Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherry Lee.
Sherry, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well, I never thought my life and my sons career would have lead me to Los Angeles. I grew up in Alabama I went to a small country school called Speake in Danville AL. Actually the same place actor Lucas Black came from. I think my graduation class had 25 seniors that graduated with me. I had always wanted to move to a big city but being here makes me appreciate all my friends that I graduated high school with and family back home.
My son turned to acting after a traumatic event in our family. He had filmed a lot in New Orleans and Atlanta, so his manager thought it was time for us to move out to LA. Therefore, as the song goes “We loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly”. We have been here in LA going on 5 years. Our son Grayson Thorne Kilpatrick went SAG-AFTRA in the first month we moved to Cali. I wanted Grayson to have PR here in LA. I could not believe how pricey it was. So for a few months he had PR agent. I started trying to learn more about the Entertainment business. To be perfectly honest the entertainment business was foreign to me as I am an Engineer by trade and currently working on my PhD. But ,I started to submit my son to events I was able to get him into E3, San Diego Comic Con, Queen Mary events and even Instaskate. So some of my son’s friends asked if I could help them. So I started to help the kids and adults that wanted PR but could not really afford paying the high cost. I did not want to take advantage of these people just starting out. I would not want that to happen to my son. So I started to charge extremely low fee, it paid for my gas and parking fees to attend events. I just really wanted to help these actors starting out. I now have Clients in NY, LA, Atlanta and London and even our hometown of Huntsville AL. I never thought I would be assisting, running or escorting talent on the red carpet but I love it. I feel bad when I cannot get my clients into an events or the events does not live up to their or mine expectation. I cannot stand to see the disappointment on their faces. You know you always want to give them a great experience. Sometimes you get a lot of reward seeing your client excel, I am happy for them all and we all celebrate each other’s wins. All my clients support each other. I think 2020 is going to be our year. I have a great friend in the business, we watch out for each other, and I have met wonderful PR agencies that I am so honored to call my friends.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not. There are somedays you want to say, “I’m done”. Coming from the South, I was raised with courtesies. I have gone to event where people felt they were entitled to break in line on red carpet. Just rude.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the GTK PR story. Tell us more about the business.
I am so proud of my clients! I am proud of each event my clients attend to network. I think what sets me apart from others is that I try to help anyone I can, I understand how it feels when you’re a mom of a kid that really want to make it in this business. I wish I had met me when my son had starting 🙂 don’t get me wrong I did have some great people in my corner that still watch after my son. I am so grateful for all the many blessings we have received for him.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
What I have seen social media is king especially Instagram. Everyone ask me to send my clients Instagram link. It seems to have gone to the question “How many followers do you have?” I think that is a big reason you have so much kids with such high numbers yet you do not know who they are. I tell my clients hire a social media manager never big following that is the worst thing you could do. I hope we see more safeties for our minors. I never ever leave my clients at events by themselves. I never leave my son, so I try to treat all the teens as if they were mine 🙂
Pricing:
- 150.00 a month to 300
- I do EPK packages 200-350 depending on how big they are
Contact Info:
- Phone: 3234007409
- Email: gtkprtalent@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/gtkprtalent?igshid=1jlqs5fvhko10
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gtkprtalent/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gtk_pr
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