EVP, Publicity & Communications

We are seeking a seasoned, strategic, and deeply connected EVP of Publicity & Communications to oversee all publicity, communications, media relations, awards strategy, and reputation management activities from production through theatrical, festival, streaming, and ancillary release. You will help set and execute the vision for how our films are introduced to the world, shape the public narrative surrounding our slate, oversee every aspect of earned media strategy, and serve as a true creative partner to our marketing team and filmmakers. The ideal candidate understands the realities of the independent film business, which cannot rely on massive publicity budgets to generate attention. Success requires relationships, creativity, timing, strategic positioning, and the ability to create meaningful cultural conversation around a film. The right candidate understands how to maximize every opportunity, identify the right story, and connect films with the audiences most likely to champion them. While this role oversees all aspects of publicity and communications, a strong command of earned media strategy is essential. We are looking for someone who understands media ecosystems, journalist relationships, festival strategy, talent relations, awards campaigns, narrative development, and reputation management at an expert level. The right candidate knows how to build campaigns that generate conversation while constantly adapting based on audience sentiment, media coverage, and cultural relevance. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic Publicity Leadership Develop and execute end to end publicity and communications strategies across the entire film lifecycle. Establish narrative positioning, media strategy, critical outreach plans, and communications frameworks for each title. Serve as the primary publicity partner to filmmakers, producers, talent, representatives, agencies, and distribution partners. Build scalable publicity processes and infrastructure to support the company’s growth. Shape and protect the public reputation of both the company and its film slate. Publicity Strategy & Media Relations Develop publicity strategies, media targeting frameworks, and communications plans across all campaigns. Maintain and expand relationships with journalists, editors, critics, producers, talent representatives, guild members, festival programmers, and industry influencers. Secure meaningful editorial coverage, interviews, feature stories, reviews, broadcast appearances, podcasts, and thought leadership opportunities. Identify story angles, media opportunities, and cultural moments that can elevate awareness and audience engagement. Monitor coverage, sentiment, and campaign performance, adjusting strategy as necessary. Ensure every publicity dollar is deployed thoughtfully with discipline, efficiency, and accountability. Campaign Management & Narrative Development Lead publicity campaigns from initial positioning through theatrical, streaming, television, awards, and ancillary release windows, ensuring a cohesive narrative throughout the lifecycle of each title. Oversee press materials, media kits, production notes, talking points, press releases, electronic press kits, and communications assets. Serve as a creative partner in developing authentic stories that resonate with audiences, journalists, critics, and industry stakeholders. Partner closely with marketing teams to ensure alignment across earned, owned, and paid media efforts. Festivals, Awards & Industry Relations Develop festival strategies that maximize critical attention, media coverage, and audience awareness. Lead critic outreach, review strategies, and screening programs. Oversee all awards campaign planning and execution, including screenings, events, Q&As, guild outreach, voter engagement, and industry relations. Build and maintain relationships with awards voters, guild members, festival leadership, and the entertainment press corps. Work closely with filmmakers and talent to identify awards narratives that are authentic, compelling, and strategically effective. Communications, Events & Reputation Management Oversee premieres, screenings, press junkets, media tours, festival activations, and special events. Manage corporate communications, executive communications, and company messaging. Develop crisis communications strategies and respond effectively to sensitive situations. Protect and enhance the reputation of both the company and its creative partners. Identify opportunities for thought leadership, executive visibility, and industry positioning. Budgeting, Analytics & Team Leadership Own publicity budgets across the slate and maintain accountability for campaign effectiveness and spend efficiency. Develop reporting frameworks, media tracking systems, and executive visibility dashboards. Build, lead, and mentor a high performance publicity and communications team. Manage agencies, consultants, vendors, and external partners with clearly defined deliverables and performance expectations. Lead agency selection, contract negotiations, and RFP processes. QUALIFICATIONS 10+ years of progressive experience in theatrical film publicity, entertainment publicity, or media relations. Demonstrated success leading theatrical, streaming, festival, awards, or multi window publicity campaigns. Deep expertise in media relations, communications strategy, awards campaigns, talent relations, and reputation management. Hands on experience developing and executing publicity campaigns, not simply overseeing agencies. Strong relationships across entertainment media, trade publications, critics groups, guild organizations, and industry stakeholders. Experience working directly with filmmakers, producers, talent, agencies, managers, and creative teams. Proven ability to manage publicity budgets under significant resource constraints. Strong communication, leadership, presentation, and relationship building skills. The ideal candidate understands that independent film publicity requires a fundamentally different mindset than studio publicity. You know how to generate attention without relying on unlimited resources. You understand that strategic positioning, strong relationships, compelling storytelling, and thoughtful execution often outperform significantly larger budgets. You are equally comfortable discussing narrative strategy with a filmmaker, pitching a journalist, coordinating talent appearances, managing an awards campaign, and responding to a developing communications issue. You are entrepreneurial, accountable, resourceful, and energized by building systems, teams, and campaigns from the ground up. If you believe you possess the experience, mindset, and qualifications outlined above, we welcome your application. #J-18808-Ljbffr Magenta Light Studios