PR Explained The Kell Way

Before I started working at a PR company I did not quite understand what people in the industry do. Turns out I wasn't the only one. After many intensive conversations on the topic, I realized that a lot of people outside the industry either don't know what PR is or have their custom-made definition of it that varies a lot.

Rather than opening a debate on the topic I turned to the famous saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. By that logic, a video is worth even more! So, ladies and gentleman, I present to you Kell on Earth, a reality docudrama about a PR company from New York that works in fashion business.

The story behind the show is: Kelly Cutrone is the ultimate power-woman who founded the PR firm, People's Revolution, some 10+ years ago. Apart from running one of the most successful PR agencies in the industry she is also a sinlge mum and quite a character. Her signature phrase is: 'If you want to cry go outside'.

Kell On Earth follows the daily routine of People's Revolution through Fashion Weeks, boutique openings, small and large-scale fashion shows as well as entertaining office hassle. The viewer gets to know key employees of the firm who get hired and fired as the show goes.

Naturally, this is in no way a representation of what all PR companies do. Since People's Revolution work in fashion industry they do a lot of event organizing which is not typical for PR companies that work in business or technology sector.

Though there are a few key take aways from the show that in my opinion can apply to PR work in general. First, attention to detail is king. In fashion industry that means an elaborated sitting plan for fashion shows, in tech industry it means a well-thought-out strategy or a perfect text that is faultless, reads well and is aesthetically pleasant.

Second, clients who buy PR services often want magic for a dime. It's natural for companies to be budget-conscious and not everything costs a fortune but to avoid disappointments it's important to create realistic expectations.

Lastly, PR work is unpredictable. In every single event shown on Kell on Earth something went wrong: too many people showed up and blocked entrance to an exclusive show, venues cancelled last minute, models fainted in the middle of the show... Things are a bit less dramatic in business and tech sector but they can change fast and drastically nevertheless. The only thing we can do is be prepared, be alert and ready to respond once the opportunity rises.

Watching the show got me really inspired. How awesome would it be to arrange a Fashion Week-style startup show once a year? Something with glam, tonnes of press and best-of-the-best products and services. 

Kell on Earth is available on YouTube. Unfortunately, embedding was disabled in the videos so you'd just have to follow this link below to see it with your own eyes :)

http://youtu.be/J9wk8l97icU

P.S. To my sincere disappointment the show was not continued after the first season.