She’s a problem! Not only is she problem because she’s very attractive, but she’s found her calling early on in her life, and started her own business at the age of 26. Our Tamar Juda interview dives into the world of the celebrity publicist and her company Last Word PR.
Public Relations specialist and Pennsylvania native, Tamar Juda knew what she wanted to do since her first job at the local radio station. After rising through the ranks at PR Firm, Susan Blond Inc., and holding the Director of Music, PR title at MVD Inc., Tamar knew she had found what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. The decision was the driving force behind her to starting her own company, LastWordPR.
“It just clicked with me,” Juda says of Public relations. “Something about the publicists that interested me, and I got to work with incredible artists, from Destiny’s Child, to John Legend to Usher.”
Tamar Juda mainly handles musical clients, but it always looking to expand. Her internship at Sony Music in the summer of 2004 helped her career by leaps and bounds, but it was no easy ride none-the-less. “It helped a lot to see how a label works and functions,” Juda explains. “It’s all about who you know, and networking, keeping good on your word. I met incredible people, as well as other interns whom I am still in contact with to this day.”
All of the hard work and excitement with her job has led Tamar Juda to her own Public Relations company called LastWordPR. After a few years in the Public Relations game, Juda felt it was time to branch out into her own business. “It started with a few people telling me to start my own thing,” Juda explained. “The timing was right, and I started making my own money. It feels great to be a boss!”
As a PR rep, Tamar Juda would describe her job as having to gain exposure for her client in the best way possible. Meaning she has to create biographies, set up interviews and press shots, as well as make sure her client is media trained, since not every artist can get in front of a microphone and speak the right way.
Some of the clients under her umbrella include producer Jim Jonsin (Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop,” T.I.’s “Whatever You Like,”) Wayne Wilkins and singer/songwriter Rico Love, (“Keri Hilson’s “Energy,” and Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams”). Her main client at the moment, Lil’ Jon, is in no need of media training, but with the booming internet and social-networking businesses, Juda makes sure that his face is visible to all, even after the collapsing of major magazines. “Magazines like KING and Blender have folded, but online stuff has become HUGE!” says Juda. “Lil’ Jon has a MySpace, Twitter, and a Facebook. It’s easy for fans to communicate through social networking.”
Still, like it was at her job at Sony Music, the work doesn’t slack off. According to Tamar Juda, a PR person must be on point at all times. “If I know that there is an event that’s coming in the future, I must schedule everything before time, at least three to four months ahead,” Juda informs us. “I work all the time. Once I had to go straight to work off of a funeral, but you have to learn to make that time.”
Time management seems to be something that she has mastered since she keeps on her grind. A new celebrity can always use more press to keep their name hot in the entertainment industry. Plus, as the saying goes, “If you pick a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” As hard as Juda works, from the ivory-white smile on her face you wouldn’t ever think she clocked an hour of labor.
“The business is a hustle, but I’m a workaholic,” Juda admits. “It feels awkward when I’m not busy. You feel like you’re not doing enough; there’s always another media outlet to cover many venues. And I genuinely love my clients and love their music. It makes it really easy to get excited about their work.”
For those looking to jump into the PR industry, they have to look forward to less sleep and more work. Public Relations is a busy, busy industry, and it’s something that a person has to want to do. “Network!!!” exclaims Juda. “Do an internship and put in a lot of work and hours. If you love what you do you won’t think twice about it. It’s a job, but a job I love! I wake up and want to go to work!”
Move Maker pic by Wil Gomez for Parlé Magazine
