Executive Voice
Carmen Grayson 1 on 1 about Publicity | Exclusive Interview

Meet Carmen Grayson. Hollywood’s experienced entertainment publicist. Carmen Grayson is a 43-year-old publicist from San Fransisco, California currently residing in East Bay born on April 25th. Carmen Grayson has been recognized by many celebrities and has worked for many notorieties around LA. She started with Bay Area club reports (hence why she’s also known as Msbayarea411) with DJ Backside on 106.1 KMEL and was an on-air personality for 94.1 WHAP Radio ‘Where the Hits are Played’ for top trending musicians. Carmen Grayson expands that margin too. She has been featured on TV; 2 episodes of WeTv Reality Show in 2017.
Let’s get a closer look. We got to speak directly with Carmen and interview her about matters, beliefs, work ethic, you name it.
Q: You witnessed the revolution from traditional PR into measured/quantifiable PR and the incursion of social media and modern audience engagement. How did you infuse it into your working business model? How did you scale up or scale through?
A: A huge aspect has been being tuned into and seasoned with social media and the different platforms that are available. Being able to work with huge influencers has really spruced me up and brought me current into what is currently out there.
Q: Your work spans mostly creatives in the US. Any reason why that client-sphere worked for you? Was it deliberate, strategy, luck, or just work?! Tell us about your team.
A: I currently work for Elegant PR and we are constantly growing to serve all aspects of the entertainment industry, whether it is for a social activist cause, athlete, actor, artist, musician, or even international as well. Branching out and partnering up with different individuals has prepared us to serve mostly anyone who is in the need of PR needs.
Q: During a project: marketing, production launch, box office results, how early do you get in on a project? When do you assert your influence on the project?
A: As soon as I have retained a client. We map out a 3-month plan where goals are set and we begin to execute for those dates on the calendar. Literally, on the 1st day, we begin to put the plan in play so we can accomplish all the goals.
Q: Why social activism? What about social activism attracted you? Tell me about your personal brush with domestic violence? We’d love to make a connection to your background and so will the reader.
A: It is important to have a voice and a place where people just like me with similar encounters can have a place to turn. I was young when I was in a relationship and was damaged pretty badly by verbal and physical abuse. I thought this was normal. I had nobody to turn to or at least who I thought I trusted. I was silenced. I was terrified to let my parents or even close friends know. I did not want to make myself feel worse than what I had already felt. I was stripped, made insecure and most importantly my light was dimmed.
Q: How much do you educate, build rescue and heal domestically violated people? Do you see any changes? Are we working at the root of this problem, or has it come to stay forever? It is a troubling subject.
A: Domestic violence is huge. As a survivor of domestic violence, I have made it a point to talk about my past experiences and to let others like myself know that you are not alone. The more awareness I can put out there and educate people can make a difference and even save a life. We are taught to always speak about the positive things in our lives and it’s taboo to speak about the negative things. We should not be ashamed or feel we deserve to be treated horribly. I want to make an impact and help those with similar stories. The more it is discussed and accepted in society the more resources we will have to try and overcome domestic violence.
Q: What else do you have that’s currently in the works?
A: I am branching out to work with international clients now. Nigerian artists are crossing over into the US music industry and I have begun structuring marketing and branding plans to provide services to these artists. I believe in being able to serve all artists internationally is a huge benefit.
Follow Carmen Grayson –
https://instagram.com/carmengraysonpr
