When Entertainment Meets Political PR
by Jackie on Apr.07, 2009, under Public Relations, celebrity, press
Spoiler: This will deal with already disclosed information regarding an upcoming episode of (ed. one of my favorite shows) “House.” To not learn who does something to themselves or someone else, stop reading.
Kal Penn’s character, Kutner, commits suicide.
The leak of the upcoming offing is a pretty good Entertainment PR scheme to help boost ratings for a show that’s doing quite well on its own (both with new episodes AND in syndication). But Penn’s reason for leaving the show is far more interesting than his character’s reason for committing suicide.
Approached by the Obama camp, Penn will be the associate director in the White House Office of public liason (big pay cut, but still an impressive resume addition).
Now, there are countless actors that go into politics (Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, etc), but it’s interesting to see an actor move from a successful show to join the bureaucracy. What’s interesting is that Penn’s move is from entertaining to Political PR, where his talents for spin and feigned concern might come in quite handy.
What people fail to recognize is that a Political PR and Entertainment PR are incredibly similar: both fields try and represent their clients in the best light possible, both often find themselves dealing with clients embroiled in scandal, and both work ’round the clock to keep their business dealings in the public’s positive light.
While I’ll sorely miss Kutner on “House,” it’ll make for some interesting fall out, which, ironically, I’m sure Penn’s move to Washington will, too.
For an in-depth interview with Penn as well as “House” creators David Shore and Katie Jacobs, check out this “House Exclusive.”
Jackie for AMP3pr.com
