#pr anon

https://www.tumblr.com/biancasaidstfu/822600810218274816/i-would-like-to-know-if-pr-anon-2-has-been?source=share

I would like to know if PR Anon 2 has been following the saga since papgate and

Yes, I have been following Bton cast since before Press 2 junkets. I am a brown woman and I was intrigued with how I’d heard that was being handled. I watched the Simone, Jonathan Bailey, and Charithra fan crashouts live, some outrage was justified. I saw S3 get announced. I saw Jade and Luke break up. I've seen his March 2023 article announcing he was single on Raya (which has been scrubbed), HBS, Rory, Sienna Jack, Antonia coming into the picture and everything since then. I’ve been lurking around. More recently, I’ve been impressed with Jade’s career and the impact her world tour has had on her personal growth, and more impressed with her sister, Amber’s career.

1) what her assessment is of the last two years, what are we actually watching

It’s pretty standard in some sense. Nicola is focused on meaningful projects and has taken a step back from social media since the attention from S3. She made great use of when the limelight was on her - whether with brand deals, charity, or projects. Nicola has had a focus on her personal life too but has had projects to distract from it. Her Skims campaign received some criticism given her charity efforts that were ongoing in parallel. What’s also changed is the use of social media with Nicola, and that’s actually been a bad thing for her, recently, but it will have little impact in the future. She’s less visible now but she still does PR better than most - she’s current and well spoken and that goes a long way. 

Luke has fumbled in some sense. His name just isn’t out there as much and that’s partially because he hasn’t tried hard enough. His personal life dominated the conversation and he didn’t have professional opportunities to distract from that, so it swirled. He’s also in an over saturated industry with being a white man in his 30s. Not to be mean, he’s generic and there isn’t anything that makes him stand out. No differentiators. He hasn’t diversified enough, I know some of his fans may feel otherwise but it’s about being visible and top of mind through a variety of work.

Simply put, I think Nicola has shown the world more substance than Luke. And in a world where people are increasingly aware of celebrities they support and more importantly of those they don’t align with, substance plays a crucial role. 

2) what is your take on Nic’s career so far after signing with CAA

I can’t speak to this fully as I don’t know what her aspirations are but Nicola has done more UK projects which leads me to believe Curtis Brown is still her primary agency. CAA is a behemoth, and I do think she’s had decent opportunities from them - like GOAT, Only Murders. It would be unfair of me to say CAA is not going a good job, since I am unaware of their agreements. Those agreements  would’ve been discussed between Nicola and CAA prior to the signing a contract, so what they’ve agreed upon is unknown. I can’t judge without having a reference scale.

3) what is your take on Luke’s career since papgate, is what we’re seeing the result of papgate or something else

I think I answered some of that in Q1. It’s tough out there. Luke is competing with the likes of Jonathan Bailey, Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi, etc. It’s tough not just with acting opportunities but other areas like brand deals, speaking opportunities, etc. as well. Luke had the same exposure as Nicola with S3 but there were many missed opportunities with him. It also didn’t help that he worked on no projects between Bton Season 1 & 3, yes there was the pandemic, but other opportunities like singing, voice roles, or audiobooks were still happening. Just do a quick search on what Luke Thompson, Jonathan Bailey, and Rege Jean Page were up to during then. It also doesn’t help that his return to stage with the Shape of Things was off West End in a 90-seat theatre with a run of ~35 days. I speculate that Luke has made it clear that he would only pursue lead roles, which would be my guess as to why his work has been sparse. He also doesn’t do enough to promote his projects - he’s never actually mentioned or posted about Viana. He removed White Mars post announcing him with Lucy Hale from his grid, while the movie is still technically in post-prod. I am very curious as to why and if that movie will ever see the light of day. I think his is a two-fold problem - he’s not listening to his PR Team and his PR team is not doing enough to be heard. He’s still managing aspects of his social media when he should have someone doing it for him. His IG is glamorized around his vacations and more recently his personal life. Him following an only-fans model and reposting a reel of a dude picking his nose wouldn’t have happened if he handed over his SM to professionals. On a separate note, not a professional opinion, I follow certain hashtags on X. Luke Newton’s fans are aggressive. Any opportunity they hear about - they start asking people to cast Luke - Bond, that movie with Zoe Deutch The Great Gatsby, and more recently with Destry Spielberg. When he doesn’t get said opportunities - it looks bad because people see these posts and wonder - oh what else has he been in, what else does he have coming out, why is this person suggesting XYZ actor. Casting folks and production companies are always hyperaware of what’s being said about upcoming projects. Just look at what’s happening with Beach Read with Phoebe and Patrick.

4) were the sags interactions pr or authentic

From a PR lens - they were courteous as you would expect colleagues to be that are representing the same project. According to the fandom, Luke’s reaction was a little overdone with Nicola given they saw each other the night before.

5) what pr, NDAs, contractual arrangements do you think L, N, J, A are under based on appearances and social media

I don’t think there are any contractual arrangements when it comes to their personal lives. I recognize this is not what many want to hear but that’s my honest opinion. Remove the lens that you’re watching this from the outside in. Assume you’re part of the industry and walk in those circles all the time, there’s nothing necessarily unusual about all this that would warrant anything. Just people living their messy lives under a microscope. They brought that microscope upon themselves. 

6) what are the chances N and L are together

There has been nothing to indicate they are. They are civil coworkers.

7) why did Luke not change PR agencies or why did Multitude not part with him after papgate

You do not part with a client simply because they make a choice - unless something major happens. A PR agency is an advisor. The client makes the decision and you help them navigate through that. Multitude Media is well-established. Emily is well-liked and well-connected among the industry. Luke also had Chase from Narrative PR at the time this happened. It would not be wise for a client to switch PR agencies unless your current one is severely lacking and you’re in need of something akin to Crisis PR.

8) what is Nic trying to accomplish with her interviews?

Any specific interview? My guess would be visibility.

9) why does Luke take A everywhere like it’s take your wife to work day?

Not a professional opinion. Co-dependency. He clings to people whether that is Jade, Rory, or Antonia.

10) what is your take on the involvement of A’s family with Luke , her friends posting Luke, Cyprus businesses posting Luke

Not a professional opinion. They’re doing exactly what Rory and Sienna did before Antonia. Try to milk Luke’s status for all it’s worth. Doesn’t seem like Luke wants to stop that anytime soon. 

11) what is your take on the blinds, all 15 of them and how do agents, pr, the industry use them and interpret them

I answered this in a separate response earlier today.

12) what if anything is Shondaland and Netflix’s role leading up to S3 as it pertains to their personal relationship(s), and what has been their role since then; how and how much do they dictate what their actors can and can’t do/say/post, etc

Most production companies do ask their actors to maintain a certain image prior to the release of a project. I would not be surprised if Luke and Nicola and all other leads were told to hide or minimize their existing relationships to promote chemistry with their co-stars. When this requirement ends is different for each project. I was surprised with pap gate for this exact reason because it happened the day before Part 2 premiere - I remember notifications from 4 am eastern time premiere day, which I thought was way too soon. Jimmy Fallon was done to rehabilitate some of that, but it didn’t land well. Jimmy usually has only 2 guests on the show, Luke was the third combine that with Luke having  said on premiere red carpet that he was glad promo was done -  indicates he was a last min add-on for Fallon. I don’t believe Shondaland or Netflix played any role since. Also unusual is that these companies typically require a level of social media posting but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Bton - since that’s been inconsistent overall including and beyond Nicola and Luke (for example, Simone only posted about her season a few days after release).

13) what are the individual industry assessments of each - Luke and Nic - professionally as actors and in terms of risk/pr/brand

I am not going to deep-dive into this but here’s a high-level assessment.

Luke maintains a highly curated, traditional Hollywood approach to his acting and image. More recently being deemed as a one-hit wonder with an inconsistent narrative. Medium risk on the PR side, known to prioritize lifestyle over networking.

Nicola is a versatile powerhouse. Known to be witty and media-trained. Low risk on the PR side, very reliable and highly managed. 

With both, there is a high-degree of parasocial scrutiny.

14) if they are together, what will it take from a pr perspective to bring them into the light, and what consequences if any will they face from the public and the industry

See Q6.

15) what are some nefarious reasons we are seeing what we are seeing if Nic and alike are really together

See Q6.

16) who takes the wide angle lens shots of L and A in the water and why are all their photos together on their posts marked as AI

I giggled at this one. I don’t know tbh.

17) what are the odds, literally, that Nic and Luke are acting of their own accord, without the influence of PR or Shondaland or Netflix, and that these are just the life choices they are making 

Very high. See Q5 and Q18.

18) what do you make of A seemingly not being allowed to post her “bf” and J, if he’s Nic’s  “bf,” post pics from nude gay beaches and Frank Ocean quotes

People are allowed to be multi-dimensional. To what capacity A is allowed to post Luke and how much Luke wants to be posted is between them (and by extension their friends…IYKYK). There was a time when Rory and Sienna posted for them. 

Personal Opinion Rant: What I think people fail to understand is that Luke and Nicola are active players in their lives. They are savvy media-trained professionals. Nicola is very up to date on internet culture. Luke is Disney media-trained which is intense. Things are not just happening to them, they are not victims. On Jake’s note, it was abhorrent to witness speculation on his sexuality. People have different interests and can live their lives. Going to a gay bar, gay beach, does not make you gay. It’s like the olden days when people thought homosexuality was contagious. Be better than that.

19) what do you make of the Lucy Hale gelato pic and what looks like Luke and Nic in the water in Italy, and the stroller pic, and the guy in the rafters at SNL. Is the fandom grasping or is there some truth here

People will see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. People cope in different ways. From what I saw, there has never been any solid evidence, just speculation. 

20) what do you make of the constant rumors from tabloids and the London actor community that Nic and Luke are hiding out but it’s a well known fact among these groups 

Unless you see a reaction from the actor or their teams, take everything with a grain of salt. Think about it like this - how easy is it to send Deuxmoi a blind? You can simply put in whatever you want on their page. You can email Celebritea Blinds. Any fan could’ve sent that in. Think critically on where there has or hasn’t been a reaction.

The baiting with yoga, books, dog etc and now the AACTA no show?

I would love for them to come back!

That was “PR mdc anon” who was lowkey proven to be a fraud because they also said abril had gotten letters, but jules confirmed just the other day that abril was super upset that shes to this day never gotten a response.

They just spread obviously fake shit, they said luigi would hand out xmas gifts in december 🤣This might’ve been the same anon who confessed to spreading lies for fun amongst blogs

Harry's team gave the RS writer several beats to hit. All of it, every single bit of it, was created by his PR team and fed to the writer. A large aspect of the article is about sponsoring Olivia Wilde.

I think the article was supposed to do a few things. One, sell vulnerable yet relatable music superstar Harry Styles who has varied interests. Two, sponsor his relationship with Olivia Wilde. And three, put a tiny toe in the queer pond to ramp up for My Policeman.

It hit the mark okay for selling Harry Styles. Harry is charming. He is likable. Even when he repeats talking points written in poor taste, he can still deliver well. He doesn't have a strong point of view about anything, speaks only in generalities, and doesn't commit to anything except being nice. He is a blank space for your fantasies to reside.

However, I think Harry is in a bit of a conundrum with DWD and MP. I think he has some promotional agreement with Olivia for DWD tied to financial gain. I think Olivia does have a point of view and for whatever reason, she wanted Harry to sponsor their relationship. I find it incredibly odd that she was interviewed for the article, referred to as his girlfriend by the writer, yet he never commented on her directly. He barely mentioned acting in the movie she directed. Why does Harry seem so much more eager to discuss MP than the movie directed by his girlfriend? I think there are real boundaries around his relationship with her, what he will do and what he won't do. I think she wanted more from the arrangement and this article was one way to sponsor their relationship without him being directly involved.

I didn't read the comments he made regarding the toxic corner of fandom to be about Larry specifically but rather the general, constant speculation of his love life with anyone including Louis, Xander, Camille, Kendall Jenner, Andy Cohen...the list goes on. I read those comments as him saying none of that is real, none of that is me. I didn't read it as him saying Larry isn't real because although Larry is discussed a lot, it's one of many relationships.

I have thought a lot about why he made the comments about fans. Because really, what was the point? If he is in love with Olivia and wants people to like her and support their relationship, then it would be very easy to show love for her and support for her by simply being with her in a real way. The comment about the fans seemed more of a PR talking point to show sponsorship of Olivia without actually admitting to caring for her. I think this relationship is imbalanced, real or not.

I think Harry's was trying to express how much the story of MP meant to him - the relationship, the love, the secret life. But in an effort to hide why that meant something to him, he said crass comments about gay sex. It was in really poor taste and I can see why people are pissed. In an effort to hide Harry's sexuality, his team (and Harry, remember he has agency too) are diminishing the most interesting stories he can tell about his life. After reading the article and his comments, I can't figure out why he agreed to do MP if he was going to promote it this way. In an effort to not be vulnerable, he looks like an asshole.

From my professional perspective, Harry is in a really odd place. I think his personal desires do not coincide with his professional desires. As he continues to duck and dive any vulnerable parts of his life, he becomes increasingly disingenuous and uninteresting. I think Harry has to change the way he interacts with the world and his fans. He either needs to commit to the public narrative he is telling or he needs to change the narrative. Maybe this article response will be a wake up call for his team. I kind of doubt it. I would be interested to hear other's thoughts too.

Although his Blackbird posts are very sterile - like he/they are doing the bare minimum to promote. Even his The Beatles post was more enthusiastic (which was also paid promo btw).

Pr girl (I feel like gossip girl, but just trying to make sure you can differentiate my post from others lol)

Was the Beatles post really paid promo??? I would never have guessed it. Idk why I thought it was just him being enthusiastic, he did that in the past.

Anyways, imagine riding frank while he's both degrading and praising you. It would be heaven.

-PR

this right here is my shit

Not gonna lie. I started reading this message and I was mentally preparing for:

“I work in the industry and I can tell you that I have seen Taylor and Karlie making out in front of me plenty of times — there was some tongue action too. They’ve also held hands and chanted in perfect unison ‘we hate our beards’. I just thought you’d want to know”