Navigating the relationship between artists and publicists

It can difficult for many artists to promote themselves or talk about their creative work as a product. To offer insight, independent performer and publicist Tom Dickins grapples with the question, 'Should I hire a publicist?'
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A professional publicist can help you amplify your message. Image via pixabay.com

My role as a publicist working in a small theatre involves working with hundreds of independent performers and producers each year, to help craft the marketing identity of their shows and aid in their audience development efforts.

Each week, I meet with cabaret performers, comedians, indie theatre companies, songwriters and burlesque performers, and time and time again self-produced artists will ask me the seemingly simple question: should I hire a publicist?

Artists have had incredible experiences with publicists, others mediocre, and yet others again have had such drastically negative things to say, that they are actively warning their colleagues against entering into such a relationship. They all offer important perspectives, but it seems that the disparity in their experiences comes down to a lack of awareness around what they can expect when engaging a professional publicist.

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Tom Dickins
About the Author
Tom Dickins is an award-winning singer-songwriter and performer. By day he works as a publicist dedicated to helping artists find their audience as the Publicity and Media Manager at The Butterfly Club, a small independent theatre in the Melbourne CBD.