Creating Your Own Platform For Publicity

One of my clients is Frances-Anne Solomon - an award-winning director and the founder of the Caribbean Tales Film Festival (CTFF). She has many, many accolades to her name, but her role as a pioneer in the Canadian film industry was the seed for a presentation pitch that I made to Rogers Communications. A few months ago, I followed up with discussions I had with the chair of the Rogers Mosaic Inclusivity and Diversity Committee, Sharon Hinds, at last year’s CTFF festival. She asked me to come up with a concept for Rogers employees to learn about diversity and gain a greater understanding of a cultural experience linked to the CTFF. As Frances-Anne’s publicist, I wanted to create a forum for her to showcase her fabulous speaking ability and her vast knowledge of film, directing and the business of festivals. However, I started thinking about how I could make this event even more powerful and phenomenal. It was then that I realized three women of colour run amazing film festivals in Canada: Caribbeantales (Frances-Anne), Reelworld (Tonya Williams) and both the Toronto and Montreal Black Film Festivals (Fabienne Colas). Imagine all three on stage…together. It had never been done before. Sharon and I brainstormed, and decided to include a short film presentation. We brought the whole concept to the Executive Chair of Rogers Mosaic Stephen Haynes and he loved the idea. Why not have our own mini-film festival during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and call it RIFF - Rogers Inclusive Film Festival? The short film ‘Pick’ was selected by Caribbeantales, which also happens during TIFF. Director Alicia K. Harris and actress Hazel Downey spoke about this powerful story that tells the story of a young girl’s inner turmoil with her afro and how the outer world makes her feel about her hair. I encourage you to watch the videos of the discussions. Due to copyright laws, I could not include the film in my post. This event was presented to an in-house audience of 150 and livestreamed to more than 400 Rogers employees across Canada. The feedback was remarkable and through social media it brought greater attention and awareness of these three film festival heads and the great work they are doing in the industry. Publicity comes in different ways, sometimes it’s organic, other times through pitching to the media…or you create your own opportunities.