As a media platform, we navigate the entertainment world and interact with celebrity or entertainment PR reps and talent managers on a daily basis. For the most part, it’s a smooth partnership. But lately, we’ve hit a wall with certain recurring behaviors that make our jobs incredibly difficult and, quite frankly, make them look terrible to the talent.
We’re not trying to write an industry textbook here, but based on our actual, hands-on experiences in the field, we desperately need to set some boundaries. If you manage celebrities, please take note and adjust your behavior accordingly.
Get out of the back of our interview shots
We are exhausted from seeing managers’ and PR reps’ faces framing the background of our red carpet footage. While some reps are like absolute ninjas—completely invisible as they do their jobs flawlessly—others make a point of hovering directly behind their clients during active interviews. This, of course, does not apply to accidental appearances, which are usually fixed instantly.
But for those who make it a point to appear with their clients, we aren’t sure whether you’re trying to prove you’re working or just want to be on camera, but it looks tacky. It makes your client look like a child who needs a chaperone, and it completely ruins the visual of the interview.
Dress for the event you are attending
We shouldn’t have to say this, but please look presentable at public events. If you are going to stay entirely out of our footage, wear whatever you like. But if you are going to constantly break into our frames, don’t show up looking completely out of place.
You don’t need to be in a tuxedo, but showing up to a formal red carpet in a stained t-shirt and flip-flops is unacceptable. On the flipside, you’re not the main focus of the event, so stop trying to outshine your clients.
Remember that your client is the star, not you
It has become incredibly draining to deal with PR representatives who act like absolute divas. You are there to facilitate the workflow and make your client look good, not to compete with them for attention or authority.
Rudeness to the press can actively break a career
There is absolutely no reason to be hostile toward media crews. The media plays a massive role in shaping public perception. When a representative is rude and acts like they own the venue, they are actively damaging their client’s reputation.
We have personally had to step in and do damage control for actors we know on a personal level because their toxic reps alienated the press.
If a celebrity notices their team behaving this way and chooses to keep them around, the blame eventually falls on the talent, too.
Stop trying to direct our interviews
We are there to do a job, and we know how to do it.
Representatives are welcome to provide a guide of discussion points or clear no-gos before the mic turns on. Once those boundaries are agreed upon, let us work.
Do not try to micro-manage our tone or force us to play a “game” when we are there for a serious, one-on-one conversation.
Your clients and the press see right through the fake power trips
Trust us, we all know exactly when you are picking fights just to look important, and it is genuinely embarrassing for everyone in the room.
Here’s a true story. We recently covered a brand launch event, during which we interviewed its new brand ambassadors.
One actor’s PR representative decided to make things incredibly difficult, picking fights with our crew and aggressively demanding to know our exact questions. It made zero sense, especially since her client was literally being paid by the brand to talk about the product anyway. To avoid a scene, we agreed to read the questions directly off her own phone screen.
The ridiculous part? When we read her exact questions word for word, she snapped and told us, “No, those aren’t the questions.” At that point, the actor was so mortified by her behavior that he literally pushed her aside, apologized, and took over the interview. She completely derailed a professional workflow just to feed her own ego and feel important.
The worst part for her client? The brand representatives were literally discussing how to end the contract while all of this was happening because the actor was deemed difficult to work with, even though he was so professional and pleasant.
Mutual respect regarding scheduling must go both ways
Our time is not less valuable than yours. Media crews will routinely sit and wait for hours without complaint when a client is running late—we once waited a full six hours for a late guest.
Yet, the second we need a single minute to fix a technical hitch or adjust a camera setup, some management teams act as though our delay is an insult.
Keep your personal biases away from the job
If you personally dislike a specific journalist or platform, keep it to yourself and do your job. Showing blatant favoritism to one outlet while acting hostile or dismissive toward another is incredibly unprofessional. Every single media professional on that carpet is there to work.
At the end of the day, we are covering the entertainment industry—it is truly not that deep. Take a breath, cooperate with the crews, and let’s all just do our jobs.
