Press Releases

The benchmark of success for any press release is media coverage. And through dynamic writing, comprehensive packaging of press materials, and the production of publicity photos and graphics, my aim as a publicist is to create press releases that STAND OUT among the other messages in the email box of a news producer, writer, or editor. Here is a sampling of some of my most effective press releases, including images and graphics which I included with their submissions.

Local Business Owner Wants to Buy 1000 Comic Books for Children in Need

(March 20, 2018)

I was contracted by a client to help promote Twin City Comic Con, a challenging prospect given the number of comic book, anime, and fan conventions that were saturating the market. I suggested to the client that we make his event stand out by adding a charitable goal — donating a portion of the ticket sales to purchase brand new, all ages comic books for kids attending Title One elementary schools across the region. He liked the idea so we launched a PR campaign that focused on that, netting lots of coverage. Additionally, I organized a group of superhero ‘cosplayers’ to help deliver the books to the kids, netting even more media coverage. Most importantly, when we donated the books to these kids, the smiles on their faces when they saw the superheroes as well as the books they were getting made all the publicity and organizational work behind the event work it. (Click here to read more.)

Charlie Hebdo documentary kicks off week-long French film fest at Geeksboro

(February 24, 2015)

My business booked a small, French film festival to play in our auditorium for one week, which was hardly the makings of headline news. But one of the films we booked was a documentary about the Charlie Hebdo newspaper, which had become the topic of global news stories after the tragic terrorist attack, which occurred a month previously. I selected that film as the lede for the entire press release, a move which put us on a lot of newspapers’ radar and attracted TV coverage as well. (Click to read more.)

Transgender Superhero and Triad Comic store take on HB2 in September

(August 29, 2016)

Regardless of one’s political beliefs, most North Carolinians agree that the HB2 ‘bathroom bill,’ which openly discriminated against transgender people was a net negative for our state. It soured business prospects and damaged our reputation. Personally, as someone with LGBTQ friends, family members, and associates, it was important to me to find a way to help make a public, meaningful stance against this harmful legislation. So when I found out that a local comic book store was commissioning an exclusive cover of a comic book to protest HB2, I offered to help with the publicity campaign pro-bono. We hosted a ‘premiere party’ for the release of the book and donated a portion of the sales to Equality NC, who were leading the fight against HB2. The end result was that newspapers, TV stations, national websites, and even radio gave us coverage. We even garnered the attention of a newspaper in Atlantic City of all places. And while making a stance on this controversial topic was certainly risky for a comic book retailer, the store I worked with had their biggest sales day ever for the release of the book. (Click here to read more.)

Geeksboro to host Opening Gala for Wes Anderson Art Show

(August 24, 2015)

For this particular event series, I faced a serious challenge — how do you take a bunch of older, previously released films by Wes Anderson and make them newsworthy? My answer was to find ways to demonstrate the impact he made on our culture. So I posted a public art call for a Wes Anderson themed art show. Additionally, I commissioned the immensely talented artist Natalie Andrewson (https://natalie-andrewson.com/) to create a series of art prints inspired by the director’s movies. The results were immensely successful, leaving us with a vibrant, participatory way for our community to celebrate their love for these cult favorite movies. (Click to read more.)

The Triad's Two Biggest Comic Book Stores join forces to open Ssalefish Greensboro

(April 3, 2017)

I was hired by a client to help promote the opening of a new comic book store in Greensboro. Rather than simply rely on a simple press release, I contracted talented photographer Becky VanderVeen (http://www.vanderveenphotographers.com/) to shoot publicity photos of the owners inside their new store. The ability to provide local media outlets with both compelling copy and great stills helped the new store lots of media attention. I also supplied them with talking points to help explain why their new store, which would be the fourth comic book store in Greensboro, was a good business idea. (Click to read more.)

NC Filmmaker Explores Punk Rock's African American Origins

(June 26, 2013)

Upon booking the rock n’ roll documentary “A Band Called Death,” I discovered that one of the film’s directors lived in North Carolina — a fact which might help the film garner attention from the local media. Beyond that, I was fascinated by the movie’s story about three black brothers from Detroit who began playing punk rock music before The Ramones or The Sex Pistols. I arranged for television, radio, and newspaper interviews with the director, and coordinated online screenings for the journalists with the film’s distributor. And while the film barely made a blip in terms of national box-office, it was one of the highest grossing films I had ever played at my theater. (Click to read more)

‘Super’ Nintendo Fan Convention Heading for Downtown Greensboro

(June 16, 2016)

In 2016, I began work on a brand new business venture — Super FamiCon, a convention designed to celebrate the many facets of video game culture. The concept was new and would certainly be a challenge to sell to traditional media outlets who were not always savvy in terms of the cultural impact of gaming. So I hired Cassie Hart Kelly (http://cassiehart.com/) to create publicity artwork that conveyed the fun and excitement of what we were attempting. The result was a first-year success in terms of attendance and, most importantly, ticket sales. (Click here to read more.)