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AAPRC Weekly: Wendy Washington

Wendy Washington
Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Universal/Motown Records Group
NYC


Wendy Washington was a paralegal on her way to law school when she took a detour that changed her life. Washington, who had been a history major at elite Vassar College, was doing a bit of writing in her free time. A good friend, the noted writer and activist Kevin Powell, read her work and encouraged her to continue.

Washington, who was passionate about music and pop culture, began working as a freelance writer and exploring her interests in the role of women in hip hop. Her work was published in Vibe, Tower Pulse (now defunct), Shade (now defunct) and Interview magazines. Law school became a thing of the past.

In 1994, Washington went from freelancer to publicist, taking a position at Arista as manager of publicity, and working with artists such as Notorious B.I.G. and OutKast. From Arista she moved to Jive Records, where, as national director of publicity, she coordinated campaigns for artists such as R. Kelly, KRS-One and A Tribe Called Quest.

Today, Washington's love for music gets channeled into her position as senior vice president of media relations at Universal/Motown Records Group.

"I entered this business very idealistically and very passionate about the culture and what the artists were saying," says Washington. "I feel a tremendous blessing to be a part of music, because music is a big part of black culture and has been historically…I also appreciate the range of artists and artistry that I'm able to work with, from Erykah Badu to Nelly... I take it very seriously. I think publicists are advocates."

Because she oversees publicity for Universal's family of labels––including Universal Records (Nelly), Motown Records (Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Erykah Badu), Bad Boy Records (Carl Thomas, Mario Winans), Cash Money Records (Juvenile, Lil' Wayne, Mannie Fresh), Casablanca Records, Blackground Records, SRC and T.U.G.––Washington's commitment to advocacy gets tested regularly.

"I think its becoming more of a celebrity driven culture which is good in some ways if you're in media relations. Kind of challenging in other ways because there are more vehicles for rumors," says Washington. "The most disturbing is when you have to call and say 'what so and so is saying is not true.' There seem to be more and more vehicles for any kind of opinion or any kind of rumor to be validated...There's a lot of tabloid journalism."

Then, this spring, there was the Nelly controversy at Atlanta's Spelman College. Students at the historically black women's college protested the rapper's appearance at a bone marrow drive sponsored by his foundation because of controversial images in the music video to his song "Tip-Drill."

Nelly's appearance and the drive were cancelled. "I think every person has the right to express him or herself and we have to encourage that and I'm glad to work with people who encourage dialogue," says Washington of the incident. "I think that there are broader questions to be posed though, and sometimes people take the easy way out by calling for a boycott rather than calling for the real dialogue that needs to take place."

For Washington, in the age of national outrage over provocative images in media, taking a stand for freedom of expression isn't always easy. "There have been a few instances where I've had a real objection and refused to work on a project," she admits. "But, unequivocally, I support every artist's right to express him or herself."

In spite of the challenges, after eight years at Universal/Motown, Washington still retains the youthful passion that drew her into music––partly because she is youthful. In her 30s, she is the youngest publicity head in the music industry. "I was there for the launching of Bad Boy Records at Arista," she recalls. "It's good to see the music being embraced and taken seriously by a lot of the mainstream vehicles––TV and print––and to be able to get those bookings that used to not be available to hip hop artists. Rolling Stone has had four artists of color on their cover in the past six months. That's an incredible feat."

Another incredible feat is Washington's workload. At any given time, she and her staff are overseeing 24 active projects––artist projects that are in set up, currently promoting or in the middle of launching. "I think I decide everyday that I'm not going to catch up so I get comfortable just with a certain pace because otherwise it's overwhelming," says Washington of her strategies for coping with the workload. "I just try to focus on what the initial priorities are. The key is to keep the focus. I know at all times where every project is. Though we have a small publicity staff at Universal Records, we are very thorough and
aggressive and work really well as a team."

Outside of the office, the Colorado-born Washington says she's getting better at balancing her work and personal lives. "I enjoy shopping, going to church, hanging out with
friends, knitting when I can, yoga occasionally, and I've tried to pick up fencing," she says. "I love to travel––any place in Italy. I'm chaperoning my 16-year-old niece and some of her classmates through Europe next month, so I'm looking forward to that."

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AAPRC's Mission
The African-American Public Relations Collective (AAPRC) is an assemblage of professionals who provide communication conduits among clients, journalists, media and our communities. We come together as a collective because we recognize the importance of building those same conduits amongst ourselves.

A great deal of what we do is professional development––updating our skills, keeping pace with technology, refining and streamlining processes, providing a forum to tackle the issues that impact our work environment––but we believe our professional lives benefit most from the forging of effective alliances. Connected to one another, we possess the power of a nationwide body of committed, knowledgeable practitioners with an eye on the future.

As we move into the 21st century at lightning speed, mass media and its potent messages occupy an ever-larger part of our daily lives and our collective psyche. The AAPRC is focused on helping our members gain a deeper understanding of media's force and supporting their growth as powerful participants in the global communications network.

AAPRC's Contact
GQ Media & Public Relations
1650 Broadway Suite 1011
New York NY 10019
1212 765 7910
1212 765 7905
aapublicistcoll@aol.com

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