New York Film Academy (NYFA) welcomed The Founder of Emmanuel Bates Communications MEREDITH EMMANUEL as part of The 20/20 Series, created by NYFA’s Creative Director of Filmmaking and Cinematography, Liz Hinlein. The conversation was moderated by Hinlein and was held virtually, allowing individuals to join NYFA and the special guests from all over the world.
The 20/20 Series, created by Hinlein, is a virtual pop-up event that takes us into the homes, hubs, and workspaces of an array of dynamic creative visionaries to allow for relaxed, engaging conversations on craft, creation, and artistic vision.
Meredith Emmanuel is the founder of Emmanuel Bates Communications. Since 1997, EBComs has had a vision of providing strategic and cost-effective public relations services to filmmakers who have been underrepresented in the entertainment industry.
Emmanuel has more than 40 years of experience in film, television, radio, music, and media; and has built an impressive network of valuable relationships. Focusing on behind-the-camera public relations, she has successfully executed numerous client award campaigns for the Academy Awards, Creative Arts Emmys, and guild-specific awards. In addition, she has helped grow the careers of creative artists’ by highlighting their achievements on film and television projects and expanding their individual networks.
In 2019, she produced her first feature-length documentary, One More Orbit, about a Guinness and FAI World Record-breaking mission to beat the round-the-world record for any aircraft flying over the North and South poles.
She has worked in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the United States, with notable companies and clients including DDA Talent, Untitled Inc, Netflix, The Wal.
“I consider myself a public relations consultant,” shared Emmanuel in her conversation with Hinlein. “A PR consultant looks at a client’s public spheres. As anyone has, you have varying circles of people around you, so each and every one of us has “publics” that we interrelate with. For someone in the public eye, those audiences become more important so the relationship you have with your public is the first thing we look at with clients.”
She encouraged creatives to remember that your public-facing self must always be authentic. “If your work is qualifying at the Oscars or film festivals, your work is very good and your work should speak for itself first. If you are asked a question by anyone who could potentially help to advance your career, be yourself. Know your work and be willing to talk about the inspiration, process, and techniques you used. Let your humanity shine through.”
New York Film Academy would like to thank Meredith Emmanuel for joining the NYFA global community to discuss managing their public images for The 20/20 Series, created by and moderated by Liz Hinlein.
These guests are not faculty and do not teach at NYFA, but they have appeared to share their stories and experience with our students. As guest speakers are scheduled based on their availability, NYFA cannot guarantee whether a guest speaker will visit during a student’s attendance or who that guest speaker may be. This guest speaker forum is not part of any NYFA curriculum and attendance at guest speaker events is purely voluntary. Students should be aware that guest speaker events do not represent a job opportunity nor are they intended to provide industry connections.