The New PR in COVID Times
November 28, 2020 | By Leila Nojouki
It’s March 2020, COVID-19 has made its way to the US, and most businesses are ordered to close, and most offices closed and employees started working remotely. So what does this mean for Public Relations, especially in entertainment? How much does this pandemic change the industry?
For one, the lack of events brings a huge challenge to public relations and entertainment. Speaking from experience, I remember interning at an agency during this time and events getting cancelled one by one which brings a hardship to a publicist. Events have always been used as a way of promotion for any cause be it a movie, brand, product launch, album release and whatever else it may be. At the beginning of this pandemic, all events were cancelled indefinitely. But now this new development of virtual events is the new normal and it has created a new arena for those working in public relations.
On top of that, the shutdown of production on projects also leaves a gap in the public relations industry. Without these projects moving forward, there’s not much to promote. In particular with entertainment, the pandemic interrupts a publicist’s role to make the public aware of a client’s film, television show, album, and whatever else. I can say for myself during my internship that there was a difference in the amount of projects after I started working remotely. With that, those who work in public relations have to get creative with how to continue to do their job. For example, the agency I interned at had us start researching causes related to COVID that clients could get involved in. In the last few months, production has begun and resumed for a lot of projects with COVID precautions being taken.
The beginning of the pandemic left the public relations and entertainment industry at a standstill indefinitely. As everything has unfolded, there’s been the chance to contemplate how to safely keep the industry moving. While these changes have made things very difficult, it has made a lot of things more convenient as well. With many events now being virtual, it makes it more accessible and gives publicists those opportunities for their clients. With talk shows now also having virtual interviews and not needing to have guests in person, it may be making it easier for publicists to book clients for those kinds of appearances without having to arrange for travel and other accommodations.
Regardless, the pandemic has made life difficult for everyone and there really is no way to say that lives have been made easier or harder during all this. But that leaves the question about what will happen with the industry. With that being said, this pandemic has reshaped the entertainment industry. While it is unclear how long this will last, it has also translated into shaping the public relations industry into what it is now for the time being if not permanently.
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Leila Nojouki is a senior at California State University, Northridge who will be graduating with her degree in journalism, emphasis in public relations in Fall 2020. She’s had internship experience in entertainment, hospitality, fashion, and nonprofit organizations. She has a passion for the entertainment industry and loves how there is so much room for creativity within that. Nojouki is originally from Westlake Village, CA and enjoys writing and discovering different types of entertainment like music, films, and television.