We recently connected with Lesley Diana and have shared our conversation below.
Lesley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
My path to being an entertainment publicist came to me in a surprising and unexpected way. I was the host of a TV talk show and also owned four ladies’ wear boutiques across Western Canada. I had a natural knack for promotion and being able to garner publicity for my stores. When the stores were eventually sold and closed, I was approached by fashion designers to assist with their publicity because I was so successful with it with my own boutiques. From there, I was asked by a movie producer and director to do the publicity for his movie premiere. That opportunity opened the door for my business, The Promotion People.
I then became a unit publicist on feature films and television series and to date have worked on over 100 productions. Actor Emmanuelle Vaugier was in three of the first movies I worked on and asked if I would be her personal publicist. Of course, I said “yes” and we are still working together today after 20+ years.
Since its inception, The Promotion People has worked with over 200 actors and countless authors, musicians, events, and productions.
What I like to share about my career path is to always be open to opportunities. I never intended to be a publicist, but I dove in and learned about the job and responsibilities of a publicist in the most beneficial classroom I could: on the job. I learned quickly, would research when I didn’t know the answer, and used the resources around me to ask others that had more experience if I needed guidance.
,mThroughout my career path, I have had other unexpected opportunities including attending a conference and being offered a TV hosting job, being asked to coordinate film festival red carpets, booking talent for an entertainment radio show, booking covers for magazines, and writing travel articles for resorts and film festivals. All of these jobs came to me unexpectedly but I never said ‘no’ as I am consistently open to tackling exciting opportunities.
I haven’t achieved all of this success alone. I have surrounded myself with a great team along the way. I must thank the fitness instructors at my fitness studio, the managers and staff at my boutiques, and my publicity team including Jasmyn Rowley and Josephine Grant who work with me at The Promotion People. As an entrepreneur, to be successful it is important to surround yourself with a good team and delegate responsibilities.
Lesley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Lesley Diana – Founder, President, and Publicist, of The Promotion People.
I established The Promotion People in 1994 and have spent the last several decades working with the media and the entertainment industry, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
As a Unit Publicist with I.A.S.T.E. 669, I have worked on over 100 feature films and television series shot in Vancouver for Sony Pictures, DirecTV, Great Pacific Media, IndustryWorks, eOne TV, and many independent feature films. As a Personal Publicist to some of Canada’s most talented actors, I have worked alongside some of the country’s brightest stars as their careers rise on the big and small screens, including Emmanuelle Vaugier, Nicole Oliver, Todd Talbot, William B. Davis, Camille Mitchell, Gabrielle Miller, Terry Chen, Michael Eklund, Maestro Fresh Wes Williams, Tammy Gillis and Cle Bennett to name a few. I have produced Electronic Press Kits featuring interviews with actors Jerry Stiller, Brooke Shields, Peter Coyote, Wendy Crewson, Oscar nominee Abagail Breslin, Malcolm McDowell, Joe Lando, Kevin Zegers, Kevin Dillon, Peter Gallagher, Tom Green, and many more. I had the privilege of working with writer/director Peter Farrelly who won Golden Globes for The Green Book on DirecTV’s Loudermilk.
The Promotion People’s list of prestigious clients has graced the covers of Maxim, Enroute, Flare, Dolce Vita, Modern Dog, UMM, Brian Jessel BMW, and Femme Fatal magazines. Television appearances have included interviews on Entertainment Tonight, ET Canada, eTalk, Breakfast Television, Skye TV, CBC, The Biography Channel, and many national news programs and morning television talk shows.
Our promotion team produced some of the most impressive Red Carpet events at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the Vancouver International Film Festival, The Leo Awards, the UBCP/ACTRA Awards, and the Canadian Country Music Awards.
My career has taken me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to see my client David Sancious, an original member of the E Street Band, who was inducted and presented his award by Bruce Springsteen. I have met and worked with Oscar nominees on movie sets, attended the Toronto Film Festival, and accompany actors on press junkets in New York.
My diverse career also includes producing television projects and hosting a talk show. As the owner of a Western Canadian retail chain, I was a finalist in the national Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. I am also the author of a nationally published book. After graduating with a Bachelor of Education, I taught high school before opening my first business. I also managed the luxury brand Wolford boutique in Vancouver for a number of years and served on the Board of Directors for the Downtown Vancouver Business Association.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I am a single mother, which has had its challenges. For most of my life, I have had two careers at once, which took over my life. There was no time left for me.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Education with a major in physical education. In my first job as a high school Physical Education teacher, I was able to introduce canoeing, cycling, modern dance, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing to the curriculum. It was important for me to give students opportunities to try sports that they could enjoy for the rest of their lives as many high school sports end after graduation.
My next career as a TV fitness and talk show host was the result of attending a conference focused on women and fitness. My fitness show ‘Fitness Fun with Lesley’ aired weekdays on CFQC TV for 11 years. I also hosted a talk show, ‘Feminine Focus’ which aired weekly for nine years, highlighting all aspects of a woman’s life. I wrote a book ‘Fitness Fun with Lesley’ with various fitness routines and tips that were pulled together from a weekly newspaper column I wrote for a number of years. I then opened a 5,000-square-foot downtown location in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with two fitness studios, a massage therapist, sun beds, a manicurist, a seamstress, a jewelry designer, and a ladies’ wear boutique. After ending my fitness show and studio I opened four boutiques across Western Canada. I always had way too much on my plate, balancing being a single parent and entrepreneur. My boutiques were in three different cities and two different provinces with over 35 staff. To achieve more of a work/life balance, I finally sold and closed the stores not having any idea what I would do next.
With the help of one of my partners our boutique had a steady stream of publicity and we were very creative in our promotion. This helped immensely when I sent out a package about the closure to the designers I worked with and other fashion boutiques. I got an immediate response from designers and stores wanting to work with me. I then established The Promotion People doing publicity for fashion brands. Throughout my career, I have been adaptable and open to change, which has allowed me to try so many different things over the years.
One aspect of being in business or having a fast-paced career that is imperative to pay attention to is taking care of yourself by exercising, eating right, and taking time to meditate. For most of my career, I have always put my clients and career first. It was during those times that I was exhausted as my days were all work and little time for play.
As a publicist, I spend hours a day helping my clients so a few years ago I decided to become one of my clients. I now spend a few hours a day on ‘me’ and work my ‘self-care’ into my schedule. I have more energy, fewer sick days, and am left feeling happy with a positive attitude. I strongly recommend it! It has made all the difference, as I feel so much better about myself inside and out.
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For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I have loved all my careers as they were right for me at the time. I have had so many memorable times whether it was introducing new activities to my high school students or finding women the perfect outfits at my ladies’ wear boutiques or sharing the excitement of booking covers and entertainment publicity for actors or feature films. I have truly been able to live out my dream as I have met so many creative, interesting, and talented people during my career as a publicist. There are many days when I truly love my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thepromotionpeople.ca
- Instagram: Instagram: @promotion.people
- Facebook: Facebook: @The Promotion People
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-diana-4aaa0825/
- Twitter: Twitter: @PromotionPeople
- Other: Blog: press.thepromotionpeople.ca
Image Credits
I have included photos of me with my clients and on red carpets. The photo of me with my son Donavan Cox at the Mariners game since I spoke about being a single mother. The fitness photo is of me when I had my fitness studio and fitness tv show. I can provide names of the people with me if needed.
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