The worst thing to do when you meet a celebrity
Don’t be fooled into thinking hanging out with celebrities is all air-kisses, caviar and champagne, doll. A Melbourne PR juggernaut has revealed the behaviour that puts off big name stars.
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“Can I get a selfie with you?”
Or “I love that show you’re in” are the most cringey things a publicist can say to a celebrity.
The Devil Wears Prada gave an intern’s scorching insight into making it in the fashion industry.
Now publicity world’s trade secrets are laid bare in PR-101 for aspiring interns out of university looking to make it big.
But don’t be fooled into thinking PR is all air-kisses, caviar and champagne, doll.
Publicity maven Judy Romano calls it out, saying you’re more likely to be freezing your bum off outside a marquee with a celebrity quizzing the unsuspecting doorbitch with the infamous line “Don’t you know who I am?”
Romano has been around long enough to sniff out the drainers and sycophants.
If you love celebrities, well, PR is not the game for you, simple, Romano says.
She and business partner Gareth Beck of PR juggernaut Romano Beck — think the famed Emirates marquee in the Flemington Birdcage, Mercedes-Benz at the F1 Grand Prix, Sydney Fashion Week, the list goes on — have created an online course to get wide-eyed interns match fit.
“It’s a competitive edge for PR industry novices,” Beck says.
“It’s the tricks of the trade. For instance we have face cards for a lot of the people as they enter an event or a marquee at the races. But you will always hear of some intern stopping the CEO of the company, or pulling a James Packer type from the group and saying, sorry who are you?
Cringe!
The online PR-101 course came after Romano and Beck found themselves fed-up with the revolving door of interns coming out of university, not work-ready and with stars in their eyes.
Downtime in lockdown meant having the time to launch and according to Romano Beck: “COVID has been a JobKiller for the PR and events industry, so RBU Education was launched to keep staff employed and help others gain employment.”
They even created a chapter on, How To Act Around Celebrities.
“It’s basically trying to soften the blow,” Beck laughs.
Some home truths?
“Don’t try and be their best friend, you are there to do a job. Don’t go all goo-goo eyed as you will lose their respect.
“They get that literally all the time,” Romano says, “it’s so unprofessional.”
TOP PR DON’TS:
— Don’t pitch a story to a journalist without first reading their column … we promise a political reporter won’t be interested in a WAG
— Don’t lose your personality. You need to match your environment, but you need to always be you. You want to stand out from the rest
— When working with celebrities, do not ask them for a photo. It will immediately put you in the fan bucket and the trust will disappear.
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