Justice for Tom Sandoval’s Crisis Publicist
His agency’s young account manager went viral for messing up a New York Times profile, but she doesn’t deserve responsibility. Her boss does.
Tom Sandoval posed for the New York Times Magazine’s Hollywood issue. The accompanying profile went viral for all the reasons (i.e. Sanvodal comparing his cheating scandal to the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson). But he wasn’t the only one in internet hot water: His crisis agency sent a junior account manager to the profile, she spoke to the Times on record, and her quotes went viral as a huge PR flub.
This account manager messed up big time, speaking to the Times as if she were Sandoval’s fan. She failed even to tell the reporter her statements were off-record, and she let Sandoval make the Simpson comparison. But she doesn’t deserve the blame. Her bosses do, which points to a major problem with big Hollywood public relations firms.
Many presume a PR firm performs well because it’s large, rents a fancy office, and staffs an army of young employees. However, these agencies often fail their famous clients because they pass stars on to young, inexperienced staff.
Established publicists run major PR firms. They lure in the clients, then let recent college graduates manage the accounts and perform day-to-day work.
It’s evident in the Sandoval case his account manager was pushed into a situation above her experience. The firm should have sent a senior publicist, with a younger staffer tagging along to learn on the job.
This young staffer is now facing a social media mob, but the criticism should go towards her bosses. It’s wrong to put a young employee in this situation.
Sadly, this scenario will likely happen again. Public relations doesn’t work at scale. Until AI can wine and dine reporters, robots won’t replace publicists. Size brings no added benefits. But celebrities continue to trust big firms that hand them off to young, inexperienced flacks.
The good news is the tide is turning. Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities are shifting to working with boutique agencies that charge more but supply better services. When you’re a celebrity looking for public relations, small and experienced is the way to go. Otherwise, you can end up like Sandoval. Who wants to end up like that?