They go almost unnoticed. They are, however, essential players in the cultural milieu. The duty offers a series of portraits of shadow trades, through the confidences of professionals who practice them or have already practiced them. Today: the relationists.
“We take care of the place that exists between culture and journalists, the media”, says about her job the publicist Rosemonde Gingras, at the head of Rosemonde communications, which notably includes Espace Go and the Museum of civilization among its customers. By extension, the profession of press attaché is the privileged intermediary that allows artists to reach their public. “The detailed knowledge of this environment, it is we who have it”, explains the one who has followed her vocation for twenty years. And to continue: “I understand today that I was destined for this work, because it responds to my bulimia for culture in all its aspects. According to her, there would in fact be no better position to maintain contact with all the key people in the culture.
“I’m always thinking about how I can connect things and people in order to promote them in the public space,” explains Rosemonde Gingras. In summary, public relations officers do not count their hours, and their dedication is complete.
What is the context? What is the message to convey? What tools are available? Which path to take? All these questions are thus part of the well-filled daily life of a public relations specialist. “There are also press releases, media events, the deployment of strategies, promotion,” underlines Rosemonde Gingras. The primary mission of a press attaché is indeed to interest and convince journalists thanks to hard-hitting and precise information.
“Everyone is capable of making a press list. That’s not what being a relationalist is all about,” notes Caroline Rompré, founder of the agency PixelleX communications, which specializes in cinema. Rather, it speaks of a bond of trust that has been built over the years with journalists and the media. “The cliche of the press officer who sends out a press release and waits for things to happen, no. This is not our reality,” she says. On the contrary, it is necessary to always be available, because it is not possible to lose an interview or a possibility of coverage, but also to know each journalist well, with his habits and his interests.
Often I do much more than press relations and almost have a side coach
“Our clients do not necessarily master the entire media ecosystem, so our added value is found here”, rightly believes Olivier Lapierre, who works in the sectors of tourism, development, visual arts and festivals and who had the call of public relations from an early age, by dint of “consuming” the media, both French and English. “I spend a third of my time consulting the local and international press, because there are always issues that may be of interest to our clients to better get their message across,” he says.
For this independent publicist, these advanced media skills are also an obvious guarantee of efficiency. “The information should not reach all journalists in Quebec, but the most relevant,” he maintains.
Valuable advice
With many years of experience on the Quebec and French music scene, Jérémy Spellanzon, press relations coordinator at POP Montreal and independent publicist, likes to make the artists with whom he collaborates benefit from his vast network. “Often, I do much more than press relations and I almost have a side coach. I establish a communication link between everyone, not just with the media, so that everyone meets the right people,” he says enthusiastically. When he defends a project, he does not bet everything on press relations, but on teamwork with the whole community.
This inclusive and benevolent vision is also shared by Caroline Rompré, who makes it a point of honor to support the filmmakers whose promotion she manages. “I’m present at their side during film meetings, for example, and I’m more and more involved in strategies and the release schedule for films,” she adds. Beyond this availability, the profession of public relations officer also requires a great capacity for organization, adaptation and reaction. The more time PRs spend with their clients, the more they understand their projects and can find interesting angles to pitch them to the media. “These are privileged moments which, in the end, help to promote and develop the local culture”, adds Jérémy Spellanzon.
“We offer more than just a service. We incorporate the vision of our clients, which allows us to also offer a more adequate consulting service than ever because of the situation of culture in the media”, finally believes Rosemonde Gingras. According to her, staying constantly on the lookout and listening to her network of contacts and deepening her understanding of the underground architecture of the press is fundamental. “That’s how we manage to move forward coherently,” she concludes. No more no less.