Several high-powered publicists are bewildered by a mysterious new website that claims “Hollywood runs on underpaid publicists” and goes on to advocate for better pay and greater respect for their work.
At least two billboards were also erected in Hollywood that say “They Couldn’t Even Afford This Billboard” and “Thank Your Publicist For Your Award.” Both include the line “FYC: Pay Personal Publicists More.”
The website payyourpublicist.com claims that pay for personal publicists has “not meaningfully changed in more than a decade.” It goes on to urge actors to give their publicists a 3% to 4% boost in pay, and for agents to “include provisions for fair compensation for their publicist” when they negotiate a client’s contract.
Retainer fees average $7K to $10K per month for agencies. That doesn’t include whatever one-time commission a publicist could receive in the event he or she signs a branding deal for their client.
It’s not clear who created the site; there is no author listed.
Deadline surveyed several large agencies about the website and billboards — two of which are located off Cahuenga near Wilcox and Melrose — and everyone contacted said this was the first they were hearing of it. Some expressed concern that such a message would only sabotage their profession, especially when so many people in Hollywood are out of work right now.
That didn’t seem to deter whoever created the site. “Despite industry volatility, rising business costs and increasing workloads, retainers have not meaningfully changed in more than a decade,” it reads.
Given that the Primetime Emmys are this weekend, timing of the site is obviously significant. Publicists devote hundreds of hours to obtain FYC coverage for their clients — which is no doubt why the site also included a recommendation to actors that they thank their publicist by name if they win.
“They helped you get there,” the site reads.
The site goes on to urge studios to increase the budget it provides to actors, directors to cover personal publicity costs and for agents, managers and lawyers to “make sure the publicist is compensated appropriately and on a percentage-based fee for their work on a brand deal.”
It even calls on publicists to better advocate for their own worth by not doing jobs for free and to sign clients on a percentage-based commission, “especially for branding deals that you bring to them.”
“Working in publicity means covering dozens of clients, thousands of media and social media mentions, and promoting multiple projects at the same time– often traveling with clients while handling work for others,” the site reads. “They handle everything from strategy around press campaigns to booking hair and makeup for their clients. Unlike agents and managers who receive a percentage-based commission on a client’s earnings, publicists earn a flat monthly fee or retainer. Agents and managers earn more when their clients do, but publicists earn the same amount. And when a publicists’ work results in a branding deal for their client, agents and managers earn money from the deal. Publicists, however, often receive little credit and no consistent financial reward for their efforts.”
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