Give them their flowers
We couldn’t let National Publicist Day pass without celebrating the men who guide careers, connect move-makers with power-players, and make the “impossible” happen while navigating a notoriously thankless industry.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 73% of all publicists are white with Black men making up only 5.9% of the diversity-starved PR industry. Even more stunning is the lack of Black women who only make up 4.9% of PR professionals worldwide.
“We have to be invested in each other’s success regardless of which building we sit in,” said Mikael Moore, Managing partner at Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Arts Society, in an interview with Variety.
“We’re in a relationship business and we have to shift the point of view on what an important relationship is, and leverage the relationships we have, so that Black people are at the center of all those conversations.”
With that said, we invite you to enjoy our gallery of dynamic dot-connectors, deal-closers, and doers making power moves in the entertainment industry below:
Dezmon Gilmore, Global PR Manager at Prime Video & Amazon Studios
Andre Watson, Managing Partner at The Purple Agency
Kris Banton, Allied Global Marketing (Atlanta)
Joey Harris, SVP of Marketing at Rhythm Nation
Courtney Lowery, Executive VP of Media Strategy and Lifestyle at Motown Records
Bradford Bridgers, Communications, Entertainment Partnerships at Meta
Didier Morais, CEO/Founder of Vital Versatility PR Agency
Jay Reese, Comms at Paramount+, MTV & VH1
CJ Carter, Entertainment Publicist/Marketing Communications Specialist at In Popular Demand LLC
Lamont D. Johnson, Founder/Owner of The Art Department, LLC
Marcus Best, Vice President of Allied Moxy
Chris Chambers, CEO at The Chamber Group
Randy C. Bonds, Senior Publicist at R.C. Bonds PR
Myles Worthington, Founder/CEO of Ethnographic Marketing, Communications & Content Company WORTHI
JDot., Founder of The JDot. Agency
Tony Ferguson, Principal Publicist at Society House
Dalton Higgins, PR strategist/Publicist
Ra-Fael (STEPHON) Blanco, SVP of Media Relations & Communications/PR Specialist at 2R’s Entertainment & Media
Carrington Harris, Head of Business Development at The Purple Agency
Zuri Cheathem, Multicultural Marketing Associate at Universal Pictures