How to choose a publicist: beware the wolves

Anyone who decides to work in the porn industry eventually learns there is a raw, hard truth in the old saying, “You get what you pay for”. When it comes to selecting an agent, publicist, or photographer: for all intents and purposes you ARE the people you associate with. Their honors and accolades reflect on you, as do their shames and misdemeanors. The good will or bad will they have built up in their business relationships can help you ascend the heights of superstardom, or make people want to never work with you!

People always seek out friends, services and resources to match their needs and tastes, but you really see this come into play when they have relocated, the way the majority of adult performer do. Folks in the adult industry find each other and form bonds. Sometimes they offer to “help”, make introductions or perform functions for one another.

And, as anyone who’s purchased a sack of ten oranges for a dollar from a Mexican family standing roadside knows, “you get what you pay for”.

The good, the bad . . . and the just plain ugly

The reality of the adult industry is that, like every other line of work, there are good guys and bad guys. When it comes to anything sex-related, it seems that a whole other level of weirdness can be expected.

On this site and over social media, we get asked all the time by adult performers how to choose a publicist. 

First, bear in mind this perspective on public relations from meltwater.com

The best PR is barely noticeable as PR, and in truth, it is all around us everyday. Since PR pros outnumber journalists in the US by 4:1, it’s impossible to ignore the impact and influence that PR, and more importantly the companies they represent, have on media. In addition, it’s important to recognize the volume of noise PR pros create for journalists. Just imagine how many pitches each journalist must hear/read every day since PR pros outnumber them so greatly. As such, every PR pitch must stand out, relationships make a huge difference and successfully placing a story is MUCH more time consuming and difficult than people think. No, I’m sorry to say, PR isn’t as simple as writing a press release.

Indeed, there are any many variables involved in choosing a PR pro, but here is a good checklist:

  • Choose someone who is talented, liked, and knows the adult industry well. This means someone who has established one-on-one personal relationships with people in the business, as well as media professionals, so that you won’t just find blogs posting your press releases; instead you’ll find yourself included in promotional events, interviewed for articles, or featured as ‘a performer to watch’. This can only happen when your PR rep understands you and the target media well enough to use their experience to ‘position you’ for opportunities.
  • Choose someone for whom this is a career, not a sideline, and who is mentally and physically in this for the long haul. You don’t want to invest a lot of time getting them up to speed on your business and your goals, and then find they’ve decided to do something else for a living, or are about to croak from some horrible malady. This is your business!
  • Because of the internet, it’s no longer strictly necessary to select someone who is physically located in porn valley year-round, but you want someone who makes the rounds of adult awards shows and feature dancing tours, who has been doing business in the trade for a long time, and who can get the right people on the phone when necessary. Which brings us to the next item on our list:
  • Look at the person’s clientele, and ask around about this person’s reputation. You will be judged by the company you AND you publicist keep. 

Public relations is the game of managing and influencing perception. Like it or not, in business, perception is reality.

If your publicist has a reputation like James Bartholet, regardless of whether any specific allegation is true, the fact that the claims haven’t washed away in the news cycle should tell you that people think the charges at least might be true. That’s what people in this business think about their character.

Warning signs

When you’re looking for professional, effective and reliable PR, here’s what you definitely DO NOT WANT:

  • A publicist who has a long list of enemies, and people with whom they refuse to work for personal reasons. Your publicist is there to present YOU to the widest possible market. A publicist who can only reach a small portion of the market isn’t worth your money.
  • A publicist who is constantly getting into fights on social media, OR who is allied with internet tough guys who are always getting into shit. People DO judge you from your interactions with others. If you’re a dick on social media, it indicates a serious personality flaw, and will affect the number of people who will want to work with you. Remember, your publicist’s job is not to take sides in any intra-industry political dispute; he or she is an advocate FOR YOU and YOUR CAREER.
  • A publicist who is in it for the potential of sexual gratification, or attention. It’s easy to spot these creeps and lonely guys. Their M.O. is to approach performers, often newcomers, who are having some kind of drama in their lives. They’ll ask for nude pics to help build up their prey’s self esteem. They’ll work their way in by offering to “help” them out: pay for their Uber rides, be a shoulder to cry on, let them order pizza on their account. All the while, they’ve got one hand down their pants as they chat with the newcomer over the phone. This is alleged to be the Bosco approach.  Other times, a PR faker will offer clients narcotics or escort gigs. These should all be huge red flags.
  • Sometimes, and yes, this actually happened with one publicist out there, they will use a catfish account on Twitter in a female name to make young performers feel more at ease. The one guy I’m thinking of even chose a fake surname that just happens to be the name of one of the top talent agents in the adult industry. 

Choosing a publicist

In terms of practical advice, ask other performers and business colleagues who they think highly of. Better yet, if you can, talk to members of the press. They typically loathe bad PR firms and love the good ones that make their lives easier, and they are happy to help out the good ones with a reference.

When you have some names, pick up the phone and call them. The service you get in that initial solicitation can be quite telling. Public relations is supposed to be their business. If they call you back promptly, they probably call the media back promptly and that can translate into good coverage. If they come in and give a solid, polished presentation, that’s a good sign.

There are lots of wolves in sheep’s clothing out there. Big old hairy wolves. Your best weapon in the hunt for a publicist is the wealth of information available to you with just a few phone calls to peers and adult industry professionals. Good luck and remember to watch out for the wolves.

262860cookie-checkHow to choose a publicist: beware the wolves

How to choose a publicist: beware the wolves

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10 Responses

  1. Bosco the corpulence histrionic philanderer. Whatever other names he goes by these days Howard Cohen, Howard, Jeffery or Bosco makes me wonder and ponder over whats the worst kind of Pimp known to mankind.

    Yeah yeah everyone prior to the millennial generation has this stereo typical view that its the black pimp trolling up and down the street in a Cadillac slapping the pretty white girl around. Now here is the Millennial’s who are way too smart for this, well most are smart but not all and the Boss Hog Bosco knows there are the rare finds easily manipulated girls to be bedded. The porn star millennial are even smarter in general. Today’s girls would just say fuck you mister Bosco pimp and call the cops and end of story considering profiling and all. Just look at him my god.

    Well Howard/ Bosco knows he can work the pimp game from a whole new angle and on a whole new level.
    Howard Cohen is a master manipulator armed with a convenient front too, FAKE PR and the gift of gab and he knows what young girls who are already on meds and likely drugs and alcohol all at once is the perfect prey. Remember the girl who attempted to jump off a roof under Bosco’s watch ? Bosco’s warlock ways gone wrong. He miraculously “saved her ” now the poor girl owes him big.

    BOSCO is like a chemist, he knows what drug to administer and what meds he should pull from the girl’s regiment as so to eliminate her inhibitions as he would mount her unwillingly. BOSCO is today’s new pimp and one with white privilege and a perfect business front to mask his passive heavy pimp hand and keeping it strong. He is a big dude and very intimidating to a tiny girl and even BBW’s

    Skilled at taking girls twitter accounts and have complete control, stealing their Boy Friends he has alchemy knowledge in the arts of pimping and hookery antics from behind a curtain like the wizard of oz. He knows control absolutely .
    Good news though this fat ass may not live long enough to commit further atrocities against mankind due to frail health and disgusting bad breath. His pie hole is so polluted he makes Scotty Ohanian looks like an elementary school boy in a a boy scout outfit.

    Scotty isn’t so bad after all and they do have some uncanny similarities. They both share the very same Girl friend Gia Paige. She loves them fat fuck diabetics. Poor Girl.
    Is Bosco running that twitter of hers some of the times and teaching her mischief at expense to her career.

    Bosco needs to go.

    Call the cops and file anti harassment orders on this demented wack job. STOP PAYING THE PRICK, STOP ENABLING HIM.

  2. Love the photo of this joker. He’s been in for years and hasn’t found the door yet. Mike, your Tweets are priceless too. Skeet, you’re dead on, my friend. Can’t wait to see more posts on this fan boi!

  3. Cosmo K, I truly believe the fan boi village idiot Bosco with the devious grin stuffing his pie hole with one gallon of goat’s milk yogurt is a post activity for its preparation for his fav fav poop activity he enjoys. He hovers over the mid torso area squatting above an unsuspecting roofied pasted out barely of legal age type he is so often found in company of. Its for the poop scoot he jokes about often.
    Cosmo K, I can tell by the evil grin on his fat chin.
    This must be why we see him with a clear plastic bag in his grubby hands at AVN and exxxoticas he calls a ” poo bag”. He is an advent collector of himself. lol

    Dam its like walking your dog in urban areas for him.

    As for his fake PR’s …. GET OUT YAH POOPA SCOOPA BOSCO is talking mad shit

  4. Oh Skeet, you’ve got jokes. You’re hilarious. But this is a serious matter. Hopefully porn girls will see these articles and think twice before working with him. Looks like he’s been losing clients lately.

  5. It is a well known fact Bosco is and always has been Dr Cindi Spiegler, harassing people on many blogs and hate sites.

    It gets worse. Lookie here — he’s come out as a backer of PWL now that he needs support. WTF?

    The many faces of Bosco and XXX Star PR the hater, scammer and phony baloney bogus PR.

  6. The wretched villein Bosco is trying to change his name to RED BEARD because he munches on cute little Gia Paige “box” while she is on her monthly cycle.

    She is a cute one though just Bosco needs to get kicked to the curb. Gia can certainly do wayyyy better. I like her now

  7. The 248 area code listed at the bottom of the article is in the Oakland County area of Michigan (just outside of Detroit). What does this Bosco prick get out of using a Michigan phone number to attract talent for porn which is largely based in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami? Hell, porn is highly illegal and simply fucking without being married is a life plus in prison offense so no one with any brains is making sex porn in the state (I know of one porn producer in the state, they are a husband and wife with three bondage sites, their sites are strictly bondage/DID based and they do little if any sex in their porn and no sex porn filming in Michigan — they got Dixie Comet started in the industry). I suppose someone could do legitimate PR from the state but since no porn performers are in the state he can’t fuck them here (and he and his partner would be subject to fornication and CSC 1st charges due to the linkage in the CSC statute to any offense not specifically listed with sex in it making violators liable for both charges), maybe he could take them to Toledo, OH like law abiding, unmarried Michigan residents do with their girl/boyfriends to fuck them. Also, reports are that Bosco and his “buddy” live in Las Vegas — he doesn’t need a Michigan phone number for that and actually could subject his “clients” to unnecessary long distance charges.

    The 424 area code is for western and southern Los Angeles which makes sense for a porn based PR person although it must be a cell phone if he lives in Vegas.

  8. It doesn’t matter where you live. If you’re not legitimate, you’re not legitimate.

  9. Cosmo, you can live anywhere to be illegitimate. However, it takes a special dose of stupid pills to make someone even appear to be running a sex industry business from a state where the business is legally persona non grata — especially if you are jacking and fucking girls around like Bosco seems to be doing. That is why the couple I mentioned don’t do sex in their porn scenes — they may portray arrest and jail scenes in their videos but they don’t want to actually be arrested and serve hard time here. Even if he is not strictly doing business in Michigan using a number here is asking for legal trouble. Anything illegal traced back to his Michigan phone number will be investigated by hick, Calvinist police, prosecutors and if it gets that far an ultra-conservative judge (in Michigan only Genessee, Muskegon and Wayne counties electorate routinely elect anyone other than hard-right conservatives as prosecutors or judges and we have a Attorney General that is so hard-right that he makes Paul Ryan and his Tea Party crew seem like raving liberals) that will be extremely biased toward throwing the book at any porn industry based case that comes his way. In Oakland County I could see a judge ignoring all evidence that nothing happened in Michigan, convicting him and him learning the real definition of rape nightly for a few years until the case is overturned for lack of jurisdiction in an appellate court with enough standing to stop the case. I won’t cry any tears if that happens to him but it shows his stupidity in running his “PR” firm.

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