On June 17, the African American Steering Committee’s (AASC) meeting was preceded by the panel discussion, Exploring Media and PR Power: The Impact Before, During and After Awards Season. During a conversation moderated by AASC Co-Chair Princess Monique, African American Film Critics Association President Gil Robertson IV and Publicist Cassandra Butcher discussed how media and PR shape the buzz of awards season in a conversation and shared tips on when to factor in the awards process during your project planning to maximize your chances of success.
After both panelists revealed their paths to their current positions, Butcher described the relationship between a filmmaker and their publicist and said, “You are telling a story, and your publicist is telling a story too, the story of what is behind the scenes. We help you control your narrative, by talking about the project consistently.”
“We live with your projects for a long time; going to events, screenings, and doing Q&A’s,” said Robertson. “We help you avoid false moves. It’s like a political campaign, especially for an awards run, to get your work seen and reviewed.”
“Having someone working with you from the start of your project can help you avoid missteps like ruining a first look opportunity by posting about your project on social media too early or not having a positioning statement about your work for media to refer to,” added Butcher.
About the Committee:
The African American Steering Committee (AASC) was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Directors Guild. One of the primary goals of the Committee is to establish a productive line of communication between African-American members and the creative community. The Committee meets monthly to plan events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives to proactively address what can be done to hire more African-Americans.