Founder and President of Anderson Group Public Relationship, a world-renowned public relations and brand management firm. She is one of Hollywood’s most powerful celebrity publicists and public relations experts. Specializing in celebrity crisis management, she is in a constant state of preparation and readiness. Despite her undeniable prowess in the industry, her sweet laugh and dog-friendly office creates a warm, welcoming environment for clients and employees alike.
What was the impetus for starting your own firm? “Before I started my company, I was working for Warren Cowan, who is basically the godfather of PR. I worked with him for years and loved it. The only reason that I started my own company was because he gave me so much freedom, and I had such a great time while I was working with him. I worked with legendary people and I just couldn’t imagine working for somebody else after working with him.”
Q: What do you think is the major distinction between you and other firms? “I always say that we have a really personal touch and that we pack a powerful punch. There are twenty five of us at the company, which is medium sized, as far as PR is concerned. We’ve got clients in every state, which is clearly great, we are also writing new stars… We’ve got actors in film and TV, experts as far as celebrity chefs and celebrity doctors. We give everybody a personal touch as if we were a smaller agency. We have the contacts that we have, which gives us the ability to open up any door for them.”
Q: What do you do to make your office a happy place? “I started the company and brought my dog and then everybody else kind of joined and came on board. So now my employees bring their dogs also. It makes for a really friendly and happy environment.”
Q: What key characteristics should a client look for when they’re looking for an agency to represent them? “They should look for people that are passionate about them and that they really believe in them and are willing to share the same vision that they share. They have to be willing to do the work hard and have a track record too.”
Q: What makes you passionate about your business? “There are no two days that have ever been the same and I’ve been doing this for a while; that’s what I love about it. We’re always evolving. Society has changed, so I’m always learning and always meeting people. I can’t ask for anything more when it comes to going to the office every day. I just want to keep a happy successful writing environment at my office and make sure that everybody in my office is content so that we do the best job we can do every day.”
Q: What is your perspective on gender equity in the workplace? “I’m pretty colorblind when it comes to all of that. It’s never an issue in my head as far as running as a company. I mean everybody’s equal. It’s a non-issue for me. I have always hired without thinking about that. I have a great blend of people of all sizes and shapes and it’s just not an issue.”
Q: What do you do for self-care? “I wake up every morning and go work out. I go to a gym in Santa. Monica or I go to one of the stadiums here at UCLA. I do that for every morning for at least an hour and that’s how I start my day. I can’t feel right if I don’t start it like that. I’m up early. I’m up at 6:00.”
