Wyllisa Bennett

Rantings From The Red Carpet

#BLACKGIRLMAGIC

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IN THE NEWS!! Me!

I’m am so excited to share that I was honored at City Hall on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 as a part of Black History Month by the office of LA City Councilman President Emeritus Herb Wesson. This honor is particular sweet because President Emeritus Wesson is the first an only African American to be selected the president of the Los Angeles City Council – and to get this during Black History Month, means everything to a conscious sister like me! And I gave an unapologetically Black, Black, Blackity, Black speech! Lol

I was honored for my work in arts and entertainment. As a celebrity publicist, my job is to make people famous and keep people famous.  But the most rewarding work of all is when I can bring my talents to the Black community, and work on projects that empower and uplift our people  — such as the Leimert Park Village Book Fair and the Pan African Film Festival. I do this for the culture!

I’m so thankful to my friends and family from North Carolina who could attend this monumental career highlight for me. Their presence meant everything to me. It was a beautiful day for me!

The City of Los Angeles honored iconic comic legends like Luenell, Eddie Griffin; Marsha Warfield; Miss Laura Hayes – the Original Queen of Comedy; and Emmy-winning comedienne and actress Tiffany Haddish as part of their Stand UP: The Art and Politics of Comedy for Black History Month.  There’s an exhibit of their work in the City Hall Bridge Gallery on the third floor of City Hall.  The exhibit will be on display through March 9, 2020.

Along with Los Angeles City Council President Emeritus Herb J. Wesson, Jr. (District 10), special thanks to Councilmen Curren Price (District 9), and Marqueece Harris-Dawson (District 8) for their constant support. They have been instrumental in my work in the Black community.

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY Remembering Comedian Dick Gregory!

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Long time, no see. Sorry for the long hiatus, but my day job got in the way.

I thought this would be perfect time to “re-launch” my blog with a #ThrowbackThursday tribute to comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who passed away on August 19, 2017 at the age of 84 in Washington, DC. A memorial service, celebrating his life and legacy will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at the City of Praise Ministries in Landover, Md. It’s only fitting that I pick up from where it all began. See, what you don’t know is … I started my career as a writer/journalist with my very first celebrity interview with the legendary Gregory!

If you’re not familiar with Gregory, he was a pioneering comic from the 1960s who used his racially-charged comedy to bring attention to racism and social justice. Before there was Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, and Eddie Murphy, there was Dick Gregory. Called the “Jackie Robinson of Comedy,” he kicked open doors as one of the first crossover comedians, and the first Black comic to sit on the couch of the “Tonight Show” with Jack Parr. He also became an outspoken voice for the Civil Rights Movement, and used his brand of comedy for social and political activism. He marched. He protested. He staged hunger strikes. Gregory was a comedic lightening rod! In 2015, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A warrior to the very end, in one of his final posts, he encouraged all of us to #StayWoke.

#ThrowbackThursday Me and comic/activist Dick Gregory in 2015 at Hope Flood’s 4th Annual Comics Rock! Convention in LA.

Meeting Dick Gregory, Twice in a Lifetime!

I was an English major, a senior at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and the editor of the college newspaper, The Campus Echo. I was on deadline for a story, but I didn’t have one. I guess I was suffering from writer’s block or something. Anyway, it so happened that staff members of the school’s newspaper was heading to New York City to cover the sights and sounds of the 16th annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Football Classic, featuring NCCU vs. Grambling State. The game was held in Yankee Stadium on September 20, 1986 in front of thousands of fans. I promised our advisor, Professor Kip Branch — a mentor, even to this day — that I would find “something” to write about in New York City. Imagine his surprise when I came back to school with an interview from DICK GREGORY!! Although our team lost the football game, I scored an interview of a lifetime!

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

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A Flack. A Spin Doctor. A Prostitute. A Pimp.

A flack, a spin doctor, a press agent. Of course, all these terms are synonymous with the profession of public relations – that is, a publicist. A publicist is a person who shapes and molds the brand and image of a person, place or thing. A good publicist is also a salesperson and a master of persuasion.  I recently told someone: “If a publicist can’t sell ice water to an Eskimo, then he or she is in the wrong profession!”

black girl illustration hot pink

Wyllisa’s logo

I often proclaim myself as a “publicist du jour,” which in French, translates to mean publicist of the day.  It just sounds better in French, doesn’t it? Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: The moniker is also a nod to a very famous and classic 1967 French movie, “Belle de Jour,” starring the award-winning French actress Catherine Deneuve. The film is about a housewife who spends her afternoons as a prostitute while her husband goes to work.

I have to admit, sometimes, I feel like I’m in the business of prostitution on my day job, hence the clever, little nickname. And I’ve told my clients on many occasions that I’m their publicity pimp, who will put them on a corner for the sake of any and all publicity. I love a good headline. What can I say? I can’t help it! Thank God, my line of work is legal! My mantra: All publicity is good publicity!

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Thank you for reading my rantings from the red carpet! xo

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