Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Werther.
Hi Ken, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Newton, MA, just west of Boston. I’ve loved the theatre as far back as I can remember. From the time I was seven or eight years old my grandmother took me to see plays at Boston Children’s Theatre and my parents took me to my first musical (“Dear World” starring Angela Lansbury, prior to Broadway!) when I was 12. I always wanted to work in the entertainment business, but unlike others who know they want to be an actor, or director, or writer, etc., I just wasn’t sure. I came to LA in November, 1981, to visit a friend who had gone to work for Embassy Television (formerly Tandem Productions) which was Norman Lear’s company. My friend introduced me to his boss (senior VP of Publicity) and we really hit it off. In April, 1982, she called and offered me a job as her assistant. I packed up, moved west, and started my new job on June 21, 1982. While working as Barbara’s assistant I began my training as a publicist and within a couple of years I had moved on to my next job at a small (“boutique”) PR agency, where I worked with stars like Carol Lawrence, Stepfanie Kramer, Bobby Vinton, Adrienne Barbeau, and the Smothers Brothers. My next gig — the game changer — was for a larger agency that handled “legit,” the industry moniker for theatre. I was the press agent for productions of “42nd Street,” “The Tap Dance Kid,” “Doonesbury,” “Nine,” “Sweet Charity” starring Debbie Allen, and others. Prior to this, when I told people I wanted to work in theatre, they laughed. “Why did you come to LA?,” they would ask. “Why didn’t you go to New York?” Well … no one offered me a job in NYC and I was pretty much done with obnoxious winter weather! Beginning in 1986, I worked in the Center Theatre Group press office (Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, Kirk Douglas Theatre) where I was lucky enough to be involved with history-making productions such as “Angels in America” and “The Kentucky Cycle” (the first two plays in history to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama prior to being produced on Broadway), Anna Deavere Smith’s “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992,” Terrence McNally’s “Master Class” starring Zoe Caldwell and Audra McDonald, “Three Hotels” by Jon Robin Baitz starring Christine Lahti and Richard Dreyfuss, “Jelly’s Last Jam” (prior to Broadway), and many more. Other famous folks with whom I crossed paths during that time included Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, Jane Krakowski, John Glover, Kathy Bates, Lynn Redgrave, Kate Burton, Ron Rifkin, Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Robert Morse, Nancy Marchand, Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill, Joel Higgins, Pam Dawber, Holly Near … what an education I got! I later returned to television PR for a brief period, handling shows such as “Falcon Crest,” “Midnight Caller,” and “She’s the Sheriff” (Suzanne Somers was SO fun to work with!). I worked for a New York PR agency (here in LA) on Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” the American premiere of “Ragtime,” the National Tour of “Master Class” starring Faye Dunaway, “The 24th Day” starring Noah Wyle and Peter Berg, and you guessed it … many more! I did another tour of duty at the Ahmanson Theatre (Lily Tomlin in “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” “Elaine Stritch At Liberty,” the Tony Award-winning production of “Death of a Salesman” starring Brian Dennehy and Elizabeth Franz), pre-Broadway engagements of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “9 to 5 the Musical,” and “Curtains” starring David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk, and then I added the Taper back into the mix (“The Cherry Orchard” starring Annette Bening and Alfred Molina, David Mamet’s “Romance” and “Oleanna.” For the past 15 years I have been working independently and as I am often heard to say, “I like me as a boss!”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Professionally, I’ve actually been very lucky. I was always offered great opportunities — along with television and theatre, I’ve worked on promoting books, coordinating press events, and handling press for various special events. I can’t really say I encountered any stumbling blocks. Personally, my apartment building (located just outside of West Hollywood) burned down in the 1992 riots following the Rodney King verdict … and then there was the Northridge earthquake (1994) … that night (4:31am, actually), I remember thinking to myself, “So this is how it ends!” If THAT didn’t drive me away, I can’t imagine what would.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I once heard that being a publicist is like riding a bike except the bike is on fire, you’re on fire, everything is on fire, and you’re in hell! I couldn’t have said it better! I’m a master multi-tasker (if I do say so myself) and a pretty good diplomat when I have to be. I write and send news releases, I communicate with media folks about reviewing shows I’m working on, I pitch and set up interviews, I coordinate production photo calls and press seats for opening nights … over the course of my career I’ve arranged and picked up meals for actors, made limousine reservations, and once, picking up Tampons. (True story.) I believe I’m known for being truthful and direct. When everything is going crazy, when everyone is going crazy, I often share the philosophy of a producer I worked with many times and loved dearly — “If we’re not having any fun, I don’t want to be doing this.”
How do you think about happiness?
Wow. That is a good question. Generally speaking, I guess I’m happy when the people I love are also happy (and healthy). I’m happy when the sun is shining … hence my move west at age 25! I’ll be REALLY happy if we can hold on to American democracy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kenwerther.com
- Instagram: KenWertherPR
- Facebook: kenwertherpr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-werther-287b586
- Twitter: @KenWertherPR
