The Publicist

Profession: Publicist

Please explain what you do in your job?
I am a publicist, media relations consultant and I advise clients on how to raise their profile in the media.

Current job:
Owner and Principal of dkpr public relations inc.

List of accomplishments:
I have worked as a publicist for many Canadian and U.S. celebrities such as: Dave Foley, Sean Cullen, Michael Burgess, Christopher Plummer, as well as Bea Arthur, Phyllis Diller, David Cassidy, William Shatner and Martin Short. This month marks the 10th anniversary of dkpr public relations inc.

How do you measure success in your chosen career?
I enjoy having great relationships with colleagues, interesting clients and people in the media. I love to help people reach their dreams and improve their businesses over time. I enjoy having the freedom to choose whom I'd like to work with.

When did you decide this is what you want to do for a living and what was the 'moment'?
From the age of 10 I began to study piano with a music teacher and I knew then that I wanted to work in the performing arts in some capacity. All through high school I performed in musicals, plays and took singing lessons and was talent scouted at the age of 16 to go to the U.S. to study classical music and voice at Tanglewood, which was affiliated with Boston University.

I sang so much I strained my voice and had to take a year off and study music theory and history instead. When the first recession hit Canada in the late 1980s everyone was talking about how to secure a future career for young people so I decided that getting a business degree might be smarter than a performing arts degree at University of Toronto.

So, I took an Honours BA Arts Administration with a major in music and a minor in theatre and got a job behind the scenes in marketing and PR (public relations).

What did you have to do in order to get involved with this profession?
Study marketing or English in university, volunteer in theatres or dance companies if you are interested in the performing arts and get to know all of the jobs backstage, volunteer at a small PR firm if you are interested in PR in order to gain on-the-job experience.

Pros and cons of this job?
Pros - flexibility to decide the type of clients I would like to work with and to build a PR firm with creative people, the number of interesting people I meet and the travelling to interesting locations over the years.

Cons - long hours, no financial security, lots of competition.

Skills required for this job?
Ability to see the big picture and be a problem solver, a knack for selling a story idea and not taking no for an answer, the ability to write well, the ability to always smile no matter what is going on.

What can people expect if they want to pursue this job?
School, long hours, low pay to start and boring organizational tasks such as filing and database management in the beginning.

Salary range:
$36,000 to $200,000, depends on the position and what kind of PR firm you end up working in.

Advice to people who are thinking about pursuing this field:
Have a good portfolio, don't think you know it all when interviewing, be interested in marketing and PR since they have to work together on many projects, write well and understand that clients expect it.

Anything else you would like to say?
Try to stay with one employer for at least two years since it will take at least one year to learn the basics. After two years, you are in a better position to get promoted and you'll make more money then too.