Not Always Glamorous

What they say about the entertainment industry is mostly true. What the average person believes about the industry despite what “they” say is false. Yes, there is glamor and it’s a very rewarding field no matter what particular area you are involved in. Why else would I be in this field? I love what I do and if I didn’t, there’s no way I’d last.

Writing, music and working with people are my passion. I’m fascinated by the industry and just about everything that’s involved in it. However, constantly working with people who don’t take you seriously or who won’t give you the time of day is not something I enjoy or could ever get used to.

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive about running StarShine is how I get to meet and interview the celebrities in the magazine. I’m usually pretty vague about the details for several reasons. One, is the fact that despite those who are interested for either professional intentions or who are just curious, there’s those who want to use that information to their advantage of meeting their favorite star. Another reason I don’t spill the information is because I had to figure things out on my own in the beginning and I’ve worked very hard at making it this far. By telling every other magazine, person, etc. my secrets, I’m just making it more difficult for myself in the future. If just anyone could set up an interview with Jessica Simpson, it makes it that much harder for me and every other serious journalist to interview her the next time around.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all about helping fans get closer to their favorite stars, but there’s a line that has to be drawn. I’m also all about helping other people, including journalists, to achieve their dreams, but I am careful who I talk to. It’s sad, but unfortunately we live in a world where we can’t trust everyone, even those who claim to be our friends. Believe me, in the press world, there are plenty of people who are your “friend”. I’ve had instances where other press try to befriend me to get information or contacts in the business out of me. I’ve also had instances where I’ve had friends and all they really want out of me is an autograph or for me to get them to meet their favorite stars or to get them somewhere in their career.

Then there’s this whole other world I have to deal with, the insiders. The publicists, managers, celebrities’ families, and record companies. I’d say publicists are the problem more than anyone, but on occasion, you do get a nasty celebrity parent who doesn’t take you seriously. Of course, you also get the overly friendly celebrity family members who make you feel at home too, like Denise McLean for instance.

Publicists are usually who I go through to get an interview. Since managers are taking care of everything else, they leave the publicity part up to someone else, which is supposed to make for a more productive team. However, that’s rarely the case. I am a publicist myself, and I know there are publicists out there who are great at what they do and really make things happen for their clients.

Then you have these big publicity firms who just can’t get the job done. They either pay attention to one big client and let the rest of them fall in between the cracks or they just don’t care about interviews unless it’s with MTV or Rolling Stone. What’s even worse is, the artists have NO idea their publicist is telling every journalist that they are unavailable for interviews. So the artist misses out on tons of publicity without even knowing it.

If you ever wonder why certain artists you requested aren’t in StarShine more or even at all, just remember these little factors. It’s usually not StarShine or the actual artists’ fault. This has been bugging me lately, so I thought I’d share a little insider’s look into StarShine Magazine. Maybe I’ll make it a regular column if you enjoy it. Please comment and let me know.