Session 6: The World of Entertainment PR with Warner Bros. Television
Sunday, October 27, 2013

As if the title of this session didn’t attract a large group of people to attend, there was a cupcake social directly after for all the attendees. The Warner Bros. Senior Vice President Tammy Golihew spoke to a room of young PRSSA members. The room was packed 20 minutes before the presentation even began.

Golihew has an extremely impressive career story. As of now, she oversees more than 50 shows national and internationally for Warner Bros. The passion she demonstrated about her career was mind blowing. She loves what she does. The vibe she gave of herself was very down to earth. Yes, she has an extremely distinguished career, but her personality and characteristics prove her level-headiness.

There was plenty of advice given in this panel-like session. Jeff Tobler, Director, Publicity Incentives, spoke with Golihew. It was mentioned how important it is to keep press releases short and to the point. They also should be consumer based, and the headline of the press release should “sing” as Golihew put it. They also spoke of how emailing is preferred over phone calls for some people. Emails are written and can be pulled up for reference anytime; however, a phone call has no record. Golihew and Tobler made it clear that Warner Bros. refuses to trash talk competing companies. This is vital and shows Warner Bros. is a company that has standards. “Being the bigger person” is exactly what this act entails.

Another important topic the two speakers covered was everyone has a digital reputation. Golihew mentioned, “If you question if you should send the tweet, save it in your drafts.” I like what she said because if you are still thinking you should send the tweet a few hours later, then by all means send it. It’s important to keep in mind, though it is your reputation you are putting out there for everyone with an online profile to see.

The Warner Bros. session was a very informative and encouraging one. It’s fun to do what you love for a living.