Masterclass with Publicist Parull Gossain

Masterclass with Publicist Parull Gossain

Film Publicity and Celebrity PR is ruling the media and entertainment space in today’s fast paced internet savvy world, and a film’s success or a celebrity’s popularity often depends on the PR machinery that takes up the responsibility of reputation management.

Yesterday, we had Bollywood/Film publicist, Ms. Parull Gossain with us for a Masterclass with the students of School of Media and Communication. This session was intended to give students an idea on the role PR plays in the Media and Entertainment industry.

Publicist Parull Gossain

Parull’s career as a media professional started as an employee with the iconic MTV India, which was launched in the year 1996. Having gained experience by working in the channel’s Production department, she got opportunities to learn and master the craft of contributing to the entertainment space significantly. Later, she also dabbled with PR for MTV India and later joined Channel V to explore career avenues in the field.  While working with Channel V and representing the organization at various musical and awards nights, she got in-depth exposure to the PR world.

While sharing interesting snippets as a PR professional, she mentioned that “Publicity is not about being good or bad, it’s about entering the public’s imagination. It’s about creating a certain kind of image that defines the brand or the personality”. In her opinion, it’s the publicist’s job to do a detailed research and study the brand and personality to bring out the best and feed the public’s quest with interesting information. To add to this aspect, she mentioned that “In today’s world it’s not just about being famous, one need to develop a certain personality & positioning to appeal to the public”.

Students putting forth their queries related to PR and Publicity to Parull Gossain

She also shared some tips pertaining to “Crisis Management” that she has learnt from experts in the field. To effectively manage a disaster/crisis situation, it is essential for the PR professional to be able to relate and empathize with the public.

While talking about film publicity, Parull mentioned that the dynamics of Film Publicity is diametrically opposite to the way Corporate Publicity works. While the former’s success relies on an edgy and whacky communication, corporate brands need to portray a very subtle and serious image to appeal to its audience.

The session ended with a student wanting to know “what is the most important attribute one should have to evolve as a successful PR professional?” to which Parull promptly answered, “A sense of Commitment is prime and the most important attribute one should have to sustain in this fast-paced, information laced industry”. The students left the Masterclass richer for the experience and with insight into what it takes to succeed in the world of PR.

Publicist Parull Gossain (2nd from Left) with WWI Faculty