Month: November 2014

4 Ways to Bounce Back From Negative Press

Salvatore Vetro 2 Comments 29 November 2014 General

Being in entertainment, you are probably familiar with the constant wave of negativity. Whether it’s from a botched audition or being a little short with next month’s rent, the daily negativity can be draining. What about when your project gets hit with a negative review—whether it be an article, blog, vlog, tumblr post, tweet, etc.? It can be devastating to a newbie, especially since each project is being added to your demo reel or IMDb page for a future casting director to see.

You’ve worked too hard to let a bad review affect your career, and in the eyes of a publicist, there’s always a way to recover from any negative review.

1. Spin It. Depending on the media platform, there’s always a way to increase any form of publicity in your favor. Is there a negative review about an independent slasher flick you starred in? Entice your audience by asking them about their thoughts, link the article, and get a discussion going. Also, express how much fun you had on the project. Did you love the script? Was working with the cast amazing? This allows you to tweak your PR once you’ve received a consensus on your audience.
2. Embrace it. If the movie was meant to be dramatic but fell a little flat and ended up being comedic, sometimes you have to accept it. (However, you only have to accept it if you want to. If you believe a love story between a human being and a mutant tomato is romantic, then you fight for their love until the very end.) From a publicity standpoint, you should be willing to view your project by all perspectives to gain true insight on why it didn’t resonate as strongly as you had hoped.
3. Contact. I’ve seen actors who’ve received negative criticism on their acting get edits done after reaching out to the reviewer. Contact the author of the review and ask them why they were dissatisfied. Read their review and address certain critiques. Remember, just because someone says your project isn’t good doesn’t mean they’re right and it’s important to keep that in mind. The reviewer will also probably be surprised to communicate with one of the actors. Communication makes you tangible and real, not just a character they saw on television or in a play.
4. Move on. If the negative reviews grow so much that it’s easier to cut the chord than to stand-up for your project, then it may be time to move on. So you were in a blockbuster dud, there’ll be plenty of other roles for you in the future. Jennifer Aniston was in “Leprechaun” before becoming a household name, if she can recover from that movie, you can recover from anything!