Montel Williams

Client

Emmy award winning television personality and noted patient activist and entrepreneur Montel Williams has worked with every PR firm under the sun in his 22+ years in the public spotlight, so when his team sought new representation, it’s fair to say he had a lot of choices. He chose LUCID after a bidding process from a pool of several highly qualified firms.  Montel and his team needed a firm that could weave together a unified message that could transcend his various business and philanthropic ventures.

Goals:

LUCID was charged with helping Montel’s team coordinate a unified media strategy and conduct media outreach to coincide with the various array of projects he is involved in.  Our challenge was to weave a common thread among these projects, from advocating for safe access to medicinal cannabis, to products he endorses to his critical philanthropic work with those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and active duty and retired members of the military.

Strategy/Implementation: Media Relations and Strategy, Creative Strategy, Speaking Engagements, Product Marketing, Media Strategy Coordination, Crisis Management.

A critical part of our strategic thinking was that Montel was clearly not the average celebrity.  He defies that sort of simple categorization in a characteristically unique way.  So our challenge was to use his celebrity when appropriate, but in a way that captured his intellectualism, passion and military like precision in understanding issues he cares about.

Results: Coming out of the gate, LUCID managed a complex announcement with respect to one of Montel’s ventures, in which control of the messaging was essential.  Quickly, we shifted gears to various other projects, as we coordinated media opportunities that reminded Americans why they invited Montel into their homes for more than a decade during the Emmy winning run of the Montel Williams Show.

We decided early that the only way to fully grasp the breadth of issues and projects Montel is involved in was through immersion.  Once engaged, LUCID’s Managing Partner Jonathan Franks spent almost 3 months on the road with Montel learning hands on, which none of his former firms had done to the degree that we did.

Of course, there is no one better at captivating and inspiring an audience than Montel Williams, and our greatest compliment is when viewers indicate that he reminded them why they invited him into their homes day in and day out for more than a decade.

Needless to say someone with Montel’s public profile becomes a target for less than scrupulous people.  In several instances, LUCID worked diligently with media organizations and other outlets to correct the record or remove inaccurate stories, interfacing with Montel’s management and legal teams to protect his reputation.