Local publicist Caren West, talks Kell on Earth

Kelly Cutrone and her staff at People's Revolution

 Last Monday night Bravo gave every fashion and pr girl from here to L.A. yet another reason to set their DVRs with the premier of  Kell on Earth, a show chronicling the life and times of the guys and gals at People's Revolutionand their mama wolf Kelly Cutrone. Although Atlanta’s pr girls don’t have to worry about seating Vogue's editors too close to  Harper's at Chado Ralph Rucci, they do have face the same pressures and demands from their clients whether they be America’s only couturier or the coolest husband and wife jewelry line to hit the scene.

While the People’s Rev staff deal with check-in lists, models fainting, and interns who don’t know the appropriate stamp to place on an invitation, it’s business as usual for Caren West, head chick in charge at  Atlanta based lifestyle firm Caren West Public Relations. West took some time out of her hectic schedule  to give her expert opinion on Kelly Cutrone and her portrayal of fashion public relations on her show Kell on Earth. Overall she was pleasantly surprised with how accurate the show is, from the drama in the office to the adventure of dealing with clients who have big personalities and all the hard work that goes into producing an awesome event.  She also sympathizes with Cutrone being depicted as the typical bitchy boss by saying “It’s easy to say that about a woman, she gets down to business and focuses on results, you can’t always be the nice guy. She stands up for her brand, as do I, and in the end always does what’s best for the client.” West was very impressed that Cutrone let the world see that in PR you have to do what it takes to get a job done properly even if that means picking up trash or folding jeans, at the end of the day clients care about results, and when dealing with clients like big named designers or artists, they really can fire you if they are in a bad mood  regardless of the fact that you’ve done the best possible job. 

Caren West in her office. Photo by Angela Morris

In the end, West hopes that this show sheds some truth on the often glamorized life of a PR girl, “Right now public relations is the trend du jour;  it takes a lot more than networking at parties and putting on a cute smile. I hope people will get a glimpse of not only the amount of work that goes into everything but the personality and work ethic that it takes to survive in this field.” With Cutrone’s brutal honesty and her no holds barred approach to reality TV, it’s likely that Kell on Earth will deter just as many people from entering the industry as it will attract. Which, in the case of those interns who couldn't properly fold jeans, may not be the worst thing to happen to public relations.