The Golden Globe goes to... the PUBLICISTS!

Golden Globes – LOVE THEM! Not just because they are the trashiest of the award ceremonies but because its an all in brawl of both TV and movie types. Award ceremonies are huge for me. They combine so many of things I love – red-carpet, frocks, celebs, acceptance speeches, extreme campness and the potential for disaster. Also, in a professional sense, they are incredibly voyeuristic for me.

While watching award shows like the Golden Globes I can’t help but think of the army of publicists frantically working their headsets and Blackberry’s behind the scenes. It is the publicist that makes sure it all runs smoothly. I’vebeen a publicist for far too many years now but I still get off on the buzz of a red-carpet. Don’t be fooled though by the glitz and glam – its hard, sweaty work for the publicist. While craziness swirls all around them, the publicist will be rock solid, cool, calm and collected in the middle of it all.

There were a couple of publicists from last nights show that I am wearing a glittered arm band for today as a showing of support and solidarity. Can you imagine what it would be like to be Ricky Gervais’s publicist? You’d be so excited your client got the top gig, you’ve worked hard on pre-press, you’re full of nervous energy in anticipation of the opening monologue – 10 mins later you realise you won’t be welcome at any after-parties. While he was much-loved online and by the viewers, you could feel the pain in the room. When a celeb is that controversial you just know their publicist is taking some very unpleasant calls – especially from the Scientologists!

One of the publicist’s jobs is to manoeuvre (push, shove, drag, road block) the celeb down the red-carpet. When Helena Bonham Carter’s publicist first saw her outfit their heart would have stopped. Not because of its hideousness but because of the work it would mean for them. Red-carpets are easy if no one is interested in your celeb. They are a NIGHTMARE when everyone wants a chat. Every photographer, every camera crew, every journo would have wanted a piece of HBC on that carpet. That sort of attention would send a publicist straight for their hip-flask.

The Glee cast cleaned up! They will have partied their arses off! Never, ever is this a good thing for a publicist. All those far too young and far too attractive starlets running around drinking, pashing, falling over, flashing – god help them if they end up with Charlie Sheen. The publicist will have spent the whole night trying to prevent anyone getting a photo worthy of page 1 of the National Enquirer. Red-carpet coverage = Good. After-party drunk, nude photos = Lindsay Lohan.

Chris Colfer before after-partying with Charlie Sheen

So when you next watch an awards ceremony please take a moment to celebrate the publicists. They are the brains of the operation, the oil in the cogs, the icing on the cake. They are so rarely acknowledged but awards shows could not survive without them – if I do say so myself. No publicist means everyone looks look shit, wanders around aimlessly, gets drunk and passes out in front of the photographers – just like at the Brownlow.