Broadway is a battleground (of sorts). Within the relatively small theatre district in midtown Manhattan, dozens of different Broadway shows are engaged in constant competition for your attention and, ultimately, your dollars. To try and stand out from the crowd, producers can expect to spend a small fortune on advertising - but that in no way guarantees that their show will be noticed. So how can a show break through the clutter without breaking the bank?

Enter the Broadway press agent.

Skilled communicators with extensive press relationships and a broad understanding of available media, Broadway press agents are brought on board to garner exposure and build interest. They’re the people working behind-the-scenes to help shows find an audience. And it’s not necessarily an easy task.

As a co-owner and press agent for Barlow Hartman Public Relations, Michael Hartman can speak from experience. His company, in its ninth year of business, currently represents several Broadway shows including LEGALLY BLONDE, A CHORUS LINE and WICKED. According to Hartman, “constant surprises” are the norm in his industry.

“I set out at the beginning of every day with a specific list of goals because this is an extremely deadline-oriented business that we are in,” Hartman said. “Something always happens on a daily basis to disrupt what your plan was. You have journalists that all of a sudden find something out about your show and you have to put everything on hold and deal with the immediate situation. Then you try to go back to your list of goals to accomplish.”

Press agents act as information gatekeepers by providing story angles along with interview access to writers, reporters and editors. Calling on the press contacts they’ve cultivated over the years, press agents pitch ideas in hopes that a feature story, news package or some type of favorable coverage for their show will result. It must be noted here that this editorial coverage cannot be bought like advertising. Rather, it’s entirely free and press agents – along with the shows they represent – are at the mercy of those writing the story. An experienced press agent can help “craft” a story but in the end, it’s out of their hands.

“The easiest way to identify what a press agent does is to open a newspaper for someone and say ‘This is a story, this is called editorial. This is written and this is something you have no ultimate control over, although you can influence the story to varying degrees based on your relationship with the reporter or based on the story. And this is an advertisement and this you have ultimate control over because you buy the space. You may not have placement control but you know exactly what it’s going to look like,’” Hartman said.

Before any publicity campaign gets underway at Barlow Hartman, they spend time getting to know a show top to bottom. A blueprint is created in which during close examination, they identify specific elements that people will be curious about (Ex. an unusual path to Broadway, acclaimed creative team) while also determining what aspects will draw the most questions (Ex. controversial content, casting decisions). This careful scrutiny allows the press agents to develop what Hartman calls a “plan of attack” when they approach various media outlets. It also enables the press agents to see how a show might fit into the landscape.

Broadway press agents are also expected to book performance segments and interviews on national TV, local news programs and other outlets. Hartman noted that within just the last few years, “actively courting bloggers” has also become part of the routine. Time is spent identifying which blogs will be complementary to a show, which ones are influential and which ones will reach a specific demographic. By getting certain bloggers in to see a performance, it is likely that free online exposure, good or bad, will follow suit.

“Once something is posted on a site and is either very positive or very negative, it spreads like wildfire,” Hartman said. “When it’s positive it’s a beautiful thing.”

But what happens on those occasions when the almighty theatre critics deem a show unfinished, misguided or just plain awful? Is that an instant death sentence? Does that mean curtains for a production? Not necessarily.

“Bad reviews just suck, there’s no getting around it,” Hartman said. “You live with your negative reviews. If you get bad reviews, you go back to your original plan and look at the strengths and questions. If negative reviews across the board all point out the same thing then you may need to add some things to your list.”

Once the dust settles after particularly unfavorable reviews, press agents will circle back to people that saw the show during previews and had positive things to say. These show advocates are approached for follow-up editorial to offset the damaging opinions.

In order to stay abreast of the latest news and developments that could affect their clients, press agents are expected to consume lots of information. Not surprisingly, gossip columns and entertainment sections are among the first places they look. It is not uncommon for them to comb through four or five newspapers every single day. “You must read and know everything,” Hartman said.

Broadway press agents will never be truly omniscient but through discipline, diligence and attentiveness, they can have an enormous impact upon a show’s prospects.

“Journalists understand what my role is and I understand what their role is and I think that we meet in the middle,” Hartman said. “Nobody is naïve anymore about how publicity or marketing works. Everybody is completely in on the secret.”

By: Kirk Wingerson