Entertainment PR: The Women behind the Spotlight
Published on March 4, 2019, at 4:32 p.m.
by Dasia Greer.
Since the early 2000s, the field of public relations has seen an influx of women practitioners. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise 63 percent of PR specialist roles and 59 percent of PR management positions. Women have infiltrated all specialties of PR, but most predominantly entertainment PR. The practitioners behind many of your favorite celebrities are, indeed, women.
Beyoncé, viewed by many as the celebrity of celebrities, has strategically branded herself into the megastar she is today. The woman behind her branding is Yvette Noel-Schure, a seasoned publicist who has represented many other A-List stars, such as Mariah Carey, Waka Flocka and Wyclef Jean. Noel-Schure is the president of Schure Media Group, a top-tier PR firm spearheaded by many of the industry’s most respected veterans.
Through her 20-plus years in the entertainment PR industry, Noel-Schure has solidified herself as “one of the top creative executives in the music PR business,” noted Music World Entertainment President/CEO Mathew Knowles.
Patientce Foster, Cardi B’s publicist, took a more unconventional route to success: landing a high-profile client with no prior PR experience. At the age of 26, Foster decided to pursue a career in PR and applied for an internship with an A-List fashion PR firm in New York City. She was denied but used that as ammunition in her persistence in accomplishing her goals. She made a study guide of every major magazine’s staff and went back to the consulting firm to prove her knowledge and got the job. Shortly after, Foster landed Cardi B as a client.
“Had Cardi not turned the lights on for me, I would’ve made it by any means, but the way that this happened I wouldn’t have ever imagined,” Foster said in a 2018 MONEY magazine article. “She put me in a position to win. Now I feel obligated to elevate as well.”
Brittany Mobley is the founder of a full-service PR firm in Detroit, Michigan. Mobley took full control of her firm by designing all of the company’s graphics, logos and website. She has represented celebrities, nonprofit organizations, corporations and motivational speakers.
“Women are dominating entertainment PR because they are better at emotionally connecting to their clients and projects,” said Mobley. “PR is also a career field that allows women to create leadership roles for themselves.”
The influx of female publicists working for high-profile celebrities solidifies the dominance of women in PR. Not to discredit the talents of their celebrity artists, the women behind these artists are dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” to ensure they are successful in all endeavors.
Chyna Cayson, a 21-year-old college student, launched her own entertainment PR firm in 2018 and is also a publicist at Theory Communications, an entertainment PR firm founded by women. Cayson has worked with many up-and-coming artists in the Atlanta area and attributes her success to her “go-getter” mindset.
“I know that nothing will be given to me, and that motivates to give my all in making a name for myself,” Cayson said. She believes that women in entertainment PR have been successful because they possess certain skills most men don’t. “Women have a way of making their clients feel comfortable while also being assertive and objective,” Cayson said. “There is a lot of beauty in that.”
Women in entertainment PR have played vital roles in building the brands of many of America’s favorite celebrities. Other high-profile celebrities represented by women are T.I., Ne-Yo and Ariana Grande.
“Women in entertainment PR have been successful because of their ability to empathize with their clients by resonating with their lifestyles,” said Mobley. “Being able to witness the domination of women in entertainment PR firsthand is refreshing and motivates me to excel.”
