HARARE - In this final instalment of extracts from the explosive upcoming book, Tuku Backstage, written by Tuku’s former publicist and veteran journalist, Shepherd Mutamba, the author focuses on the chapter ‘To be Tuku’s publicist’ revealing challenges that come with managing the publicity of an A-list celebrity like Tuku.
The Daily News was given exclusive rights, by the author, to publish a series of extracts from the book to be published before the end of the year.
When the book hits the bookstores, the Daily News readers will be the first to know.
Follow the author on Twitter @tukubackstage14 and like the page on Facebook — Tuku Backstage, alternatively contact tukubackstage 2014@gmail.com.
ENFORCING information, communication and publicity systems and etiquette, in an organisation that had previously existed without the relevant policy guidelines, procedures and standards, was not easy when I arrived at Tuku Music.
Just to get the executive management and Tuku, himself, to adapt to the new information and publicity protocols and start operating in a more official manner was an epic battle.
Celebrities love to see their big names and colourful pictures splashed in newspapers and nice things said about them.
They want to hear their own voices on radio and see their faces on television. All of them have undying affinity for attention and will circumvent the publicist if they suspect that you will advise against certain publicity.
Over-exposure is killing Tuku today. His manager allows promoters to bid for Tuku, every weekend, as if he is some piece of furniture at the auction floors.
The manager does not appreciate that, while it might make box office sense to book Tuku, five shows in one week, like he usually does, it naturally wears out the musician and diminishes creativity, energy and the quality of performance and fans notice.
As a publicist, I would find it difficult to explain to the media Tuku’s incessant shows and some of the poor performances where he was dismal because of fatigue from marathon shows.
Tuku and the manager would avoid my office when he chose to participate in the adverts of certain commodities and brands because they knew I would advise against stupid adverts. But they would go behind my back because they wanted to make money.
In 2013, Tuku advertised on billboards greasy pieces of chicken very bad for public health and sold by a certain fast food outlet.
Why should Tuku’s manager lead him to partake in such adverts? In 2014, the manager led Tuku to receive a bogus doctorate degree in Harare conferred by a dubious non-academic outfit. I would not be gullible and allow that to happen.
I could only watch while the manager was leading Tuku down the garden path in publicity matters.
Common among celebrities is the habit to deny what they say in interviews the moment their comments provoke public backlash.
Politicians behave likewise flip-flopping in the heat. Cognisant of that tendency, I restricted Tuku from giving unscheduled interviews. It is okay that Tuku is nice to everyone but to be naïve, gullible and pander to the whims of the media was not going to do him any good.
The publicity decorum I designed set very strict parameters for the media, fans and the public. I did not wish that Tuku became reclusive or enigmatic. I wanted him to be conscious of the scheming of a bad press. It was necessary that he was also aware that there were no friends in the press.
My condition was that journalists submitted written questions electronically or request one-on-one interviews that I facilitated but strictly on merit. I recorded on tape all the interviews in case the stubborn reporters misrepresented facts and we would have the basis for civil claim. Journalists hate the idea of being laboured with written questions and I got a very bad name in the industry as a result but I did not care really about that.
I stopped telephonic interviews, altogether, except with journalists whom I thought were credible and objective and would not put us in a mess.
For all that effort, Tuku would frustrate me and make spontaneous statements and decisions that were not well thought out such that damage control was even pointless.
What appeared straight forward corporate publicity protocol turned out to be quite a Herculean challenge for Tuku to adapt and lead by example as chief executive officer.
It took time and immense effort to drive the policy home and have Tuku conducting himself according to his own publicity decorum.
Our website became our official media platform for information and news about Tuku, Tuku Music and Pakare Paye Arts Centre.
I managed and generated content and photographs for the website.
The beauty of one’s own website, in all publicity work, is the freeway to express oneself without restriction and not having to go to newspaper editors on bended knees to get publicised. Rather the editors must come to your website for news.
When I issued statements to the press, Tuku never really gave talking points except only in cases where it was absolutely necessary, especially when it involved sensitive personal or family issues.
Some of the business matters that we shared with the media were discussed first depending on their sensitivity and Tuku would leave me to generate the relevant press statements for release without involving him further.
Running publicity systems for brands requires a network of credible contacts in key areas but especially the business community.
I was involved in building some of the useful business partnerships for Tuku with corporations that appreciate that entertainment is the most effective route for important messages that capture mass markets.
I got on fairly well with some of the journalists but often clashed with others who did not understand my job.
It is naïve of the press to think that publicists must be in the newspapers daily responding to press enquiries.
My job was also to deny journalists information. But I understood the difficulties of reporters, their hunger for news and tried to balance media interests and Tuku’s interests.
I simply dismissed what I deemed press trivia and became unpopular with reporters who thought that I overly protected Tuku. It is futile for journalists to think they can get unlimited access to celebrity work and life.
Because celebrities are not ordinary, they deserve extraordinary cushioning.
As publicist, my work obviously involved photography. I shot pictures for release to the press, others I filed documenting Tuku’s work, what we call archive photography that effectively immortalises Tuku’s work.
Showbiz photography, especially the live musical shows, can be agonising. Each of Tuku’s performances is different, unpredictable and the pictures difficult because the shots are not rehearsed and cannot be repeated.
Photography connects me with life in a profound way that deepens my understanding of the mosaic of creativity that surrounds me daily.
When cross pollinated with writing, photography makes a showbiz journalist more complete with enhanced appreciation of the perspectives of art.
But working with Daisy in areas of public relations is a total nightmare. She is so hot-tempered, buildings shake in tremors, if she is rubbed the wrong way. Efforts to school her in the decorum of public relations, humility and restraint failed.
Her language can be so crude it embarrasses her husband and everyone else.
In 2010, she described in the press a woman, who was claiming to be carrying Sam Mtukudzi’s child, as “a piece of sh**”. Sam had just died.
Daisy’s outburst provoked public criticism from people who felt I should have stopped her from making abusive statements in the press.
But how could I stop her if she did not recognise our own PR etiquette in the first place?