselves as well as the advertisers. This is where the publicists come in. They use the mass media, be it newspaper, television or Internet, to circulate the latest happenings in a celebrity's life, to keep him in the public eye and to make him likable and popular amongst the public. Scroll down to know in detail what does a publicist do, the qualifications and skills needed to be a success in this profession as well as the average salary.
Job Description
As mentioned earlier, a publicist's primary work is to ensure that his client remains in the public eye for all the right reasons. For this, a publicist performs a number of functions. He writes emails to the journalists about some specific incidents in his client's life. A relationship break-up, a new assignment, celebrity's travels and holidays, the functions and events he attends - all such news are circulated in the media by a publicist.
A publicist is not only hired by celebrities, but by corporates too. A business needs to project a positive image in the public and media as it is goodwill and trust which will strengthen it's customer base in the long run. News about any social service done by the company's executives or the launch of a new product/service in the market or the business's huge profits and turnover - these are all supplied to the media by the company's publicist.
Writing emails to journalists and updating them about some new stories on his clients, arranging for interviews of his clients with the media persons, drafting press releases, building relationships with the journalists, organizing events for his clients or making arrangements for him to be part of a relevant event, managing the fan clubs and fan sites, looking after his client's schedule - these all fall under the purview of the job description. In lieu of all these jobs, the salary of a publicist is quite good.
Average Salary
A publicist is needed in almost all kinds of companies, the most prominent ones being movie production houses, publishing houses, advertising firms, public relations firms and fashion houses. Although, the salaries will vary in accordance to the industry and the city/state where the publicist is employed, on an average, the salary is around $49000 per year in United States today. An experienced publicist can look forward to earn as much as $74000 annually. A new entrant or an associate publicist can earn anywhere between $22000 to $53000 per year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the coming decade, there will be an increase of around eighteen percent in the number of professionals employed in this field.
Education and Skills
To enter this profession, there are no educational pre-requisites, still if a candidate has a college degree in journalism, public relations or related field, it will further his prospects in this profession. The reason behind this is that a publicist drafts press releases and news stories for his clients, he interacts with a number of media persons everyday, this means that both his written as well communication skills should be superb! However, more than any education, a candidate's networking and people's skills will determine how much success he attains in this profession. The ability to handle crises (in case a client goofs up!), a temperament to work long hours (even on weekends and at night), a great sense of humor and oodles of patience to deal with the celebrity's egos, any person entering this field should be prepared for all this.
In today's time, a publicist is required in almost every field, even in non profit organizations! This means that there will never ever be a dearth of jobs for professionals in this field. People who are creative in writing, good at networking and excellent in creating a buzz, are ideal candidates for this profession!
Whether it's a famous sports person or a film star, they are a brand as far as the advertisers are concerned! This means that the more positive image this brand has, the more beneficial it is for the celebrities themselves as well as the advertisers. This is where the publicists come in. They use the mass media, be it newspaper, television or Internet, to circulate the latest happenings in a celebrity's life, to keep him in the public eye and to make him likable and popular amongst the public. Scroll down to know in detail what does a publicist do, the qualifications and skills needed to be a success in this profession as well as the average salary.
Job Description
As mentioned earlier, a publicist's primary work is to ensure that his client remains in the public eye for all the right reasons. For this, a publicist performs a number of functions. He writes emails to the journalists about some specific incidents in his client's life. A relationship break-up, a new assignment, celebrity's travels and holidays, the functions and events he attends - all such news are circulated in the media by a publicist.
A publicist is not only hired by celebrities, but by corporates too. A business needs to project a positive image in the public and media as it is goodwill and trust which will strengthen it's customer base in the long run. News about any social service done by the company's executives or the launch of a new product/service in the market or the business's huge profits and turnover - these are all supplied to the media by the company's publicist.
Writing emails to journalists and updating them about some new stories on his clients, arranging for interviews of his clients with the media persons, drafting press releases, building relationships with the journalists, organizing events for his clients or making arrangements for him to be part of a relevant event, managing the fan clubs and fan sites, looking after his client's schedule - these all fall under the purview of the job description. In lieu of all these jobs, the salary of a publicist is quite good.
Average Salary
A publicist is needed in almost all kinds of companies, the most prominent ones being movie production houses, publishing houses, advertising firms, public relations firms and fashion houses. Although, the salaries will vary in accordance to the industry and the city/state where the publicist is employed, on an average, the salary is around $49000 per year in United States today. An experienced publicist can look forward to earn as much as $74000 annually. A new entrant or an associate publicist can earn anywhere between $22000 to $53000 per year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the coming decade, there will be an increase of around eighteen percent in the number of professionals employed in this field.
Education and Skills
To enter this profession, there are no educational pre-requisites, still if a candidate has a college degree in journalism, public relations or related field, it will further his prospects in this profession. The reason behind this is that a publicist drafts press releases and news stories for his clients, he interacts with a number of media persons everyday, this means that both his written as well communication skills should be superb! However, more than any education, a candidate's networking and people's skills will determine how much success he attains in this profession. The ability to handle crises (in case a client goofs up!), a temperament to work long hours (even on weekends and at night), a great sense of humor and oodles of patience to deal with the celebrity's egos, any person entering this field should be prepared for all this.
In today's time, a publicist is required in almost every field, even in non profit organizations! This means that there will never ever be a dearth of jobs for professionals in this field. People who are creative in writing, good at networking and excellent in creating a buzz, are ideal candidates for this profession!
