Over the past two months, I’ve been preparing personalized letters and customized press kits, including brochures, prints, and postcards, to mail to almost every single living celebrity of whom Richard Amsel did a portrait. It was a monumental undertaking, and I wrote to almost* everyone, from Priscilla Barnes to Robert Wagner, asking if they’d be interested in interviewing for the documentary and book.
I’ve made many, many such requests to different people over the years, including actors, directors, producers, and other artists. And a large number of them I’ve reached out to multiple times, through various channels and different contacts. (You can’t say I’m not thorough or persistent.) But this recent “wave” of PR work actually involved my going through Amsel’s entire oeuvre and, title by title, taking names, researching their respective contact information, and preparing a personalized press kit and accompanying letter for each and every person.
This process has swamped my life and my bank account…and this last batch involved piles of papers, letters, press materials, and so many media envelopes that on two occasions I depleted the available stock of my local post office. My home has two bedrooms, a kitchen, an office, and a living room, all of which I filled while organizing just this batch alone.
Will anything come of this? Doubtful. But you can’t say I didn’t try.
This begs the question: If any of you have potential connections to people affiliated with Richard Amsel or his work, please reach out to me. I’m hoping to get as many participants as I possibly can.
*The one person I deliberately excluded from my recent mailing blitz was someone I assume would be far too preoccupied to comment. Let’s just say his first name is Charles, and he’s a recurring character in recent seasons of THE CROWN.