Open Letter: Your MicroBlog Can Turn Into a TV Deal

Still wondering how microblogging can benefit your career? Perhaps your tweets will become a TV show, book deal, or feature film...

Dear Creative Person,

Almost everyday I meet an actor, singer, or small business owner that has big dreams of the small screen. This dream might just be a concept, treatment, or an actual script, but either way the desire is there to see their vision turn into an actual TV show.

What hinders most of them (and most anyone who just has the dream) is money, connections, and lack of an audience. That last one, an audience, can equal money and connections. After all, TV shows, films, endorsements, and book deals are offered everyday to people who have fans or loyal followers that want to hear them, see them, and know more about them. That’s the cornerstone of celebrity.

I, like many of my colleagues, encourage the avenue of free social networks for anyone looking to grow a following. But it’s easy for PR pros and brand geniuses to recognize the endless possibilities of an online audience. So what if I told you that Twitter or Facebook account could be your ticket to a TV show, endorsement deal, book, or film?

Use Justin Halpern as an example. When Justin moved back in with his parents, he began to tweet all the funny and often off-color gems that spilled from his 73 year old father’s mouth such as "Sometimes life leaves a hundred-dollar bill on your dresser, and you don't realize until later that it's because it fucked you," and “You need to flush the toilet more than once... No YOU, YOU specifically need to. You know what, use a different toilet. This is my toilet.”

Justin’s popular @shitmydadsays has acquired over 700,000 twitter followers, sold book rights, and now has a development deal with CBS for a TV show executive produced by Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick. By the way, the account has only been online since August 3, 2009!

Actually, this is the second Twitter account to be picked up for TV. TextsFromLastNight is in development at Sony with Adam Sandler’s team.

Bottom line, TextsFromLastNight and Shit My Dad Says are hilarious. I doubt that they started with the intention of forming ancillary markets, but these possibilities exist because they put something unique out into the world and gathered a following.

3 Questions: Benu Mabhena's Global Movenment

Benu Mabhena made her big screen debut in Warner Bros.’ BLOOD DIAMOND. The African beauty spent months performing opposite Oscar-nominees Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar-winner Jennifer Connolly. For the role of Jassie Vandy (Hounsou’s character’s wife), Benu had to embody the fear of a woman on the run with her children, terrified that someone would kill them or kidnap her son and force him to be a child soldier.

What virtually no one knew was that Benu brought a personal story to her moving character. When Benu was a child, a change in Zimbabwe’s political climate forced her family to flee and remain uprooted for years while staying where they could with family and allies in South Africa.

Though now residing in the states, Africa is still near and dear to Benu. She recently recorded “Wake Up- It’s Africa Calling” with Mopreme Shakur, brother of legendary Tupac Shakur, and world artist Youssou N Dour. The song is raising money for malaria treatment and education.

Benu paused for a moment to answer our 3 questions about international fame, publicity, and American film productions:

GP: As an American who was born in the UK and partially raised in South Africa, how does public perception of you change from country to country and how do you keep your message clear internationally?

Benu: I was fairly young when I lived in Africa and when I was in the UK. I really wasn’t in the public eye until I was here in the US. I think people are really surprised when they hear me talk– I pretty much have an American accent, so they have this questionable, puzzled look on their faces. LOL. Most people back home and my family didn't have a clue of what I wanted to do with my life. If I wasn't becoming a doctor, Nurse, or anything in business, I was just out of my mind and I needed to get focused. My message is that you can follow your dreams and your dreams can eventually support you. That message is easy to keep clear no matter where I go.

GP: Did you find it difficult to share your personal story with the press while promoting BLOOD DIAMOND?

Benu: I did find it difficult... because my family and I have always been very private and I know that our life story is a very unusual one and who knows what telling it might bring. I wasn't quite ready to talk about it.

GP: What did red carpet events teach you about promoting yourself and your film?

Benu: First of all, I think when you step on the red carpet you’re never as prepared as you think. If you think you’re prepared, prepare for the “unpreparable.” That’s not a word, but you get my point! When I got started in the business I was very shy and I couldn't talk to people. Now, I can and sometimes I feel like a different person when I'm in public. I’m able to talk to fans and network with professionals... it's kinda cool. I find that it's really an amazing tool that we have red carpet events to introduce projects to the media and make these projects (and ourselves) accessible for the public.

*Originally published in the July/August 2009 issue of 720 PR's GOINGPUBLIC [ Read ]

A Twitter Story

Since stumbling upon SingleStartups.com on HARO a while ago, I've been hooked. This cool site features interviews with business people who are single and doing their thing. Of course, married people experience their own challenges when starting a business, but few address the unique issues that come from being single with no interpersonal support base when you go off to fight the good fight.

Last week, the site's editor (Twitter handle @singlestartups) and I began following one other on Twitter. Yet, when Laura (the editor) direct messaged me on Twitter last Friday, it was an awesome surprise. She wanted to know if I was free to talk, and our phone chat turned into an interview. I love putting the "social" in social media:

Joy Donnell « Cool. Single. CEO.

Source: singlestartups.com

If you see this face aimlessly wandering through Southern California, you know Joy Donnell is having a good day. The East Coast transplant and Beverly Hills based PR professional who spends most of her week working to keep her corporate clients happy, describes just that as her ideal day.

3 Questions: Camille Solari = Ultimate Hollywood Hyphenate

Camille Solari is creating her own version of Hollywood. When the roles she wanted weren’t coming across her inbox, let alone being written, she wrote them herself. Her resume consists of acting, writing, producing, and even directing, but her multiple job description is no detriment to her image. In fact, it’s part of her edge.

Solari wrote, produced and appeared in True True Lie, a psychological thriller that was picked up by The Weinstein Co. This Boston native performed the same hat trick for the recently released feature, Rocker, about a female musician in the L.A. music scene. To top that off, she also recorded the songs that appeared on the soundtrack. She has co-produced and directed an intimate documentary on James Brown, which wrapped just weeks before his death.

She recently shot Boston Girls, a dark comedy about Italian and Irish love feuds in Beantown. This film marks her directorial debut in a narrative feature. Oh, and by the way, she also wrote and stars in it. Right now, Solari’s in pre-production for Forever, a supernatural thriller based upon her own script and starring... herself. Edward Furlong and Dennis Hopper are in negotiations to co-star.

Her over-the-top comedy, Hooker’s INC, recently showed in select LA theatres. She co-wrote, produced, and acted in that one, too. It may look effortless, but there was a time when this multi-hyphenate powerhouse was shying away from the idea of publicity. She stood still long enough to answer our 3 questions about PR and branding:

GP: In the past 3 years, you've dramatically increased your publicity and visibility. Were you hesitant at first to put yourself in the public eye, and if so, why?

CS: Yes, I was hesitant. It does feel awkward to go out there and do interviews and promote myself and talk about my movies. It sort of goes against my East Coast grain of being humble and self-deprecating. But it is TOTALLY necessary.

GP: What has your publicity campaign taught you about yourself?

CS: I am doing so many movies and special projects, but personally, I always feel like I want to be doing even more. Yet, the feedback I get from people I run into or those who email is ‘How can you be doing so many movies? How do you have the time? And who the hell is your publicist, and can I hire them?’

GP: Can you name a few results you've seen in your career due to publicity that you doubt you would have received without PR and branding?

CS: Basically, when I go out to social functions or events, I am constantly recognized by people I don’t know. I also got a theatrical release for a feature I did solely as a result of my fan base- which I didn’t have until my works got publicized and I started doing publicity through interviews, print articles, public appearances, and things like that.

TIP Sheet: Business of Being Neighborly

Whether times are tough or smooth, it's always a smart strategy to take full advantage of your pluses, and location can be one of them.

Hit the pavement and start shaking hands with your neighbors. Introduce yourself, your business, and ask questions about services people may need that you can accommodate.

For example, if you have a restaurant that needs more foot-traffic, reach out to the businesses around you. Devise a cash-friendly happy hour and invite neighbors to it. Pass out samples of food and hand out business cards or coupons. There’s a lot of business to be had in being neighborly.

Remember...

Location. Location. Location!

3 Questions: Shedrack Anderson Is Future-Perfect

Shedrack Anderson III has shown incredible range with roles that include NBC's "The Unauthorized Story of Diff'rent Strokes" for which he played the infamous Todd Bridges, the coming-of-age college stepshow drama "Stompin" opposite Sinbad and Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lion's Gate horror "Drive Thru," the monstrous bear thriller "Grizzly Park," and his feature film directorial debut with the horror "Blood River."

With a career that covers both television and film, Anderson has appeared in the hit teen series "Just Deal" as the lovable Jermaine Green and starred as Tommy in Lifetime's "Gracie's Choice" alongside Kristen Bell, Diane Ladd and Anne Heche. He’s also recognized as Rudy in 20th Century Fox's "FAT ALBERT" as well as guest star appearances on the television series "Boston Public," "The Parkers," "The Division," and Disney's hit show "Phil of the Future."

He sat down with us to discuss PR, the future of movie-making, and what every 21st Century Indie Filmmaker needs to know:

GP: You've had great success starring on TV shows and in feature films. Now you're making your own films. What are the differences in promoting your film versus your individual self?

SA: The biggest difference is Distribution. When you are promoting yourself as an actor, you take meetings, auditions, do interviews and photo opps with the notion that you are selling a product that requires someone else to see you and hire you for the use of your skills. That company then makes a product for sale and you are paid a fee and a percentage for your likeness or the character you portray. When you make your own movies, you create a product that, through promotion and distribution, people can buy directly. It’s one less
link in the chain to connect on a business level.

GP: What has media taught you about connecting to your audience and fans?

SA: Media shows that people get bored much faster than they used to. We’re moving in a direction that’s going to revolutionize the way humans occupy their time. I think different media will be used for different things. Short cell phone movies will be 5 or 6 minutes while direct download 3D movies will saturate America. When you make a connection with an audience, it has to have a similar thread in order to create a bond with the fans so they keep downloading more. Over the years, as I’ve become an adult and my fans have aged with me, I’ve learned to stay open to all possibilities. Media and style are constantly changing from day to day. I’m working on video game platform movies where you chose the fates. I think the key is to say less and see more... then make it happen.

GP: What is a fact about publicity that you think every actor transitioning into directing or producing should know?

SA: Publicity is an essential part of the movie making process. In order to have a successful career, whether it be directing, acting or producing, you have to have a strategic plan in order to achieve your ultimate goal... getting the masses to respond. You can have the greatest film in your pocket or be the greatest actor, but what use is it if you are the only one who knows? Publicity helps you create a buzz, and only then can you make a potential profit.

3 Questions: Frankie Finch Is Such a Problem

Pharrell and Jimmy Iovine know her as a TV host. Rhianna, Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra know her for her stylish fashion designs. Now, these entertainment industry titans are among those discovering Frankie Finch as a double threat singer-rapper in the vein of her inspiration Blondie, but with a modern spunk and attitude.

Given her sexy style and drop-dead gorgeousness, Frankie Finch will certainly surprise people with her no-holds-barred music. “I’m not black and I’m not white, and I look the way that I do, so people expect something cute to come out of my mouth,” she says. “I want to shock people, and a lot of songs are driven by my hustle.” Add to this a successful clothing line that’s sold in select boutiques and often incorporates lyrics from her catalog of songs, and one begins to appreciate the full scope of Frankie’s image.

Frankie’s good looks, musical knowledge and people skills have helped her land hosting gigs (under her given name) with the Interscope Records-sponsored Farmclub.com and a Pharrell-conceived, Paul Hunter-directed TV show pilot, FEVER.

Each step has gotten her one move closer to fulfilling her life’s dream to become a world-famous entertainer. With a MySpace page that has over 500,000 page views and nearly 1,000 following her on Twitter, she’s going in the right direction. “I’m on a life mission,” she says. “I have to accomplish everything that my heart desires. If I don’t, then it’s going to be a problem.” She took a pause during her musical takeover to answer our 3 questions about self-promotion and increasing brand visibility.

GP: You’re as well known for your fashion as you are for your music. Does publicity for one aid in publicity for the other and how have you connected those two aspects of your career?

FF: You can say one aids the other because when I'm at a "fashion" event they sometimes recognize me for my music and when I'm at a "music" event or doing an interview and I'm wearing FINCH, they’ll ask me how I started FINCH Clothing... It just kinda connects naturally. It's a lifestyle I really live.

GP: What media result (print profile feature/TV interview, etc.) have you had that you deem most beneficial to your career?

FF: I did a great TV segment for "Your LA" on NBC and my music was chosen by NIKE as its lead campaign song in 18 markets in Asia & Europe. Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter have been huge helps in connecting me to fans. And I got great exposure from placing my music on MTV's Laguna Beach.

GP: What has branding yourself taught you about yourself?

FF: That branding FRANKIE FINCH & FINCH Clothing is crucial to my career and overall business. Branding also taught me that keeping my logos, name, music and clothing in front of people does get attention, keep attention, and get a response.

From the May 2009 Issue of GOINGPUBLIC: A 720 PR Newsletter

Doing It In Public

This is a blog for the shy people who are in business for themselves. Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, artists, actors, musicians-- anyone who knows that marketing themselves and putting themselves out there is a vital part of being successful, but they're having trouble getting past the fear and doing it.

If you're lost in a sea of millions and not standing out from the crowd or getting recognized because you are too shy to be front and center, read this blog.

If a lack of self-promotion is hurting your career, read on. The mission of this blog is to help everyone understand publicity, learn how to step up, lay it all on the line, and Do It In Public!