Watching Elvis and Richard Nixon do a duet on My Way at the White House is not an experience enjoyed by many people, but Lisa Shamata counts it as one of the fringe benefits of her job.

For the unit publicist – in the above case working on the movie Elvis Meets Nixon for Dufferin Gate – the energy of being on set is one of the best parts of the job. Shamata has a preference for unit publicity and puts heavy emphasis on being part of the on-set team rather than an outsider whose needs disrupt filming.

‘I see myself as part of the process, part of the crew. I think sometimes the perception of a publicist is maybe [they are] less involved with the production. As a unit publicist, I see myself as part of the production and I try to encourage that because I think it’s a positive for everyone. [I want] the crew to see my role as part of the big picture as opposed to someone on the outside looking in and coming on set once in awhile. I think it’s important that you establish a relationship and be part of the whole thing.

‘It’s a bit of challenge when [the crew] is under the gun to get that last shot. The last person they want to see is me walking on set with EPK [electronic press kit] crew because of the added time [it will take].’

Freelance television and film publicist Jill Spitz agrees, saying each set is a world unto itself.

‘No one works in this business alone. The more you can see everything you do as a team effort the longer you’re going to be around.

‘Every set is so different,’ says Spitz. ‘The dynamic, the pecking order, it’s like learning to be part of a brand new family each time. You’re entering their turf – their mission is to shoot a series. You arrive to do an interview with an actor [and] you have to be sensitive to the needs of that actor and that crew and that journalist you’ve brought along. You’re not just there to achieve what you want to achieve, you have to do it within the confines of being respectful to everyone on that show.’

Spitz also takes on unit publicity, and a little personal publicity, although at the moment her time is consumed by launch publicity for Paradise Falls from Toronto’s Breakthrough Films. Her work for the series, which she describes as ‘a cross between Twin Peaks and Melrose Place,’ involves alerting media nationwide to the new show, a pursuit that becomes ever harder with the expansion of the broadcasting universe.

‘With many channels competing for the same number of media outlets, that’s the major challenge. With the launch of new stations it gets increasingly more difficult. When I hear about new stations launching it just means more shows, all worthy of attention. But I like a challenge,’ she says.

‘There’s an expectation from reviewers and journalists that they will get an episode of something well in advance to decide whether they will cover it. To think of that in terms of how many shows are vying for journalists’ attention, think of the number of tapes they would be requested to watch, it’s staggering.’

Shamata says a major change that gathered pace over the last six years has been the EPK.

The advent of the EPK has had a particularly profound effect on Shamata, who has found herself moving into the position of ad hoc producer for the EPK projects, rather than the more traditional route of co-ordinating with the producer and making the talent available.

‘I started producing them independently, occasionally on films that I’m working on, and I incorporate that into my deal for the show – I just did that for the Red Green movie [Duct Tape Forever]. On other occasions I’m hired independently as an EPK producer and produce it independently with another unit publicist.’

This move into ersatz independent production has heralded advances for Shamata: she has done an EPK for VH1 in the States and diversified into stringer work for U.S. showbiz program Extra.

One other change in delivery method has had a fundamental effect on the business of a publicist: the advent of the Internet. Shamata says press kits online bring an end to the days of ‘binders and binders of still photos and slides. Digital photos are much easier – it’s immediate, there’s no fear of losing the originals or losing the generation. I think it’s a very positive thing. Also for talent who get photo approval, once the image is killed it’s gone.’

Spitz concurs on the change Web technology has wrought: ‘Paradise Falls has its own website up and running. It acted as an early tool for any journalist that I would contact before the show started. You could have a picture of an actor or a thumbnail of a character. For me, to sit on the phone and describe that [character or actor], that’s pretty onerous. If someone can get on our website and click and find out [about the production], that’s a great way to communicate.

‘We used to make lots of shots and copies for the shows. Now what happens is we give the originals to the broadcaster and they scan them and they send them to the media. No longer do we have to duplicate hundreds of copies. It’s labor intensive to do all those things. Now we can send written and visual material with the click of a finger. No more stuffing envelopes,’ says Spitz.

‘People go on the Internet to research anything – if I want to find out about a movie I haven’t seen a review for, I’m more inclined to go onto the Internet. If I’ve heard about a movie being made, I would want to find out about it that way. In the past you had to phone the studio and ask for a press kit. A website can be an ongoing source of material. You can have the site up before the movie is made and update it constantly. And EPKs and the Web mean that people can find out what’s going on behind the scenes, and that allows them to be part of it.’ *