Why Entertainment Industry Creatives Need a Publicist
A publicity director’s take on why composers, filmmakers, and other creative professionals must treat their careers like a business, and how a publicist helps them do it.
Yes, creative professionals in the entertainment industry are using publicists
If you want to understand what it takes to build a lasting career in the entertainment industry, spend some time talking to a film composer.
Andrew Cohen, our Director of Publicity here at Impact24 PR and a specialist in representing below-the-line filmmakers and creative professionals, has worked with more than 200 composers over the course of his career.
What he's observed is consistent: composers tend to arrive with a business mindset already in place. They rarely need to be convinced that maintaining a social media presence, attending industry events, or investing in strategic marketing are worth their time. They already know these things are non-negotiable.
Andrew recently joined composer and podcast host Matthew Wang on Composer Talk (available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts), where they discussed standout scores, the craft of film music, and the business strategies behind sustainable creative careers. What follows expands on several of the themes from that conversation.
Creative professionals are the CEOs of their own careers
One of the core arguments Andrew makes to clients is that every creative professional in the entertainment industry is, functionally, running a small business. For a composer, that means composing is only part of the job. The rest of the day involves answering emails, attending meetings, maintaining a website, posting to social platforms, and managing the administrative infrastructure of a freelance career, all while trying to find time to actually create.
This dynamic isn't unique to composers. Cinematographers, editors, production designers, costume designers, and other behind-the-camera professionals face the same challenge: how do you signal your value and stay visible in a competitive market when your primary job is executing complex creative work?
The answer, increasingly, is that they don't do it alone. This is precisely why hiring a publicist has become a meaningful career investment for entertainment professionals who are serious about competing at a high level.
A publicist functions like a soloist in an orchestra
In his Composer Talk interview, Andrew offers an analogy that resonates with his composer clients: a publicist is like a soloist brought in for a specific cue. The composer's work is already strong. The soloist adds dimension, presence, and distinction that elevates the whole.
For a creative professional, a publicist serves that same amplifying function. A good publicist operates as an extension of the client, keeping the long arc of their career in view while aligning individual opportunities: press placements, speaking engagements, award submissions, and festival visibility, with a coherent, strategic narrative.
The goal isn't just coverage. It's positioning.
PR is an ongoing strategy, not a launch moment
One of the most persistent misconceptions about public relations is that it's something you activate when you have a project to announce. In reality, effective PR for a creative professional is a long-term investment that works precisely because it doesn't stop between projects.
Strategic visibility–showing up consistently at industry events, contributing to professional communities, maintaining a strong and active online presence– keeps a creative professional top of mind with the people who hire them. When a music supervisor, director, or production company is looking for a composer, editor, or cinematographer for their next project, name recognition matters. Trust matters. And both are built over time, not in a single press push.
Andrew identifies several core activities that constitute effective ongoing PR for creative professionals: industry networking events and mixers, speaking engagements and panel appearances, professional-quality social media content, and active involvement in industry organizations and communities.
As Andrew puts it, "PR is not a one-burst moment. It's a lifestyle."
What this means for below-the-line filmmakers specifically
Our focus at Impact24 PR is on the creative professionals who build the onscreen experience: composers, cinematographers, editors, production designers, and other behind-the-camera talent. These professionals are often overlooked in industry coverage that skews toward directors and on-screen talent, which makes strategic PR even more essential.
Our approach combines media relations with career development strategy: identifying the right visibility opportunities, crafting messaging that reflects a client's unique creative voice, and building the kind of sustained industry presence that supports a long career.