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instep profile
The rising star of PR
Selina Rashid brings the business of Public Relations to Pakistan
and insists that contrary to what celebrities think, too much
publicity is not a good thing. Quite an unconventional philosophy
for a publicist, Selina is all about pushing the envelope.
By Aamna Haider Isani
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Selina
Rashid's initiation to Public Relations was Hugh Hefner's 80th birthday,
which took her, in his chartered jet, all around Europe - Cannes,
Munich, Paris and London to be exact. For the uninitiated, Hugh Hefner
is the founder of the Playboy Enterprise and his 80th birthday gala
was celebrated at Playboy mansions, bunnies and all, in full glamour.
As his Publicist at Avalon PR in London, Selina experience it all.
"I was green in the gills when I was thrown into this,"
Selina smiles as she remembers starting her PR career in London, "and
I can say that I never got a project this glamorous ever again."
Selina worked with Avalon for three years before she decided to return
to Pakistan.
"I had spent six years abroad," she refers to her academic
years at Warwick and then at Avalon in London. "I had acquired
the skill for PR and I knew that there was no such thing in the entertainment
industry back home. Event managers were handling PR but it was limited
to isolated shows and was not on long term basis."
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| Playboy
mansions and the bureaucratic area of Gulberg she has set her office
in are world's apart and yet Selina has managed to transport a certain
level of liveliness, even kink, into her work place here. She is a
dynamic person and that reflects in everything she does. Currently
in transit - she is waiting to move office to a more formal set up
- Selina has managed to mark her territory in a single story rented
house in Gulberg. Her office is all Lotus, from the red lacquered
wall to the lotus paper lamp shade to the incredibly tacky yet intriguing
Chinese paintings she picked up for a dollar each at a flea market
in Shanghai. Is that Chairman Mao in a diaper? There's character in
her ambience, as there is in her self. |
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There's nothing
conventional about this young girl. She wears her face free of make
up and the way she dresses suggests a love for fashion and yet a streak
of rebellion. "Six years ago Kami (Kamiar Rokni) labeled me a
fashion faux pas," she remembers fondly as she buttons up a strange,
grey tweed, asymmetrical jacket she is wearing over her jeans and
leather boots, braving the harsh Lahore winter. "I never pick
up 'normal' things to wear," she adds.
She continues with an insight to her relationship with Kamiar Rokni,
who is her client and who she accompanied to Karachi when he came
to launch at Ensemble. |
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"Kami
was one of the first people to sign up and this is so interesting
because Kami has been Lotus' PR rather than the other way around.
I've known him since I was very young and when he started out alone,
we decided to work together. He had already done his post-Karma interviews
when he officially signed up but from there on we ensured he didn't
come out too bitter in his interviews and all."
Selina's easy confidence took people in Lahore by surprise when she
moved in and started her company very confidently. Here was someone
who wasnít looking for 'social acceptance' or support from
the industry. She took off as an individual, with a group of seven
people assisting her in the company. She was very certain of her credentials
and professionalism. |
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"People
used to skeptically eye me as 'this young filly' who has come in and
wants to tell us how to do their job," she laughs as she remembers
the initial 'hostility' she encountered via event managers who thought
she was here to take away a chunk of their business. "I want
to make it very clear that I am bringing PR into the industry. This
is not event management, nor advertising nor image consultancy."
Selina is vocal about her views on everything and rarely zips up when
it comes to 'political correctness'. In a matter of a few months,
she has made it very clear that she may be working in Lahore but she
certainly isn't planning on 'clanning' up or bowing to social pressures
that prevail so strongly in Lahore. In her short professional life
here she has faced both in the fashion industry. |
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"Initially
we were involved in the publicity of PFDC's (Pakistan Fashion Design
Council) Boulevard but then we were disengaged at the blink of an
eyelid," she recalls. "They didn't trust us, so it's a good
thing they disengaged us because any professional relationship has
to be built on trust and mutual respect. But what's interesting is
that our reputation stood much higher and though the Council had decided
to hire someone else for their PR, four individual designers approached
us and said they wanted us to handle their PR."
Selina's company, Lotus PR, is not even five months old this February
and yet it has managed to take on more than 22 clients - corporate,
musicians, fashion designers and even publications. Nickie and Nina
were the first, then came Kami and the most recent addition is Zeb
and Haniya, the talented music duo from Peshawar. Mekaal Hasan, who
was producing Zeb and Haniya's first album, also a close friend of
Selina's, introduced them to each other and within a matter of time
the musicians signed on. Lotus took up the responsibility of handling
their gigs and day to day management and publicity. |
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As with Kami
and fashion, Selina also has a love for music which reflects in her
work too. Itís a love for people - which she feels is essential
for any publicist to be successful ñ that keeps her going but
Selina also has an ingrained love for music. She sings as a hobby
and ritualistically jams at Mekaal Hasan's studio every weekend. "I
love to sing," she enthuses, "and these sessions are open
for anyone who loves music."
Back to Public Relations, Lotus PR is the first PR firm created especially
for the entertainment industry. Selina explains, "So far event
managers have been taking on the responsibility of connecting the
client with the press and media at a show, for instance. But that's
not a complete service and it's not a long term relationship. We deal
with the long term sustainability of a brand. We sign up people who
we can believe in - there needs to be longevity to make this work
- and promote them for what they are, not what we think they should
be. Credible artists, or artistes, generally feel embarrassed in plugging
themselves all over the place and that's where we step in." |
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As a publicist, she comes with a philosophy that is alien to most
celebrities in Pakistan, Selina feels that ironically, publicity is
also about being discreet. She feels promoting someone intelligently
is not about "ramming them down peoples' throats."
"People don't understand that here," she says. "In
Pakistan publicity is all about getting pictures in magazines and
pictorial content. I believe that if people get to see too much of
you, they'll start flipping the page in disinterest when they see
your face."
She comes with unorthodox viewpoints, in an industry of people who
have become know-it-alls and believe they know best. Selina comes
with a fresh perspective on how to expand the business of publicity
and PR. When Simon Lock, MD IMG Asia came to Pakistan last year to
brief the industry on how to operate during Pakistan Fashion Week,
he talked about having a PR agent. At that time not many designers
had one or were even thinking on those terms. Today, Kamiar Rokni
and Nickie Nina can claim to having a publicist and the number is
on the rise.
This is growth of the industry and should be welcomed and facilitated.
Musicians need proper PR as much as designers do, in fact even more
so. So many foreign tours, gigs and newsworthy material never makes
it to the news as musicians do not have any formal link with the media.
Managers usually limit themselves to organizing shows and getting
record deals. A lot of publicity is generated due to personal networking
or 'word of mouth' passages of information. It is rarely professionally
channelised. Lotus PR will surely change that for its many clients
and even in a broader sense, it will motivate other professionals
to get into the field with healthy competition. |
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