We talk a lot in the DLN about collaborative relationships and working across disciplines, whether it's an architect and interior designer or a designer and publicist; so much of this industry depends on those relationships. So we’re excited to look at you all as a kind of case study. Kathryn, what was it that first appealed to you about Josh and Matt?
KI: I had always done my own PR before them; I was just lucky enough that I knew people in magazines, and when I first started working in fashion, all my friends were assistant editors. But when Million Dollar Decorators came out and there was a barrage of press, I realized there was so much I didn't know. One of the most important things to remember is that you can't do everything.
MW: We met Kathryn just a few months before the show premiered, so we really hit the ground running.
KI: And then I just suddenly thought, Oh, my God, this is great. Why didn't I get a PR before? The truth is, at the beginning—and I won't name names, not that I even remember—but I did try somebody and it just didn't work. You know so many of these relationships are about chemistry—you have to get that right for it to work. Josh and Matt were great because they always took my calls, even at eleven o’clock at night. I’d just pretend I was in a different country: Oh, time difference!
MW: Meanwhile, my background before working with Josh, which was just a few years before Kathryn, was entertainment and celebrity, so we could offer this combination of shelter—which was Josh’s background—and entertainment.
KI: Oh God, I was in every magazine.
JF: You got the cover of TV Guide!
KI: I remember I did get one of the biggest laughs on the show though: We were filming somewhere and the producer said, “I think the audience would like to know something that you've never talked about with anyone else in public before.” I said, “I am not discussing using my virginity.” Anyway, let’s get back to Matt and Josh.
MW: By the way, this is our relationship.
KI: My God, how do they contain me? No, but what I love is that they never turn down a challenge—they run with stuff. But it got harder then, when the show was over. I always say, if you want PR, you have to have something to say! You have to know what you want and be ready for it, or there’s no point hiring someone.
How has your strategy changed over the course of 14 years?
KI: Now that there are fewer opportunities with magazines, you have to reinvent the wheel! It’s all about Instagram now.
MW: That’s what’s been really interesting with our relationship. The first few years were very Million Dollar Decorators-focused, which was fun, but after that is when the real work began. It became this constant reinvention and r introduction of Kathryn and her world, her textiles, her projects, her relationships, which I feel like we're still working through today.
JF: Kathryn has so much going on beyond her home projects, which gives us the opportunity to build different stories around each of these different elements: the textiles, the boot camps, the books…
So it sounds like your relationship has gotten deeper in that time, too; you’re not just meeting to update on new projects, but you’re acting as strategic partners upfront.
MW: Exactly. Kathryn and I are on the phone three or four times a week–
KI: Or day!
MW: Or day, yes. But, we’re always talking through the next step and vision for how to get there.
KI: And even when it comes to projects, we look longterm; we may hold onto a project for years before it gets press. Meanwhile, not magazines don’t want things if they’ve been on Instagram, so I’ll show lots of the process, of me in the rubble on Instagram, but save the bigger story.
That’s a hot topic now, too, with press: How should designers strategize what to show on Instagram, save for a print pitch, share on my website, put in a book—especially in a time of such insatiable appetite for content?
KI: I leave it to them!
MW: We do work through it very collaboratively.
KI: But whenever we shoot, I’ll always make sure we shoot it multiple ways, so we can use it for magazine pitches, for social media, for a book.
JF: She’s one of the few clients we have who really thinks through that–and she always has. She knows the importance of having an abundance of those assets for different purposes.
MB: Plus, we’ll always have entertaining shots that we can use for more lifestyle stories after a big story runs.
It’s so important to be clear about those intentions, too.
KI: You may want to start just trying to be in regional publications—if you’re a complete unknown, you’ve got to build a profile. So you need to build with your PR to make that happen, and take baby steps towards recognition.
JF: One thing that we experience a lot is that designers think they need PR. And oftentimes, when they come to us, they don't really even know what that means. There's a big education component to what we do at the beginning of our process to help people figure out what their goals are, because ultimately, a lot of times when they come to us, they really don't know. They either have a good body of work that they really are excited about, or they've just been referred by someone, or they feel like it's the next natural step in the process.
KI: Another big part of it is trust—you have to let them guide you. Matt is like my shrink! And you have to remember that it takes time. Building this strategy isn’t a one month thing. The longer you work together, the more successful it will be.
MW: No matter the client, and no matter what the working relationship, we always have the overarching goals in mind. But I think one thing that people are always a little bit surprised with our relationship with Kathryn, given it is so organic and obviously we have a lot of fun together, but it is also extremely structured and extremely organized. I think this is something that not everyone understands, going into PR does not necessarily make one's life easier. PR is work—and you have to be willing to do that work to make it successful. Kathryn is willing to do the work.
This story is from Issue 6 of The Quarterly. Click here to see the full issue.
