Meet Clint Morris of October Coast in Burbank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clint Morris.

Clint, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The 12-year-old that worked weekends at the local drive-in theater, flashing a light into cars to ask people to stop pressing on their brakes (and sometimes getting a rude surprise), because he just enjoyed being around “film” so much? I’m still that kid, I guess…

Like so many in the industry – the massage therapist turned studio exec, lawyer turned actor, rally driver turned producer – I started my career in a vastly different realm to the one I ended up in. I was a radio announcer, and later radio producer, who slowly tiptoed up the step ladder at the major commercial networks. This was around when Meatloaf had a hit song every quarter, Costner was the biggest movie star in the world and stations still used ‘carts’. As much as I enjoyed being the jovial, smart-alec on air, I would ultimately start to develop more of an interest in what greases the wheels behind-the-scenes – so transitioned into more of a creators role and ultimately, a marketing and advertising role. Helping make shows, and those on them, successful was rewarding. Punching up product was the calling, it seemed. I would later apply the same tactic working as a junior in publicity at a couple of film distribution companies (one, in fact, probably the biggest studio today – learnt a lot there) as well as for a toy label and some other independent companies. I had the opportunity to combine my love of entertainment and marketing again for television and in the world of publishing, too. Like a sugar-fuelled kid on a hopscotch table, I jumped around a lot in my twenties.

By my thirties, with a young family to consider, I decided to combine those years of experience – particularly what I’d learnt working for studios and as a talent manager – to create an upstart PR outfit. What I couldn’t do at some of the bigger studios was give some of the smaller titles the love they needed, marketing-wise, because I both had someone else to answer to and also because the marketing dollars were usually designated elsewhere. So October Coast would be about giving the smallest of productions – be it a TV series, film, web-series – or freshest face the same kind of premium PR treatment they’d get when they make that A-list. Our all-inclusive packages would really help those smaller independent films and up-and-comers really breakthrough and achieve their goals. And being a perfectionist, one that will stay up every night for a week if they have to to make something happen and before I feel completely satisfied, I believe we’ve succeeded in that. There’s a common thread in everything I’ve done throughout my career – be it in radio, in publishing, and management – my love of helping people. I love to see people happy and successful, and if I can do something to help make that possible, I’ll do it.

Being an Australian, and one that goes back and forth, it was very important I had a team to run the “show” – and I’ve been blessed to have had a wonderful array of publicists, social media gurus, events managers and other go-getters from the beginning, All experts in their own arena, with years of knowledge and know-how, the team – Olivia, Chris, Joe, Ash, Caz, Katie, to name but a few- are the backbone and heart of OC.

Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve worked in industries that were constantly changing – and still are. You never know what’s going to happen from week to week.

The media and marketing landscape has changed a lot over the past couple of decades. The introduction of the internet and digital technology sent shock waves though all slices of my career quiche – those changes killed previously-thriving companies – resulting in pink slips for all of us, jobs were Jurassic parked, complete industries disappeared overnight. It was about not only keeping up with it but making sure you encompassed skills that would still be useful in a world where browsing no longer necessarily referred to checking out the beer menu at the cantina. As difficult as it was at the time, as it always is when there’s such dramatic change, I learnt to not only really embrace the technology but learn as much as I could. And I still do that – a new platform, a new app, a new streaming service, CSS coding tricks- I want to aquatint myself with it as quick as possible. It’s too easy to get left behind otherwise.

When I started the company it was also a risk – and having a family to think about, it was one I didn’t take lightly. Would this pay the bills? Would we be able to continually stay ahead of the curve by offering? Would I be able to travel back and forwards? would I be able to handle the load? Would this ‘industry’ still be viable in a few years? Would I ever be able to sign the cast of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze?

For those first few years, I also had a baby – later rascally toddler – clutched to my shoulder during many hours of the day. So, running a company, taking important calls and meetings, and securing clientele… easier said than done when you aren’t trying to calm a crying bub at the same time. But if Diane Keaton did it (in “Baby Boom”), I could do it, right? And this, after all, is for her – my daughter is the love of my life – and I want her to not only be proud of me but for her to have something to show for all the hard hours Dad did.

I’ve also learnt that it’s very challenging being the captain of your own ship – there’s no real clock-off time, it’s a juggling act at times, you can’t make everything happen, all the time, and typical of any small business, you’re going to get the odd person that takes advantage — which usually entails them skipping out on the bill or asking you to cover it for them. It’s a business – and both sides are guilty of forgetting that sometimes.

One thing I had to remind myself earlier on is that, as sorry as you can feel for someone going through hardships, we all go through them and we all still pay our bills.

We always consider ourselves part of the ‘team’- and I guess that’s a double-edged sword because afterwards, a client (usually one you’ve gone above and beyond for), will then either ask you to “cover the bill for us as part of the team” or just completely ignore payment – because they now need the money to go on a tropical vacation or they’re simply going through a hard spot.

So, my partner had to remind me that it was time to be smarter, recognize people aren’t all full-hearted and honest, and that the next time someone runs out on their bill, I’ll have to tell my daughter we can no longer go on that holiday we had planned or we can’t eat out for a few months. Plus, someone has to pay the staff that worked on it – which is where our saved vacation money usually goes. So yes, I’ve had to become a little tougher, more discerning, smarter and more protective of OC.

Things have changed a lot in the last couple of years though – I’ve learnt that the ship is sails just as fun with a crew, united with a common goal, as opposed to a run-off-his-feet captain.

I oversee every campaign, and work with our clients on molding a plan from the outset, as well be readily available for all, but having a capable team means I’ve been able to slowly transition into an owner role – one who has learnt to trust, designate and spend more time building some of the new ventures I have planned under the OC label and other creative ventures I’m quietly working on – all in the realm of film – while the wheel turns and wonderfully so.

As I’ve heard from many others, not in this business but that run others, the stress and exhaustion factor can be stout. So while I search for a good Yoga studio, I’ve dedicated 20 minutes of each night to dancing with the cats to the Bee Gees.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the October Coast story. Tell us more about the business.
October Coast is a company known for marketing feature films, television, talent and other aspects of the entertainment business. We’re best known for our work with a number of film studios and distributors, as well as production companies and sales outfits, but we also represent individual talent – actors, filmmakers, composers and so on. Each and every month we might be working on as many ten different feature films, and of different shapes and sizes, several TV and web series, individual campaigns and running numerous events across the city.

The big pluses of working with OC include our many years of experience (in not only this industry but other applicable industries) which means, of course, tight relationships with the media (probably the most important thing in PR) and the skills, knowledge and work ethic to get the job done – and get it done very well, Our very affordable, all-inclusive packages, and the approach we take to every campaign – we see ourselves as part of the team, be it part of the film or an extension of that actor or actress, so it’s just as important to us that we kick some major goals. Our prices have also only slightly gone up since we started because we want to continue being that affordable alternative — somewhere folks can get the royalty treatment and not be locked into a super-expensive six-month marketing contract. We will try to work with every budget, especially if it’s a product of person we really believe in – and we won’t to take the job on if we’re not. I want people to know I’ve got their back, and we’re in it with the same goal. Again, it simply goes back to the fact that I like helping people – – I’m overjoyed when I see a film selling out in theaters or on DVD that we’ve marketed or to hear that an actress or filmmaker that we represent has been able to get those meetings, or a new gig, as a result of their work with us. That’s what it’s all about. We strive for that on each job.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The PR industry changes each and every week – whether it be new publishing platforms going away and others popping up in their place, the type of coverage on offer, how journalists like to be pitched, the type of stories being covered, the space being offered, what products are working in the marketplace this week mightn’t necessarily be desired next month, or how a particular product or service is marketed . But it’s going beyond that.

Unless you have long-standing, tight relationships with journalists, it’s also going to be harder and harder to get their attention or interest them in a piece about your client. Media are inundated with review, interview and feature requests, daily, thousands and thousands of emails, and those requests are only going to increase. It’s also one thing to have really solid relationships with the media but also to know who they are, what types of subjects they’re usually interested in covering, and how they like to be pitched. One thing that’s going out the window is the mass e-mail pitch – it’s all the personal, thought-out and respectable personal note now.

It’s also important to remember that “media” doesn’t necessarily mean the trade journalist or television host. It can mean the 14-year-old playing video games, live streaming it an audience of millions on his YouTube channel, or the stay-at-home-mother reviewing products on her blog from her house in the country. They’re just as important — and in the future, may be even more so. A recommendation from someone they really trust or feel a bond with can go a long, long way – that’s what the blogger, vlogger and influencers can provide.

It is going to become even more vital for someone in PR to put aside time each night to read. Read about the current and trends, who is doing what and with whom, and, if even via reading their posts or tweets, spend time with both the consumer and media so you get a better idea of who they are.

It’s also been very hard to track ROI with PR. You’ll see more and more companies popping up that provide software solutions to track a campaign.

There’s going to be a greater demand for the publicist that can deliver more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.octobercoastpr.com
• Email: ceo@octobercoast.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/octobercoastpr/
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/octobercoastpr/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/octobercoast

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