So, What Do You Do?

Sometimes when I tell people I work in PR, they mistake me for a publicist. They think I go to parties and big events and shmooze famous people all day. I can sense their disappointment when I tell them a publicist is a different kind of PR and that I do corporate PR. I have to explain that I don't go to parties all the time, in fact, I usually don't go anywhere at all unless it's a trade show which I do not consider a party in any way, shape or form. And instead of shmoozing famous people, I schmooze reporters and editors. Who, by the way, are famous to me. I would love to meet David Pogue from The New York Times some day.

So yesterday, I got to hang out with a real life publicist of a real life famous person, and you know what? Her job isn't so glamorous.

My women's fashion & lifestyle magazine client had a photo shoot in LA yesterday to shoot the cover of our upcoming spring issue. The celebrity cover girl was there along with her publicist. Can I say uptight? We are all pretty chill as far as those of us on the magazine side go, even our cover girl was chill, but the publicist! She was constantly pacing the room, checking her BlackBerry, tapping her toes, tugging at her hair, taking calls, announcing they were going to be late for this and that ...

Ok, ok, she was just doing her job. I don't want to belittle any publicists reading this. But the point is, why does everyone think being a publicist is so glamorous? The PR that I do is worthwhile, too! And hey, I got to meet and interview a celebrity for the first time ever, and that was pretty cool!

It's funny how sometimes you think the grass is greener, or how other people's perceptions of what you do is not as interesting as it's all talked up to be; it can make you feel down about your job. Or, on the flip side, maybe you think your job is really something, but you have a hard time explaining what it is that you do?

I feel like this post is just kind of rambling, sorry, but ever since I started working from home it's been interesting how much thought I've put into how to describe precisely what I do now to people in a way that sounds impressive. It makes me feel so vain, ugh.