We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Alton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

When I arrived in New York 26 years ago I was so green and had limited work experience. This was in the era before smart phones, people were still learning the basics with computers, and the internet was still really new.

I ended up with a three-day temp job at a huge finance company in Manhattan. The job kept getting extended and I was eventually hired as a full-time employee. I ended up staying with the company for 12 years.

When I worked in corporate America I had some wonderful woman bosses and co-workers that were unofficial mentors to me. At the time, I didn’t know they were mentors but over time I have realized that their examples helped me define myself and showed me how to operate in the world of business. They empowered me by giving me projects that were outside of my skillset and comfort level. When I accomplished/finished the work my confidence grew.

They also valued my voice, insight, and encouraged me to speak up and know my worth. I’ve met so many smart and caring people who have helped me along the way. I will always be grateful for that.

Some of the best business advice I received didn’t come from a boss but from a friend. When negotiating a contract or working he told me to “take the emotion out of the decision.” Since I work in the performing arts industry and am an artist myself, this has been really valuable advice.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got hooked on theatre and the performing arts at an early age. I think I was about eight when I saw a high school production of West Side Story. I’d never experienced anything like sitting in the fourth row and watching the show unfold. It was exhilarating. That was definitely my gateway into theatre. I started out pursuing acting but over the last two decades I’ve also discovered I love writing, producing, and publicizing theatre.

I ended up being a New York Theatre Press Representative in a very organic way. When I was performing and writing sketch comedy in 2005 I started to help publicize the shows with fellow writer/performer Robin Gelfenbien who had a marketing background. We would write the press releases, send out high-res photos, reach out to theatre and comedy editors and to my surprise we got results! I learned so much from Robin and I started to build press connections and learned how to put my own spin on things. To my surprise, I really liked that side of the business. It was a challenge, and I thrived because I could work on the business side of the entertainment business and also be creative.

When my job in corporate America was outsourced in 2010 I knew I needed a change. I was tired of working in a cubicle 9 to 5 and I needed more flexibility. I had been thinking of starting a pr company for awhile and knew that was my opportunity to pursue a different career.

Most of the productions I work on as a publicist are Off-Off Broadway with an occasional Off-Broadway show. I also work on a lot of festivals. I love working on new works and smaller productions. It’s harder to get press for smaller shows because Broadway takes a lot of the press landscape and then things trickle down but it’s very rewarding to be championing smaller pieces.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Most of my new clients come from referrals by past clients, theatre owners, and sometimes I’ll get referrals from other press agents if the show isn’t a good fit for them or if they are too booked up. People also find me via social media and google.

When I first started working as a press representative I offered my services at a steep discount which helped me get clients. That strategy has pluses and minuses to it.

There are times when I have a lot of clients and I have to turn potential clients away. I’ve also had times when there’s a lull in clients which usually happens around the holidays. Now I’m prepared for that but in the beginning that was tough.

When you work in the entertainment world, things change fast. Now if I end up having some downtime I try to use that time efficiently and get caught up on bookkeeping or find new press contacts.

If someone is looking for a theatre press representative, here’s a few questions I would recommend asking:

1. Communication – find out how a potential press rep will keep you abreast of press activities. Do they prefer emails/phone calls, do weekly check ins, can they jump on a zoom? Also, know what works for you. Communication is a huge part of any working relationship.

2. Find out what productions they’ve worked on recently and ask them for some recent press urls or google the shows to see what type of press they received.

3. Be wary of any press rep that tells you they can get the NY Times to come.

4. Make sure you understand what services they provide and don’t provide and what you’re paying for.

5. Know what your press goals are. If reviews are important to you, you’ll want to find out what kind of relationships they have with reviewers.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When you’re self-employed you have to keep the faith that everything will eventually work out. You also have to be ready to pivot and come up with a new plan if things aren’t working.

I think the biggest test of my resilience came at the beginning of the pandemic when I went from having a thriving business to having no clients and income over the course of two weeks. I definitely had to keep the faith then even though it was a surreal and hard time to live in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.altonprandproduction.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alton_pr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-alton-4a253335

Image Credits

1. Hari Bhaskar & Mark J. Quiles. Photo by Steven Pisano.

2. Tracey Beltrano and Heather E. Cunningham. Photo credit: Greg Kanysicska.

3. David Beck and Tiffan Borell. Photo by Richard Rivera.

4. Yael Haskal and John Kroft. Photo credit Bronwen Sharp.

5. Richarda Abrams. Photo by Lia Chang.

6. Rick Benson, Elliot Colby, Duane Chivon Ferguson. Photo by David Anthony Wayne Anderson

7. Derrick Peterson and Charlie Munn. Photo by Jordan Tiberio.

8. Tammi Cubilette, Seth Gilliam. Photo by Mark Veltman..