Jamestown Entertainment
October 2012 // 2013
Jamestown Entertainment is a DC-based event production company with over 25 years of experience producing large-scale events nationally and internationally for clients such as Microstrategy, the Ritz Carlton, and Maybach. Jamestown’s owner and founder Freddie Wyatt had produced events at political conventions during the 2004 and 2008 festivities, but 2012 marked the first time the firm had been tasked with producing and executing two week-long series of events in Tampa (the RNC) and Charlotte (the DNC).
Although Jamestown and Freddie Wyatt is widely known as an expert in the event business, the company and Wyatt had never worked with a public relations firm. Our task was threefold: first, introduce Jamestown and Wyatt to the DC-based political press that would be attending and covering these events in both cities; second, seek local coverage in both Tampa and Charlotte amongst the local press covering the convention-related activities and the local social press looking for coverage of the evening events; third, work with national media curious about the goings-on after dark.
Since this was the first time the firm was seeking media coverage, CF PR had to immediately build the proper foundation to introduce Jamestown and Freddie Wyatt to the media beginning with a comprehensive list of reporters to reach out to and conduct media training and mock-interviews with Freddie Wyatt.
In addition to our pre-convention planning and interviews, CF PR ran a rapid-response operation on site in each city where we could respond to press requests and work with reporters on deadlines.
Pre-Convention Press Work
When CF PR began our public relations, Jamestown had just received a permit from the city of Tampa to erect a 30,000 square foot tented pop-up nightclub in Tampa’s recently renovated Curtis Hixon Park. This was a news item we were able to use to introduce Jamestown to the Tampa-based press and the DC press that were beginning their convention coverage.
Jamestown secured exclusive performances by the celebrity “Supergroup” Camp Freddy in both Tampa and Charlotte, which was newsworthy because the band (whose members include veteran rock stars Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison) was the only musical act playing concerts in Tampa and Charlotte. This was a great news item to share with the press in DC as they began their convention coverage in June and allowed CF PR to keep in touch with these reporters as cemented their convention plans.
Tampa
Due to the looming Hurricane Isaac, all the events at the Republican National Convention in Tampa were under much scrutiny. Our first night’s event was cancelled, causing Jamestown and our clients to merge two events for the second evening. One of our PR strategies was to express a spirit of fun, despite the deadly storm plaguing the lowed mid-Atlantic region, without offending those seriously affected.
Strategically, the focus had to be shifted to the talent, and not the attendees.
Charlotte
By the time we arrived in the Queen City for the Democratic National Convention we were on solid ground as we had already been working with Charlotte’s local press and had been in almost constant contact with many of the same national press that had been in Tampa the previous week.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/06/30/3353969/music-factorys-big-tent-hosts.html
Weather continued to be an issue, especially on the first evening when a mass email was sent announcing that the Camp Freddy concert had been cancelled when a massive thunder storm erupted just a few hours before the outdoor event. We were immediately contacted by the media and were able to assure everyone that our event (with over a thousand attendees) was still going forward.
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/fishbowl5-with-guitarist-billy-morrison_b82521
The Camp Freddy concert hosted by The Distilled Spirits Council was one of the signature events Jamestown Entertainment did the event planning for. We worked directly with reporter Lisa Guerrero and her production team to ensure positive coverage of this VIP-only party.
Final Steps
As we ended our campaign it was important for Jamestown’s events to be included in DC’s society press. With the filing deadlines set for the week after the Democratic National Convention, our goal was a strong mention in Washington Life, which we achieved.
http://www.washingtonlife.com/2012/09/12/wl-insider-dems-rally-in-charlotte/
Jamestown Entertainment was always famous for throwing large ultra-luxury events in the Mid-Atlantic region. In the event industry there are party planners, and then there are the companies capable of large scale events aimed at a particular demographic. Through a concentrated PR approach Jamestown were established on a serious level, capable of pleasing not only the average party goer, but their clients as well gaining sponsorship, media attention, and positive press coverage.
Our work successfully communicated the shift of the brand, from throwing large budget parties to impactful National events, thus strategically placing the brand where they deserved to be after twenty five years in the industry.