People walk around thinking that any press is good press. I hate to break it to them, but bad press is merely bad press–and, it can take a long time to make your reputation sterling again. Seriously.
We have had clients come to us with bad reputations and ask us to help them, give a little spin to their careers–as long as they are willing to change, then anything can be turned around. A prime example of this would be a client who was perceived as a diva, due to her last manager–she hired us and went on to win multiple awards and people have nothing but great things to say about her work. Yes, her reputation did a 180. She had a great PR team behind her and she decided that making the change was worth it for her career.
We’ve had other clients who pretend to change and their reputation stayed them same. Why? Because, it’s all about perception. If people perceive you a certain way, it’s very hard to get them to change their minds if you keep repeating past behaviors.
The flipside of this is clients who come in with a decent reputation or are brand new and have no reputation–the biz starts to get to them and they stop returning phone calls, miss interviews, don’t show up on set and neither their agent or publicist can corner them. If this is nipped in the bud, it can be OK. But if it continues, a rising starlet can become the object of everyone’s blacklist. And that’s very different from what she envisioned when she signed on with her agent and hired a publicist. Publicists do have a limit as to how much magic that can conjure up–when people stop believing in your client, it’s over. We work in a small industry where people talk and word gets around fast.
What can you do to change your image if it’s a bit tarnished or even seemingly beyond repair? You could hire a publicist who can help you reinvent yourself, but that will only take you so far. A great place to start would be on set–show up 15 minutes early or even on time, be pleasant to everyone you deal with from directors on down to the janitor, come prepared to work with the correct wardrobe and proper grooming, and do the best job you can do on your scene (or scenes). Of course, this is just a start, but simple steps can make a difference. Yes, we do work in porn and people think they don’t have to be professional, but you do–that’s how you can stand out from the crowd, be hired over and over again and make a name for yourself.
Besides your work, people will be looking at you on other levels. What are you saying on Twitter? Are you slamming directors and/or other performers, being nasty to your fans or haters, talking about doing copious amounts of drugs or just being negative? You’d be surprised at who is looking at your Twitter, Facebook, pay site, etc., but people who have influence do. Before you make statements in public forums…think! When you go to parties, are you pulling off your clothes and/or getting beyond drunk? Yes, how you behave at parties counts, too.
If you’re serious about this business and your career, remember perception counts. The Rub PR cannot only make you a star, but can change the old you into something really amazing. Are you ready to make that change? Contact us.