A Call to PR: Although she envisioned a career in psychology, Charysse Robinson discovered her strengths as a publicist in 2005, while working as the outreach coordinator at Youth Line, a peer phone support service. “There was no communications person, so I ended up doing the PR and events,” she explains. She sharpened her newfound skills by taking on freelance assignments from Ingrid Hamilton of GAT Productions, including planning media-only screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival. Earlier this year, she launched her own publicity, media relations, and event planning firm, PDA PR.
An Artist-Friendly Approach: “I really want to bring out new artists and things people have never seen before,” Robinson says. She handles Toronto publicity for the Baltimore-based singer Rye Rye as well as visual artist and photographer Sacha Morrison, a.k.a. Kalmplex, and is organizing a media launch for local publishing house Burman Books. “I like working with Charysse because she’s very honest and on the ball, and she’s someone who gets a lot of people out when you have a show or event,” Morrison says. Robinson brought local media to the artist’s photography opening at the Contact Festival earlier this year and planned a party for her at last year’s Pride Week.
In addition to artists, Robinson has taken on work with nonprofits as well. After handling the Toronto PR for Vancouver Fashion Week, Robinson met marketing consultant Yvonne Kai, and the two collaborated to throw a fund-raiser for the nonprofit children’s organization StepStones in May. The Pink Carpet Soiree was set around the opening of the Sex and the City movie, and Robinson helped secure more than 75 sponsors and attract more than 500 guests. “I’m not a fan of the cookie-cutter notion of event planning,” says Robinson, citing Youth Line’s 13th anniversary event last year, which she decorated as a 13-year-old’s birthday party, complete with vintage party games and favours, as an example.
Making Plans: Robinson says she’d like to keep her company small, and hopes to plan more conferences and festivals in the future. “I really like the notion of boutique PR and keeping a personal connection with my clients,” she says. As for the story behind the PDA PR name? “Without my Palm Pilot, I’m lost.”
Correction: Sacha Morrison's name was misspelled in the original version of this story.
