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AAPRC Weekly: Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay
Founder & President
The DuVernay Agency
Los Angeles CA


Until 1995, Ava DuVernay thought she was destined to be a journalist. A slow white Bronco ride, however, would divert her from the newsroom to the head of one of the country's most successful film publicity firms.

DuVernay, then a student at UCLA, got her first taste of professional journalism as an intern at the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather." At the time, the entire country, and especially broadcast news, was embroiled in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. For DuVernay, the view from inside wasn't appealing. "After that experience, I became disenchanted with news," DuVernay recalls.

While many public relations specialists come out of journalism, for DuVernay, publicity work was not an obvious choice. "I'd been preparing myself to be a hard-news person and had never interacted with publicists," says DuVernay. "It wasn't a natural progression for me."

As it turns out, though, the move to PR was an opportunity to involve herself in a medium she loved but never imagined she'd be a part of––the film industry. After her break with journalism and her graduation (with degrees in English Literature and African-American Studies), DuVernay landed a position as a junior publicist with Savoy Pictures, a small studio. "Once I was introduced to the studio system," says DuVernay, "I really became a student of marketing and publicity.

For five years, DuVernay worked with PR firms around LA, including stints at Bender/Helper Impact and mPRm Public Relations. She served as a senior executive at Rachel McCallister and Associates during the merge to form mPRm. "I always knew I wanted to work independently," DuVernay recalls. "And when I began working with Rachel McCallister, I saw how she built a mid-sized agency of about 60 or so employees. She was strategic and courageous and I just watched her."

DuVernay watched and learned and in 1999 opened her own shop––The DuVernay Agency––out of her dining room. "I had developed a reputation as a ‘go-to’ person for urban projects that needed mainstream crossover," says DuVernay of her professional status at the time. "So I worked on that niche. My agency is the place many of the studios come to market certain types of film--multicultural, urban. But, it goes beyond that. A lot of our clients also come to us with projects that feel young, feel hip."

While DuVernay has carefully established her agency's specialty in the film and television industry, she's been careful not to pigeonhole herself. "At first, I got offered a lot of opportunities to do only the black press aspect of campaigns. I turned them down initially.

We are feature film publicists with an urban connection, and I said hire us to do everything or nothing. I really believe that the business that you turn down says as much about your agency as the business you have. It took me a minute to learn that but I feel that strategy has paid off for us," says DuVernay. "I consider myself a film and television publicist, and there aren't many independent black publicists who handle high-profile studio and network projects from start to finish. Besides my group, Marcy Deveaux, Roz Stevenson, Anna Fuson, Cassandra Butcher and, of course, the amazing Jackie Bazan come to mind. It’s not a huge club and I’m blessed to have a piece of the pie on my own terms."

The 31-year-old's gutsy approach to the business has, in just five years, brought her five-person firm an A-list client roster that includes Paramount, Sony, MGM, Warner Bros, Disney, Dreamworks, Focus Features, Columbia TriStar, CBS, NBC, HBO, Showtime, FX, IFC, Urbanworld and many others. The agency recently contributed to the awards campaign for the critically acclaimed film Monster on behalf of client Blockbuster/DEJ Productions, for which Charlize Theron brought home the best actress Oscar.

Over the past four years, The DuVernay Agency has coordinated publicity for dozens of feature films, including: Out of Time (MGM), Biker Boyz (Dreamworks), Deliver Us From Eva (Focus Features), Two Can Play That Game (Sony/Screen Gems), Scary Movie (Dimension/Miramax Films), Spy Kids (Dimension/Miramax Films), The Brothers (Screen Gems/Sony Pictures) and others. On the small screen, DuVernay’s firm is the agency of record for the UPN hit show "Girlfriends" and the new Fall 2004 series "Dance 360" (Paramount Network Television). The agency has repped "Judge Hatchett" (Columbia Tristar Television), "The District" and "City of Angels" for CBS, "Street Time" on Showtime, and The Disney Channel's "The Proud Family." Other television projects include "Dancing In September" and "Half Past Autumn"––both for HBO––"Roots 25 -- An American Saga" on NBC, "The Rosa Parks Story" for CBS, and much more.

The DuVernay principles have ventured into the world of theatre as well, promoting the Los Angeles showings of productions such as "The Lion King," Twyla Tharp Dance, the American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company and, most recently, the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Topdog/Underdog."

So what does it take for a small, black-owned firm to succeed in the notorious world of Hollywood deal making? "I'm terribly, terribly detail-oriented, every little thing matters," says DuVernay. "And I’m blessed in that my strategies are supported by a really excellent team each and every day. Ellene Miles is my right-hand woman and she, along with the whole team, truly gives 110% to every project we’re entrusted with."

On a day-to-day basis, running a theatrical publicity campaign starts with a screening of the film, after which DuVernay and her staff brainstorm about a wide variety of story angles for all categories––television, print, online and radio press, and often promotions. Because, she says, these days a campaign is sold primarily by the actors, she and her staff spend a lot of time coordinating with the actors' personal publicists, as well as pitching and arranging appearances and bookings, managing issues of exclusivity, making sure reviews break at the right time (if at all), and planning the all-important press junket (which involves flying in 100 or so journalists to interview the cast and filmmaker). Then there's the premiere––red carpet logistics, television and radio bookings. DuVernay also likes to ensure that the urban press is serviced regularly as well. "That is not a standard outreach for most studios and networks. So, we make sure that every project we are involved in-–whether urban or not-–is offered to the black press for coverage and participation," she says matter-of-factly. In addition, there's often a unit campaign while the film is in production. "Essentially, we're the strategists who take a film and create the buzz that will eventually sell tickets," DuVernay explains. For a television series, the agency puts together a mini-campaign every week.

DuVernay maintains her enthusiasm for the demanding work by taking on projects that have personal significance. Such was the case with "Lumumba," a biographical film about the assassinated African leader. Another favorite is her client Reggie Rock Bythewood’s "Dancing in September." DuVernay was especially satisfied with the three-year campaign for the Los Angeles production of "The Lion King." "That campaign got African-Americans in Los Angeles into a theatre for a big Broadway play," DuVernay points out. "It was really fulfilling to see the house filled with people of color in this market, many of whom had never experienced Broadway-caliber theater."

Though her schedule's already packed, DuVernay has been unafraid to expand. In June of 2003, the young entrepreneur founded the Urban Beauty Collective (UBC). A ground-breaking marketing concept, UBC (urbanbeautycollective.com) distributes customized entertainment content to a growing network of more than 10,000 select African-American barbershops and beauty salons in the top 15 urban markets. Already, UBC's client list is filled with heavy hitters like Fox, Universal, MGM, Paramount, Sony, ABC, Dreamworks, MGM, Interscope Records, Warner Bros. Records and many more. UBC is currently promoting the upcoming films Johnson Family Vacation with Cedric the Entertainer, Man on Fire with Denzel Washington and I, Robot with Will Smith. DuVernay is also co-producing a television show called "Epiphany" about celebrities and their spirituality. The project is currently in negotiations with a cable network.

In spite of all she's doing, DuVernay finds she has a lot more free time now than when she first started the agency. "I bought my first home last fall and I've spent a lot time fashioning myself as this new millennium homemaker," she laughs. The single Los Angeles native is very close to her family and spends a lot of time with her two sisters and her friends. She enjoys dining out, cooking, and entertaining, as well as plays, exhibits, cultural activities and of course, film. She is an active member of St. Agatha Catholic Church, where she sings in the choir––when she's able. "I can't be at rehearsals when it's award season or during movie premieres," she admits. "But they understand and let me come and go."

Though DuVernay has lived in L.A. all her life, her parents relocated to Montgomery, Alabama seven years ago, and the family spends holidays in the Deep South. "For a couple years I always had films opening around Christmas and couldn't go home for long for the holidays," she recalls. "Now I make it a point to go home in early December and stay for three weeks. It's great––but then when I get back, Sundance in the second week of January is staring in my face. Then awards season. And this year beyond various ceremonies and nominees, we had the women of "Girlfriends," one of our clients, hosting one awards show. So it's been going at a fast pace..."

While DuVernay loves the work and manages the pace like the pro she is, she doesn't plan to keep it up forever. "I don't see myself doing PR in this way five years from now," she says. "What's most important to me is my health and the health of my family. We've had a lot of illness in the past five years, so more than anything I'd like to be standing with my family, all of us happy and healthy. That's all that really matters."

For more info, visit The DuVernay Agency

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