Front Row Fashion PR: Q&A with Henri Myers of eM Productions

eM Productions is a full-service fashion sales, press and production company based in Los Angeles. Run by Lisa Elliot (Director of Sales and Marketing) and Henri Myers (Director of Public Relations and Special Events), the firm boasts 10 years combined experience, with clients like Christian Weber, Chulo Pony, Branch, Mike & Chris, and Society For Rational Dress, to name a few. In PR, eM offers magazine editorials/stylist pulls, film premieres, record release parties, national and international charity galas, film festivals, headlining tours, music videos, commercials and press junkets. Are you in love yet?

Henri Myers started in PR with a small Hollywood firm dealing primarily in high-end fashion and celebrity branding. He quickly advanced, spear-heading projects with top International and U.S. designer clients such as Paco Rabanne, Vivienne Westwood, Agent Provocateur and Joe’s Jeans, before starting eM with event planning partner Lisa in 2002.

eM Productions is a full-service fashion sales, press and production company – what exactly does this mean?

eM productions (Elliot Myers) is an all service company that myself and my partner, lisa began 5 years ago. The full service aspect of our business is focused on the fashion designers we represent. We highlight and build our designer’s fashion brands which includes everything from branding the lines in the proper stores and with press, celebrity tie-ins that make sense and any special production needs that may be in the form of a high-end boutique event or market fashion shows they may have to continue positive growth and longevity in the fashion industry.

How do sales, press, and production work together to benefit a designer?

Sales and press go hand in hand. By getting into the top stores and boutiques nationwide or internationally, the designer has already put themselves out there as a quality line and must have. Press creates that buzz and draws attention to the brand, its story and sets the path for what’s next. Production is part of it but sales and press are really what helps build lines.

Chulo Pony, Mike & Chris … How have you landed such crush-worthy clients?

Both lisa and I work hard to bring on and represent the best lines that fit our company as well as ones we like and don’t see too often in stores or publications. Clients like Mike & Chris, Chulo Pony, Marlova, CW Christian Weber all have come to us from word of mouth and referrals from buyers, editors, photographers and a few friends that know us and how we work to build the relationships needed and still have fun doing what we do.

The eM tagline explains that you “provide an overall fresh approach to an otherwise predictable business.” What are some of the strategies and tactics that you have used to energize the industry? What do you find boring or predictable about other fashion PR efforts?

That’s a great question! In a nutshell, there are so many avenues to venture down when working fashion pr. Yes, you have your fashion shows and market weeks that are set and come with its own set of standards but for us, it’s not about beating an editor over the head for a story on a line we represent but about really finding lines that work with us and have quality product to start with. that with a mix of the relationships we have with stylists and editors makes for a great recipe. We like to take a more personal approach and pull out the wackiest of our ideas to formulate winning strategies.

What web sites/blogs are must-reads for you?

thesatorialist, refinery29, thecoolhunter, ashadedviewonfashion, style.com, and men.style.com

What are the biggest challenges facing independent designers? How does eM Productions come to the rescue?

The biggest challenge with new designers is that most of them are quite new to the game. eM comes to the rescue in working with these designers by taking the time to show them how it all goes. Time is a very essential part in pr for independent designers and many are not aware so we walk them through the entire process as all the elements fall into place – stores, accts, collection, structure etc…

What is the trick to making media care about your clients?

I wouldn’t say there are tricks to getting media to pay attention to our clients but more so that each publication or media outlet caters to a specific market. Pitching the right designer to the correct media contact is very important. It’s about knowing what will work for what the media and taking it from there.

LA can be a tough town – how did you build your client base and get the word out about eM?

Both my partner and I have worked for a few different pr and production companies over the last 15 years. We’ve kept great contacts and relations with all of those contacts. Once we started eM, we put the word out and the rest came back to find out what we were up to or where we were currently working.

Putting on fashion shows and events is hard work! How do you keep your head amidst all the hooplah?

Keeping our head amidst all the hooplah at shows and events is also just how we do things here at eM. Nothing is taken personally and it’s about the business and doing a great job with a positive attitude. No matter how stressful things get, we know that it’s all happening for us, not to us, and we move through those issues. We also understand that everyone wants to be treated with respect and that they are all very special people. We aim to create a smooth environment for them to be a part of our event.