©Susan Smythe-Bishop 2022
A bit of background - over the years I’ve had the good fortune of working on the Canadian launch plans for hundreds of incredible movies and series from a number of award-winning studios that include New Line/Fine Line, Miramax, The Weinstein Company, Lionsgate and most recently, Netflix (their staff are truly awesome people, btw). I've also had the pleasure of working with independent Canadian directors/producers such as David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Paul Gross.
My career as a film publicist granted me a very unique lens through which to observe the bizzaro world of celebrity - that is, the world behind the curtain. Over the years I have worked with some wonderfully kind and talented artists who I have a great deal of respect for, and some who have left me feeling deflated. I've also worked with many film executives from studios who have run the gamut from being polite and professional to being maniacal egomaniacs. This career can be really weird and often misunderstood and contrary to what many believe, it is not a sexy career. At least mine certainly was not!
Part of the role of a film publicist is, from time-to-time, to bring actors and directors to town to do media interviews in support of their most recent project. We prepare schedules for them that include not only the interviews but also screening events (that we have also organized); security protocol and other intimate details like arranging for their hair and makeup; helping to organize their wardrobe; booking the hotel they will stay in; when and where their meals will happen and with who, and all of their ground and air transportation etc.
If you can set aside the celebrity factor for a moment, and then think about it - it's a pretty weird dynamic when total strangers (often with big personalities) land in your city and you are suddenly thrust together to navigate an intricate schedule over the course of a day or two. These types of situations are bound to spark funny/awkward situations, and they often do.
So, I want to tell these stories - though not from an egocentric, humble brag point of view, it's never been about that for me. Dealing with celebrities (and all that comes with them) was always my least favourite part of the job - I just think these are just genuinely fun stories to tell. I learned a great deal from these situations, good and bad, and I’ve wanted to write about and illustrate these experiences for some time now. Just click on each image to read about my experiences. I will continue to add illustrations to this page!
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