Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Prenner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
In 2007 I was laid off from a job I loved that gave me a sense of purpose and I didn’t know how I was going to proceed. With the help of some amazing friends and mentors I took a leap of faith and realized that had a lot more knowledge and understanding of how to run a business than I gave myself credit for. Using my relationships I signed my first client NBC Universal, and landed a high profile client launching a reality singing competition called THE SINGING BEE, hosted by NSync’s Joey Fatone. From there, the phone kept ringing and I was fortunate enough to land additional clients including THE ELLEN DEGENEROUS SHOW and E! Entertainment’s THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR. From there I was able to expand my company quickly and offer publicity for charities, restaurants, authors and actors. As the world of publicity has evolved with social media and the way we communicate, The Prenner Group has been able to swiftly advance their clients so they’re ahead of any challenges and be open and agile to what’s ahead. The results for our clients have been top notch. Whether its a sit down on NBC News, a segment on ABC News Nightline or a feature in Deadline our clients are prominently featured and celebrated for their projects. We are proud that each respective client has been able to have their own campaign designed in way that’s attainable and realistic but also with a successful ROI. We are excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to see what’s ahead on the horizon.
Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Veteran publicity executive Amy Prenner is the founder of TPG where she oversees publicity on behalf of the agency. The Prenner Group has been in business for since 2007. With offices in Los Angeles and New York, The Prenner Group helps you develop and implement marketing communications strategies by providing expertise in media, trends and business expertise.
Prenner, who has over 20 years’ experience, develops and executes marketing communications strategies that will help launch and grow your business. She is a leading entertainment and consumer publicist in Los Angeles. Services include public relations, communications strategy, and market evaluation. We specialize in taking entertainment campaigns and getting media attention.
She was responsible for creating notable campaigns in entertainment and television. Her clients have included the Infinity Film Festival, a 2019 Academy Awards campaign for John Travolta for his leading role in “The Fanatic,” Elf on the Shelf, Riot Games, Studio Movie Grill, Hulu’s “Into the Dark, (season one)” the Blumhouse Anthology, Telemundo’s “La Reina del Sur,” El Rey Networks, the Saudi Arabian venture company Seven, The Golden Screen Awards, Nat Geo’s Sharkfest at Comic Con and Cirque du Solei’s Amaluna and Luzia.
Throughout her 20-plus year career, Prenner has developed an extensive network of high-level media contacts and has an extraordinary eye for strategy leading her clients to win Emmy and Academy Award nominations and high-profile accolades. As the principal role of her own agency, The Prenner Group, Prenner has worked with many cable networks including Epix, AMC Networks, Starz, Syfy, GSN, Freeform, Travel Channel, USA Networks and Fuse, launching many series on their behalf. She has also consulted on Emmy campaigns for NBC hits such as “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “America’s Got Talent,” and has worked to secure placements and awareness at major film and television festivals for a variety of clients, with presence at The Oscars, the Emmys, Television Critics Tour, Comic Con, The Sundance Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival. Prenner has also worked with EPIX season 1-unit publicity for the original series “Get Shorty” and handled publicity efforts on behalf of the Lumiere Society including their annual awards event and VR Conference (“VR On the Lot”).
Some of the notable campaigns we have worked on include the 2014 Geekie Awards, the 3D Film Awards, the AMC Dish Networks Carriage Dispute, GSN’s hit series “The American Bible Challenge,” and the rebranding of NUVOtv, an English-speaking Spanish television network spearheaded by Global Superstar Jennifer Lopez.
Amy has worked on numerous high-profile television series including “Wheel of Fortune,” “Extra,” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” She began her career in unit film publicity where she oversaw numerous campaigns for independent features that took her to the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals.
In addition to her entertainment clients, Prenner has also worked with hospitality and restaurant brands, including helping to launch restaurants such as Joe’s in Venice, The Larchmont Grill and Church & State and resorts including Club Med Resorts and Casa Dorada in Los Cabos Mexico. She has worked with Driscoll’s Berries, Andean Dream Quinoa brands (soups cookies and pastas), and several high-profile chefs including Tony Esnault, French chef at Knife Pleat, a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Costa Mesa, Chef Beau McMillan who famously beat Bobby Flay and is a frequent on-air talent on The Food Network and James Beard Award-Winner Gerry “G” Garvin. She currently handles LaBelle Winery in New Hampshire, which is helmed by award-winning winemaker Amy LaBelle.
She has also worked with national charity organizations including BabyQuest, Life Rolls On, and the Reverse Rett Foundation. She also has worked with UCLA Extension, Manhattan West and many experts including David Kessler, founder of Grief.com and the grief movement, Dr. Deborah Gilboa, parenting & resilience expert, David Nour, executive career coach, Joy Latimore, CMO of EHE, cyber dating expert Julie Spira and celebrity matchmaker Susan Trombetti.
Amy has created memorable PR campaigns and secured national and local placements for all of the agency’s clients. She is currently on the executive board of TPEC and is based in Los Angeles where she lives with her husband and son.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My business has been based solely on referrals. You’re only as good as the last project you worked on. My end goal with referrals is to always make the person who sent it my way look really good. I’ve been on the other side of referring people for work and when it’s too far-fetched or the person isn’t a realistic fit it bodes badly on me. Referrals to me feel like another form of currency. When you make the client look good it makes you more likely to get future recommendations. I am sure that the reason I’ve been a success is for two reasons, tenacity and hard work. When others get to go home for the night, I keep at it and make sure that my projects are constantly in communication with me and that the flow of information gets to the clients in a timely manner. As I see things evolve within so many industries I am grateful that I was given a head start in having my own business and that I was able to build such a successful business.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In 2008 life was uncertain and all of the dot.com’s that had lots of money burst. It effected so many businesses including my own. I literally started in 2007 on top of the world and ended up having to rebuild in early 2008. I was open to doing just about any type of PR and took any retainer I could. I always remember how much I would over service a client in order to get a small amount of money. Looking back at those times I know I needed to experience a difficult time in order to gain experience and learn how to pivot when things were tough. Now I feel confident that there is always new business opportunities and referrals that will come my way because I always remember the challenging times.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theprennergroup.com
- Instagram: prenner_group
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprennergroup
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amycorralez/
- Twitter: @aprenner
Image Credits
Photo credits courtesy of The Prenner Group