Making Canadian Stars: Why Publicity Matters in Entertainment

Canada has no shortage of talented actors, filmmakers, and storytellers. But creating great work is only part of the equation. Getting that work in front of audiences, generating media attention, and building recognizable names requires something equally important: publicity.

Finding Her Place in Entertainment Publicity

Amira's career in public relations wasn't exactly planned.

After graduating from Carleton University with a political science degree, she moved to Toronto and began exploring career opportunities. While volunteering at Toronto Fashion Week, she connected with the owner of a luxury PR agency and eventually landed an internship.

Although the experience introduced her to the world of publicity, she quickly realized luxury PR wasn't where she wanted to build her career.

An opportunity to intern at an entertainment PR agency changed that.

Representing actors and filmmakers allowed her to combine her love of film and the arts with the strategic side of communications. Unlike promoting a product, working with talent meant understanding their personalities, ambitions, and long-term career goals.

That experience helped establish the foundation for a career dedicated to championing creative talent.

What Does an Entertainment Publicist Actually Do?

When people think about entertainment publicity, they often picture red carpets, premieres, and celebrity interviews. But much of the work happens long before anyone steps in front of a camera.

Photo Courtesy of Amira de Vera

Amira describes days spent writing press releases, developing biographies, researching media opportunities, pitching journalists, coordinating interviews, and managing publicity logistics.

While attending premieres and festivals is part of the job, those moments require preparation and coordination to position clients for meaningful exposure.

At the centre of it all are relationships.

For Amira, building trust with journalists, producers, and media outlets has been essential to her success. Those relationships not only help secure coverage but also create opportunities for clients to establish connections that can benefit their careers beyond a single project.

Publicity, she explains, isn't simply about getting someone featured. It's about building recognition over time.

Why Canada Needs a Stronger Star System

One of the episode's most compelling conversations centres on Canada's ongoing efforts to build a stronger star system.

Despite producing internationally recognized talent, Canada has historically struggled to promote its own actors and filmmakers with the same consistency and investment seen in the United States.

Amira recalls the early years of her career, when securing Canadian media coverage for Canadian talent was particularly challenging. She has since witnessed a shift in how domestic artists and productions are celebrated, but believes significant gaps remain.

One of the biggest challenges? Marketing investment.

While funding and resources often focus on making productions, publicity and audience development can become an afterthought.

For Amira, this creates a missed opportunity. A film or television series can be exceptional, but without a strategy to reach audiences, it risks going unnoticed.

Photo Courtesy of Amira de Vera

Building a Canadian star system requires more than producing great content. It means investing in the people behind that content, promoting their accomplishments, and ensuring audiences know who they are.

The Changing Media Landscape: Beyond Traditional Media

The entertainment publicity industry has changed dramatically since Amira began her career in 2009.

Traditional media outlets remain important, but social platforms, independent journalists, and digital creators are reshaping how audiences discover entertainment.

During the conversation, Amira reflects on attending a Hollywood premiere where content creators were invited to cover the red carpet alongside traditional journalists.

For her, it demonstrated how the American entertainment industry has adapted its publicity strategies to changing audience behaviours.

Canadian entertainment, she argues, still has opportunities to embrace these approaches more fully.

She’s already seeing the benefits firsthand. Content creators can publish interviews and event coverage quickly, reach engaged communities, and generate conversations around projects in ways that complement traditional publicity.

Even platforms like Substack are becoming part of her media outreach strategy as independent journalists build their own audiences.

The lesson is clear: publicity strategies must evolve alongside the audiences they're trying to reach.

Why Creatives Need to Stop Waiting to Be Discovered

For emerging actors and filmmakers, Amira has a straightforward message: don't be afraid to promote your work.

One of the recurring challenges she encounters is creatives approaching publicity too late, sometimes just days before a film premiere, without the materials or strategy needed to support a campaign.

Successful promotion requires planning, whether that means preparing film stills and trailers, identifying media opportunities, or allocating a publicity budget early in production.

But preparation is only part of the challenge.

Amira also believes Canadian creatives can be hesitant to celebrate their accomplishments publicly, often out of concern that self-promotion might appear boastful.

Photo Courtesy of Amira de Vera

She encourages artists to recognize that pride in their work and humility aren't mutually exclusive.

After investing months or years into a project, creators should feel confident sharing it with the world.

This mindset could help more Canadian talent build the visibility and recognition needed to sustain their careers.

From Publicist to Entrepreneur

Before founding Project Four PR, Amira gained experience working in agencies and corporate communications.

Her transition into entrepreneurship happened organically when former clients began approaching her for freelance publicity support while she was between jobs.

Over time, those opportunities developed into an independent business.

Although entrepreneurship offered greater control over her career, Amira is candid about the responsibilities that come with running an agency.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to gain experience, understand the business, and establish professional relationships before making the leap.

One of her proudest accomplishments has been reaching a point where new clients find her through referrals rather than constant outreach.

For Amira, those recommendations represent something more meaningful than business growth: a reputation built on trust, consistency, and years of delivering results.

Breaking Into PR in the Age of AI

For anyone interested in entering entertainment publicity, Amira emphasizes two essential skills: writing and understanding the media landscape.

While artificial intelligence can be a useful tool, she cautions aspiring professionals against relying on it at the expense of developing their own writing and critical-thinking abilities.

Strong writing remains central to public relations, from crafting compelling pitches to developing messaging that resonates with journalists and audiences.

Equally important is knowing the media outlets, journalists, and platforms you’re hoping to reach.

That means reading articles, following industry developments, understanding what different publications cover, and staying curious about how audiences consume information.

In an industry that changes constantly, adaptability and continuous learning are essential.

Finding Balance in an Industry You Love

Beyond publicity strategies and career advice, Amira reminds listeners to maintain balance.

Working in entertainment can be exciting, but it can also become all-consuming, especially when personal passion and professional responsibilities overlap.

Her advice is to nurture the work you love without allowing it to become your entire identity.

Taking time away from the industry, pursuing hobbies, and experiencing life outside of work can offer renewed perspective, creativity, and energy.

It's a reminder that building a successful career shouldn't come at the expense of enjoying the life you're working to create.