Cynthia Horner Q. Thanks for Interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and where you’re from? A. Hello, I’m Cynthia Horner, the CEO/ President of Cinnamon CHIPS Public Relations which is a boutique agency in NYC. I’ve had the firm for about 15 years and handle events, non-profit public relations and music clients. We have done a little bit of everything, from working with small clients who are taking baby steps to working with established celebrities who were interested in rebuilding their brand. I love all projects, large and small, so for me, it’s just a lot of fun. Of course, all projects have challenges, but having a creative, never-give-up spirit certainly helps. Q. What made you want to be in Public Relations? A. A lot of my friends are publicists and I always observed what they were doing and tried to emulate the good things that they were doing. I would look at press releases, pitches and observe the manner in which they would plan and handle events, and one day I said to myself, “I can do this.” At the time I was the Editorial Director of a music magazine, Black Beat and the Editorial Director of the iconic entertainment magazine, Right On! My employers at the time decided to launch a magazine for African-American females called Sisters In Style and we needed some PR. Although I was the Editorial Director of Sisters in Style, I decided to handle the PR myself and I contacted USA Today about getting a write-up on this new magazine, which incidentally featured supermodel Tyra Banks on the cover. To my surprise and amazement, we got featured and after that, I was hooked on PR. I let my industry friends know that I was available for freelance work and formed some long-standing relationship handling projects on some teen acts for Loud Records and the Universal Music Group. Eventually I felt that I had learned enough to have my own company, so I temporarily left entertainment journalism full time to launch Cinnamon CHIPS. By the way, CHIPS stands for Cynthia Horner’s
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Independent Production Services! I have since worked on campaigns for noted author Terrie Williams, who had released a ground-breaking book, “Black Pain,” which tackled mental health in the AfricanAmerican community, I worked on a fragrance launch of pop star Jeannie Ortega’s cologne and I have even worked with iconic bands like Tower of Power and Switch. One of my favorite projects was working with the now deceased broadcast legend Hal Jackson on his 50th and 60th years in broadcast galas where I secured press and A-list celebrities to lend their names to the events. I also spearhead publicity efforts for his pet project Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens Scholarship Competition, which assisted many young teens with much-needed financial assistance and exposure. I still help his widow, Mrs. Debi Jackson, with anything she would like to do with young people. Q. Can you tell me in your own terms what does a Publicist do? A. A publicist needs to be able to do a lot of things, which include the following: Manage and secure press opportunities for clients, guide them on the way in which they need to navigate in the business, send press releases, perhaps assist with the creation of bios and press kits. It really depends on the clients’ needs and budgets. Some clients are looking for visibility through social media and others just want to share the platform with appropriate audiences. Q. Tell us about your company “Right On! Digital? A. Right On! Digital is a fairly new company which was formed by my relatives, which consist of my husband, Ken Harris, cousin Derrick Horner and sister Kymberly Rose Horner. Our site, www.rightondigital. com, features articles on social justice, entertainment, fashion, style, sports and trends. Our site includes games and fast-breaking news as well and is for a family friendly audience as well as the former readers of the iconic magazine,
Right On!, which is one of the first publications geared to an AfricanAmerican audience who wanted the latest news on The Jackson Five, Soul Train Dancers and other popular celebrities. The magazine has been featured on numerous prominent TV series, including 20/20, BET, American Soul, TV One, Hulu, MTV and others. Through the digital platform, we intend to continue to be positive leaders in our field. Q. What is one thing you love and one thing you dislike about being in PR? A. What I love about PR is getting “hits” (placements). It doesn’t have to be anything really huge to make me happy. When I land placements, I literally jump up in the air! Iscream, cheer and email! What I don’t like is the fact that I feel that publicists are underrated. It’s a difficult job as there are so many clients who are looking for exposure. Naturally, most of the exposure goes to A-list clients or to those who have a direct relationship with current news topics. Many publicists have been in situations where clients have been dissatisfied with the level of progress. Campaigns take time and it’s up to the client to work just as hard as the publicist.I see publicity as a partnership
