Wednesday 6 November 2013

Public Relations on the Silver Screen

I am not ashamed to admit that I am a bit of a movie junkie. So, I thought why not combine my love for movies with my future career in PR. Public relations people are known for their work behind the media, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t gotten their fair share of screen time too!

Here is my list of the top five movies with hints of PR in them:

1.     Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001, 2004)


In the movies based on the bestselling books, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. The story revolves around Bridget, a single, thirty-something publicist trying her best to find love, all while staying on top of her publishing game.

2.     America’s Sweethearts (2001)

This classic romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, John Cusack, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is a prime example of why transparency is key in the PR world. When movie stars Gwen (Zeta-Jones) and Eddie (Cusack) break up just before the premier of their new movie, their publicist (Crystal) hatches a plan to keep them together for the sake of the box office.

3.     Hancock (2008)


In this bad guy turned good superhero film, Will Smith stars as Hancock, a broken down, alcoholic superhero. Who, with the help of public relations practitioner, Ray Embrey, played by Jason Bateman, turns his image around, and uses his powers for good, showcasing just how useful PR can be.

4.     Jersey Girl (2004)


Ben Affleck stars as a Manhattan public relations executive who loses everything in this movie. When his wife dies during childbirth, Ollie (Affleck) must make some big decisions, including whether to give up the job he loves in order to raise his daughter, and reminds us of what really matters along the way.

5.     Sex and the City (TV 1998-2004, Movies 2008, 2010)


While the character of Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrell) may not always be the poster girl for everything we should aspire to be as PR students, she was a successful PR firm owner in New York City over the course of the hit show and two movies that followed. She is confident, strong, and outspoken, which doesn’t hurt when it comes to handling big celebrity publicity like she does!


All these films look at PR from a different perspective, and teach us different things about the importance of PR in all its forms in today’s society. Did I miss any films that have hints of PR in them?

3 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful post! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! I hope to read more of your post which is very informative and useful to all the readers. I salute writers like you for doing a great job!public relation

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  2. It's great you published this! I once thought about which films portray some form of public relations and the only thing that came to mind was Sex & The City. I've seen some of the listed movies before but never thought of its connection to public relations. If I watch any of these films, I will definitely think about it in a different way.

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  3. Thanks ladies, your support is really appreciated! Rachel, I thought the same thing when I started writing, now I see hints of PR in lots of things I watch. Try the TV show Scandal for a good media relations drama!

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