If there is one thing I have made clear on this blog, it is how important I believe PR is for the film industry. And if you don’t want to hear me out, that is okay. Instead of listening to me, you can hear it from Pual Neinstein, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Project X Entertainment.
Project X is a global entertainment company based in North Hollywood that “takes a creative-driven approach to discovering, producing, and financing original stories for all mediums.”
I had the opportunity to ask Neinstein a few questions about PR to get an inside perspective from someone fully immersed in the entertainment industry. And what he has to say is beneficial to anyone interested in involving themselves in entertainment and strategic communication. From six questions, came six well-rounded, insightful answers, that am I excited to share with you all.
1. Successful PR in a nutshell
The first question I asked Neinstein was what he thought constituted successful PR. From this, I received a multi-faceted answer, explaining how a successful PR campaign “will help bring the spotlight to your project by creating anticipation and awareness and ultimately enhancing audience engagement.” The second piece of his answer highlights that, with the right connections, a PR campaign can also be cost-effective. This idea of building anticipation and awareness is something I’ve referenced throughout multiple blog posts, and I was pleased to hear it emphasized by Neinstein.
2. The biggest mistake
I knew Neinstein would more likely than not have an opinion of the biggest mistake made in terms of PR in the entertainment industry, and his concise answer didn’t need much explanation for me to be in strong belief of what he had to say. Neinstein said the biggest mistake he sees is not including the PR team in the earliest stages of production. Allowing the team “to help shape the narrative and engage in a long-term plan and roll-out strategy,” as he said. And strategy is, as I have said before, the core of PR.
3. A breakdown of Project X’s PR team
If someone asked me how a PR team is broken up in the entertainment industry, I wouldn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Neinstein enlightened me by explaining what the breakdown looks like over at Project X. He explained the roles of his team as having three areas of focus. The firsy is corporate brand building. The second is project-based tasks. And the third he described as: “helping to identify synergies within the business and connecting our company with other like-minded companies where we can enhance each other’s performance.” With these three sectors, it feels that Project X has a well-rounded PR team equipped to handle a multitude of responsibilities.
4. How to handle a crisis
Knowing how important crisis communication is — for all industries and all companies — I was curious how Project X handles this sector of PR. Neinstein shared that avoiding a crisis is the top goal, but realistically it is impossible for a crisis to never arise. “Stakeholder” is a term you hear often in the PR world, and Project X keeps its stakeholders in mind in crisis planning. With proactive planning, controlling the narrative with only one voice, and identifying potential hazards of crisis before they arise to create an effective plan of action, Neinstein conveyed what seems to be a solid approach to crisis communication.
5. Some words of advice
As someone nearing the end of my college education who is also looking to enter into the PR side of the entertainment industry, I wanted to hear what advice Neinstein had to offer, as I am sure it will be helpful for others as well. He described the people who enjoy the positions as having a “think-tank mentality,” meaning someone who can work collaboratively with others in an open and honest fashion. Neinstein also emphasized the importance of knowing that “sometimes the news you give is not good news,” and that it can be an exhausting, no-days-off career path.
6. Things to remember
Neinstein left us some parting thoughts to sit with — he briefly shared his knowledge of three career avenues: PR, marketing and corporate communication. Because I know I can’t say it any better than he did, I wanted to directly copy his words, which are that “each has a different agenda and each can have interactive and fun careers.” This optimism and positivity was a nice way to round out the answers Neinstein gave.
Based on the responses I got, I can tell Neinstein values the role of PR in his company, and he can speak from years of learned and lived experience. The light he shed on the communication side of the entertainment industry felt positive in my eyes and certainly got me excited about the opportunities that await all of us looking to enter this field one day.