My Journey to the 'Dark Side': Why I Opted to Stay and Just Turn on the Light

Story 'selling' isn't selling your soul if you approach it with passion and principles.

Like so many before me, I had stars in my eyes when I first moved to Hollywood. A newbie with an English Lit degree straight out of UCLA, I quickly accepted an internship with a film producer, where I read scripts, got his coffee, wrote coverage, got more coffee, scheduled meetings, onto Red Bull now, and -- most important -- became familiar with the trades. I read about who was coming and going, what projects were in development, which films were killing it at the Box Office and who was at what parties. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter were daily essentials, and as an aspiring journalist, I wanted my own byline on those pages.

I landed a job at Variety after answering an ad I saw one day during my internship. Instead of sending the typical cover and resume, I couriered over a mini-script where the heroine (me, of course) saves the day by becoming Variety's Best. Employee. Ever. Cheese factor 12 on a scale of 10, but it somehow worked. And now, there I was, but probably not in the way you think.

The job I had taken was assistant to Variety's president at the time... a foot in the door that got me well connected, but I wasn't writing anything beyond phone messages and memos. It wouldn't be until more than a year later that I began writing for Variety's specials department, and that was only once I had actually left my job as a full-time employee there. I was a stringer given her chance by one of the wonderful connections I had made, and I LOVED it, but the expense of my lifestyle left me straddling journalism and Assistant Job#2 (same publishing executive, bigger salary and new company).

I wrote on the side... frenzied evenings after 10-hour days, weekends, holidays, whenever I could. It was a hectic pace, but the perks were pretty amazing and I was now doing what I went to school for: WRITING. I was also invited to parties, screenings, premieres and other Hollywood events, occasionally traveling for a story when I could swing the vacation time from my assistant job. The ring of my phone was both a source of excitement and stress as I tried to work everything in.

This was the juggling act I performed for another year until I was able to ditch my assistant shoes for good and snag a PR role in the publishing house's licensing department. With a learning curve and more intense workload, I quickly realized I had to cut back on my journalistic escapades. I also suddenly found myself the one doing the inviting, trying to woo reporters into attending events, pitching them for coverage in the same way publicists had pitched me.

It wasn't as sexy of a role for sure, but the money was good and I had finally left admin, quelling my fears that I would be someone's assistant forever. For a few months more, I toggled between publicist and journalist, an exhausting dance that took its toll on me and begged me to make a choice. I had known of journalists who left reporting to do PR and called it crossing over to the dark side, and I feared I would be giving up my passion to essentially become a salesperson peddling pitches.

Yet, I did make that move many years ago and while I am essentially a seller of stories, I have certainly not sold my soul. I still write daily, and I love the diversity of voices I get to assume in my work. PR can be exciting, meaningful and fascinating. It's a business that's also dynamic -- the landscape ever evolving with new platforms, tools and players. But at the core of it all is still the story. This is the driving force that impacts change.

In my role as a journalist-turned-publicist who is now proudly launching her own PR business, I have opted to embrace the proverbial 'dark side' and simply turn on the light. How?

I follow some key DOs and DON'Ts that allow me to approach my work with passion and principles while staying true to my core as a storyteller.

1. DO think like a journalist in pursuit of the real story. Investigate. Ask. Uncover. Repeat. Use your expertise to frame client news as desired content.

2. DON'T take on projects you don't truly believe in. If you love the story, you'll be a better story 'seller.'

3. DO channel the unique voice behind each client. Tap into what sets them apart and let that come through in your pitches and press materials.

4. DON'T forget what it's like to be on the receiving end of the pitch. Be informed, bring value and keep it concise.

5. DO have a thick skin and a good sense of humor. You're going to need it.