Hollywood, CA – LA Times Entertainment Editors media workshop offered up more than the usual PR insider tips recentlyh at the ICG Local 600 Union Auditorium, Hollywood, CA. (Nov. 18, 2010).
While one editor of an well known LA Times blog and print version of movie news, movers and shakers admitted she “doesn’t Tweet, or Facebook, except for to her friends.” We found that a little odd, since every man, boy pilot and bawanna are now into Social Media, when only a year ago, most publicist were afraid of it and really thought it was extra work. It is extra work, but it has also become a big busines to some, even though a headache to others.
This was the superbowl of all media workshops when it comes to face-to-face meetings with the editors who put all the entertainment out through the LA Times. Even the editor was there, deleting inmails while particpating at the workshop. Now, that’s what I call multitasking….hmmm..hope it was my clients story pitch, though that got vaporized.
Lisa Fung, LAT
The consensus in contacting editors or pitching a story and the best advice comes from Panelist Lisa Fung, Online Arts and Entertainment Editor, LA Times.
“Just forget that you have a phone, so email me your pitch and I will get back to you as soon as possible that’s the best way for me to get back to you. I just received 80 emails sitting here.”
Fung says social media brings tons of traffic to the LA Times website and blogs.
The last time I checked LAT Twitter had 93,000+ followers, too.
Online Arts and Entertainment Editor Lisa Fung says the best way to pitch everyone is by email. During the meeting she noted that 80 emails had just come in, and she was deleting many in her inbox while
listening to other panelists.
She currently oversees round-the-clock multimedia coverage of all arts and entertainment, including Calendar. The Envelope, Company, Town and more than a dozen latimes.com blogs. To Reach her email: Lisa.Fung@latimes.com.
One of the pet peaves of editors is sending multiple email pitches, which could be the kiss of death. Randall Roberts reminded everyone about the email overload.
Randall Roberts, pop music editor, LA Times said,” he relies on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc where there are a lot of thoughtful people who share stories, trends and ideas.”
Randall Roberts, LA Times
Roberts also echoed earlier comments that social media drives traffic, and influences his decisions on story assignments. Often Robert says, he gets a lot of people who care about what he writes, and trend stories often pop up on Twitter and Facebook.
Roberts currently oversees all of the rock, pop, hip hop, electronic, world music, soundtrack and country coverage – basically everything except jazz and classical. Randall seems to be the most interesting of all of the panelist, because he really talk about how, and where he gets his stories, and less about pet peaves of publicists he deals with. So you should add him on your Twitter and Facebook account, just to learn what stories turn the LAT on. Oh, by the way, the Calendar sectioni of LAT is the “Most Read” part of the paper according to the business editor at another industry workshop I attended, which is why I went to this one in Hollywood.
Before coming to the LA Times, Roberts served as music editor at LA Weekly. To reach him email is best at: Randal.Roberts@latimes.com.
Joy Press, Pop Culture & Deputy Television editor also told Entertainment Publicists to “keep your pitches short as “we are working on both print and Online versions of the Times.”
Pop Culture & Deputy Television Editor Joy Press also prefers email pitches from publicists. Press says they are always looking for good trend stories.
Press, before arriving at the Times, she was the culture editor at Salon.com, where she oversaw the entertainment, books and lifestyle sections and blogs.
She has written widely about TV, movies, music and all facets of popular culture.
Elena Howe, The Envelope Editor says she does not Tweet and does Faceboook “only with friends,” however she says “it will be her new goal to do it by the end of next year.”
Howe also says The Envelope does not take client photos or handouts, but rather relies heavily on the wire image news services.
Howe chronicles the highs and lows of the Hollywood award season as the editor of The Envelope.
Elena Howe, The Envelope Editor
She was previously an assistant editor for SoCal Living at the Times and has previously served as LIfestyle and news editor at several California publications. (Elena.Howe@latimes.com)
Howe also prefers email pitches on all stories.
The Envelope offers complete coverage of the Academy Awards, Oscar nominations, Golden Globes, Grammys, Emmys, red carpet fashion, news, celebrity gossip and more.
This lady has the most fun job, because she gets to stay up late at night attending all of those entertainment events, mixers and exclusive VIP parties, and then get up early in the morning. Best adice don’t call me in the early morning. Email me plase,” she said with lots of energy, and she really meant it. I think if you did call her early, she would probably never return your calls even if you had
Sally Hofsmeiseter was the editor last year when The LA Times had The Envelope Launch kick-off party, October 2009.
The Winter and Summer EPPS mixer events are free to anyone interested.
Nikki Pesusich, CFO, Coterie Public Relations @EPPS LAT media workshop
Anyone reading this blog can contact us to learn more about EPPS and how to join, or be our guest at the next media workshop.
Nikki Pesusich, CFO, Coterie Public Relations @EPPS LAT media workshop, who won the EPPS door prize 2010 O’Dwyer PR directory (top 2,000 PR firms in USA) @ www.odwyerpr.com, Manhattan, NY.
If you want to do social media you need to engage your target audience and treat them intelligently. That was the overriding message at a sold-out Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS) crowd at a media workshop on “How To Do Social Media.” It was sponsored by the International Cinematographers Union Local 600, Hollywood, CA.
EPPS Media Workshop
“It is possible to measure ROI,” but according to Panelist Sally Falkow, Expansion Plus, “Campaigns take four to six weeks of research and strategy and can cost from several thousand dollars to millions. “We don’t go by retainer, but more by the project, because it really depends upon how much time is involved and how long your project runs,” she said.
Falkow was joined by a handful of social media experts, who offered tips and resources on “How To Do Social Media.”
“Movie fans and visitors love behind the scenes marketing of movies,” said Vice President Wayne Bennett of MOVIESET (www.movieset.com), which is based in Vancouver, B.C. The free membership site helps market movies via images, on-the-set interviews and constant blogging. Bennet, a 20 year TV and movie production veteran, uses his social media skills to assist television production and publicity departments.
“You have to type what’s going on behind the camera for fans all over the world,” Bennett explained. “It might be the director of photography on how he lit the shot, or in the case of Peter Jackson in King Kong, before Facebook, YouTube and Twitter; he was literally posting photos of prop guys, costume fittings with actors, on the scene location scouts activities and video blogs. Jackson built this buzz that topped a million fans, who were already engaged in the process and the movie by the time he finished it for distribution.”
Wayne Bennett Movieset.com
The panel also briefly talked about Widgets, which can be placed on a site or blog, allowing interaction with the visitor without leaving the site. For example: the Red Cross might have a widget on a blog, where you can donate directly to Haiti earthquake victims.
Panelists also recommended the funneling all your social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter on one portal such as http://www.tweetdeck.com, where you can organize your feeds and tweets.
“Nonprofit organizations do not tell there story very well,” said President Larry Eason, DotOrgpower, Los Angeles. The digital strategy and communications firm helps dot orgs harness the web and new media to achieve their goals. He works with cause leaders to expand their sense of what is possible Online. He claims to be an evangelist for the power of Online story-telling to move the public, donors and influentials. “You need to treat your audiences intelligently when telling your stories,” explained Eason.
President Larry Eason, DotOrgPower
Eason pioneered the use of new media for the Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) starting a first-of-its-kind in-house media center, which was acquired by Virilion where he worked with cause and corporate clients such as eBay and Georgetown University.
“You need to target your community groups, mobile interaction, action platforms, and set your goal,” said Mac McLean, Click Communications, North Hollywood, CA. “Before forming Click Communications in May, 2007, McLean handled theatrical promotions, worked at a national advertising agency and did publicity for major studios.
Some panelists noted that 60 percent of the marketing campaigns are spent on social media strategy versus 40 percent on PR and Marketing. “It is one more layer of client management, but for a restaurant the goal is to get people in the door,” said Caroline Rustigian Bruderer, CEO of K-LINE 7 Co., Orange County.
While everyone thought the best way to market your film is social networking and the best marketing tool is Facebook with more than 400 million users other tactics surface.
“Every movie or TV project has a core audience, and the Internet is the most strategic way to get to those people,” explained MOVIESET’S Bennett. “This allows you to do the EPK and other advertising much later. The Concept is the new promotion, and the sooner you engage your audience the sooner they are going to grab onto it, and follow the different phases to the point where you get to your last news release or airing. There will be much more information that surfaces to the top of Google than there would be in putting out a release over six weeks.”
Entertainment companies and filmmakers are leveraging the power of social media by marketing their films to international audiences and building loyal audiences and communities around their work.
Another tactic mentioned are RSS feeds, which in layman’s terms stands for real simple syndication or officially “rich site summary for delivering regularly changing web content. All agreed that to increase web traffic PR pros need an RSS feed on their client’s website or blog to whoever subscribes or wants the content.
