Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Besignano.
Heather, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began my career as an entertainment publicist in 2008 when I moved from Houston, TX to Los Angeles. I applied at many PR firms, record labels, and studios and ultimately found my home at Much and House PR as an assistant to the owner of the firm. I found a passion for working with talent and helping to guide and shape their careers, whether they were household names with a new project, emerging talent or someone re-defining themselves. Over the years, I made my way to COO of the firm working on Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, SAG and Golden Globe campaigns. In January 2018, I opened the doors at ICON PR with a group of talented, young publicists who share the same visions that I do.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Public Relations is not for the weary! I’ve had long-time clients fire me, have worked nine weeks straight without a day off during awards season, stood for hours in high heels in the rain – the list could go on. There are a lot of nights and weekends working in talent publicity and they can be challenging. That being said, the struggles have paid off over the years and have given me opportunities beyond my wildest dreams!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ICON PR story. Tell us more about the business.
ICON PR is a bi-coastal public relations firm that specializes in talent, music, and influencers. We represent film and television actors as well as films and work with a wide variety of music artists in all genres. I think we are best known for cultivating PR campaigns that are designed specifically for each client. We know that PR today is much different than it was ten years ago and that you must be inherently creative and somewhat aggressive in your approach in order to create a successful campaign. I think we are different than some of the other PR firms because we understand the influence the digital world has given to clients careers and how public relations is now handled. The landscape of media will continue to quickly change and we aim to always be on the forefront of those changes.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Good luck has been everything for me! I didn’t know anyone in the industry when I moved to Los Angeles. Given the industry is all about “who you know”, it wasn’t an easy transition. I met an incredible human being, Amanda Cee, at the taping of the Roast of Gene Simmons for Comedy Central while out one evening. She worked at the PR firm, I would go on to work at for a decade and was kind enough to send through my resume – ultimately resulting in my hire. I started my own firm without any loans or debt and was able to operate a successful business and grow my staff immediately. I believe in positive affirmations in life, as well as hard-work, mixed in with a little luck.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8961 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 1C
West Hollywood, CA 90069 - Website: www.icon-publicity.com
- Phone: 760-932-0390
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icon_pr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconPR
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/icon_pr
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
