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AAPRC Weekly: Carmen Davenporte-McNeal

Carmen Davenporte-McNeal
Publicity Manager
UPN
Los Angeles CA


"Most college students don't know what they want to major in but I knew right away when I went to school that I wanted to be in public relations," says Carmen Davenporte-McNeal. "I loved writing and I loved the whole aspect of media but I didn't want to be on the camera so I was trying to think of a way I could still be a part of it."

For Davenporte-McNeal, her career path has always been clear. She entered the mass communications department at Virginia's Hampton University with her eye on the ball and she's been hitting them over the fence ever since. As part of a project during her senior year, Davenporte-McNeal developed a PR plan for a local hip hop clothing store and the experience solidified her commitment to her chosen career. "It's a very creative process, trying to figure out how you're going to promote and publicize something," Davenporte-McNeal recalls. "There are so many different angles you can use. The process of just sitting down and building a strategy, it's really exciting to me."

After graduation, with a yen for the entertainment industry, the eager young professional moved to Virginia Beach to work for producer Teddy Riley and the R&B group Blackstreet. During her year-and-a-half with Riley, Davenporte-McNeal developed a college publicity program for Blackstreet. Because the group's major label distributor, Interscope, handled the bulk of publicity, Davenporte-McNeal felt she wouldn't get the experience she needed.

Returning to her hometown, Columbus, Ohio, she found a position as director of marketing and cultural diversity with the Central Ohio Breathing Association. The nonprofit agency worked on issues surrounding air quality, and victims of chronic asthma and breathing problems. For Davenporte-McNeal it was a significant learning process. "I learned that a lot of times you do have to educate the media on who you are and what you do," she recalls." It was a lot of grunt work. No one was calling my phone wanting to do stories on the breathing association."

In 1998, after a year in Columbus, Davenporte-McNeal decided she missed the entertainment industry. When her mother reminded her she wasn't likely to find any entertainment work in Ohio, Davenporte-McNeal packed up her things, emptied her bank account of all $700 and headed to Los Angeles. A temp position placed her at the publicity firm, Bragman Nyman Cafarelli. The vice-president's assistant was on vacation and Davenporte-McNeal was only supposed to be there for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, though, another assistant's position opened up and she was hired. "I stayed at Bragman and every year I was there I got promoted," says Davenporte-McNeal. "I started as an assistant and went to a junior account executive and then I was senior account executive."

During her tenure at Bragman, her biggest accounts included producer Tracey Edmonds and Edmonds Entertainment and the producer Debra Martin-Chase. Davenporte-McNeal developed a plan to help Edmonds establish a media profile separate from her husband, R&B and pop singer Babyface, and to launch the former Showtime series "Soul Food." When Edmonds' friend, producer Debra Martin-Chase, commented on the success of Edmonds' PR efforts Edmonds referred her to Davenporte-McNeal. "Debra called me and we did her publicity for the launch of "The Princess Diaries" for Disney. The movie went on to do $100 million…" says Davenporte-McNeal. "I had stories that I'd done [as a student] on African-American female producers and there were only three major ones at that time––I had two of them."

In addition to Edmonds and Martin-Chase, Davenporte-McNeal also handled corporate entertainment accounts for clients such as Sony Playstation, Hollywood Video, the Costume Designers Guild and the Producers Guild of America.

In late 2001, Davenporte-McNeal saw big changes in both her personal and professional lives. She married and her new husband, who was from her hometown in Ohio, balked at moving to Los Angeles. Davenporte-McNeal returned to Columbus and went to work for an advertising and public relations company called Media Solutions. There, as a public relations manager, she handled clients such as DSW Shoe Warehouse, Bravo restaurants and Columbus' NHL team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. "The reason I think I got hired there is predominately for DSW…," says Davenporte-McNeal. "Their client wanted to get in these fashion publications and since I had dealt with these fashion publications for the costume designers guild and also did some fashion stuff with Tracy and Debra…it was just a perfect fit for them."

Davenporte-McNeal might have been a perfect fit for the agency, but the return to Columbus was hardly a perfect fit for her. It wasn't long before she was felled by both culture and weather shock. She missed Los Angeles and her husband agreed to the move to the West Coast.

Davenporte-McNeal had known veteran PR guru Marcy DeVeaux during her previous stay in Los Angeles. When DeVeaux heard Davenporte-McNeal was returning, she invited her to interview for a position at DeVeaux's agency, DVG Communications. Davenporte-McNeal was hired as the agency's executive director, where she helped with new business proposals and supervised the staff of publicists and assistants. "This was my first time really managing other publicists plus assistants," says Davenporte-McNeal. "In this business…the hours are long. So it's just about motivating your staff and letting them know they're an asset to the company and trying to get them to do the best job they possibly can do."

At DVG, Davenporte-McNeal worked with clients like CBS and Lifetime television, doing mostly diversity PR, developing campaigns for people of color cast on those networks' shows. "I had never done television publicity until I got to Marcy's, and I really just fell in love with it. I'm like a TV junkie," says Davenporte-McNeal. "Working in television publicity was fascinating to me."

Earlier this year, when a friend told Davenporte-McNeal about an opportunity at UPN, she went for it. She was hired in July as a publicity manager. "Right now I'm just trying to enjoy each day," says Davenporte-McNeal of her new position. "I'll be 31 next month. When I was younger in my career I was always thinking: 'in two years I'll be here and in six years I'll be here.' But lately I've just been thinking…you know what, let me just enjoy what happens each day."

Those days, though, are long. UPN is a small operation. There are only three publicists and no assistants, so when it comes to promoting the network's programs Davenporte-McNeal and her colleagues do it all––from faxing to Airborne Express. For Davenporte-McNeal, in particular, her workday centers on the popular reality series "America's Next Top Model," on which she shares publicity duties with a counterpart in New York; the new series "Second Time Around" with Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Parker; and the series "Half and Half." "I have a very long day," she points out. "For example, on Monday [late September, 2004] I did a press junket for 'Top Model.' I was there at 4:00 a.m.; I didn't get home until 10:00 p.m. Then I had to get up the next morning to do a radio tour for one of the judges for 'Top Model' so I was up again at 4:30."

Fortunately, Davenporte-McNeal has a supportive partner in her husband Lawrence. "I've only been married two years and I spend a lot of time with my husband," Davenporte-McNeal gushes. "He's literally my best friend. I just love spending every single second I can with him."

The newlyweds workout together on weekends–-he's a marathon runner––and Davenporte-McNeal is a faithful church-goer, attending Faithful Central Bible Church every week. An only child, she's also very close to her mother and the two talk everyday.

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
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New York NY 10019
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