Kelly Cutrone: How a Fashion Publicist Became a Brand
Kelly Cutrone is an American fashion publicist who founded the New York PR firm People's Revolution in 1996, starred in Bravo's Kell on Earth (premiered February 1, 2010), and wrote two books: If You Have to Cry, Go Outside (2010) and Normal Gets You Nowhere (2011). She is known for a blunt management style that she took public through reality television, and for a career that shows how a founder's voice can become a firm's marketing.
The timing of her 2010 launch is the detail PR teams still study. The Bravo premiere aired on a Monday night, and The Daily Beast reported that her memoir was due out the next day. A founder who needs attention for a firm should plan the book, the show and the pitch as one launch, not three.
How did Kelly Cutrone start in PR?
Kelly Cutrone started in PR as an assistant to music publicist Susan Blond, then became director of PR at Spin magazine under publisher Bob Guccione, according to Wikipedia's biography of Cutrone. Less than a year later she launched the agency Cutrone & Weinberg with Jason Weinberg, a former Blond intern.
She later sold her half of that firm to Weinberg and spent about a year and a half working as a tarot card reader before founding People's Revolution in 1996. The break from PR is part of the origin story: she built her own firm after leaving the industry, not by climbing inside one.
What made People's Revolution different?
People's Revolution was different because it took work other firms avoided. On September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the firm produced five shows in one day during New York Fashion Week, a record, because it was the only company willing to produce shows that day, per Wikipedia's account of the firm.
By the time Kell on Earth aired, the firm represented 46 clients, including Longchamp, Vivienne Westwood and Sass & Bide, according to the same source.
Why it works: Producing the show that every competitor declined sent a trust signal to designers and press, because it showed the firm would deliver on a date others considered too risky. The record was a byproduct. The reputation for showing up was the asset.
Television changed Cutrone's career by turning a behind-the-scenes boss into a public figure. She appeared on MTV's The Hills as the employer of Lauren Conrad, then on its spin-off The City as the mentor and employer of Whitney Port, before Bravo gave her Kell on Earth.
Kell on Earth premiered on February 1, 2010, ran eight episodes, and followed Cutrone and her team through Fashion Week preparation, with public firings and breakdowns, as The Daily Beast previewed it the week it launched. The same preview quoted Cutrone telling staff that anyone in trouble, whether from illness, addiction or family crisis, would be supported by the agency.
Why it works: Showing the boss's blunt temper next to a visible loyalty to staff gave viewers a reason to trust her as well as watch her. A client reading the show saw a publicist who confronted problems directly and protected her team.
What do Kelly Cutrone's books teach about PR management?
Cutrone's books teach direct management and independent thinking. HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins, released the memoir If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You in February 2010, co-written with Meredith Bryan, and it became a New York Times bestseller. Her second book, Normal Gets You Nowhere, followed on May 3, 2011.
The books extended the Kell on Earth persona into a second channel that readers could buy, which gave the firm a presence in bookstores and speaking invitations as well as on Bravo.
What can PR professionals learn from Kelly Cutrone?
PR professionals can take four practical lessons from the Cutrone record.
Take the date nobody wants. The September 11, 2002 record came from saying yes when competitors said no. List the dates, clients or crises your competitors avoid, and decide which one you can deliver well.
Launch the book and the show together. The memoir arrived the day after the Kell on Earth premiere. Pair every new channel with a second one scheduled for the next morning so each feeds the other.
Back the personality with loyalty. The blunt voice worked because Cutrone publicly promised to support her staff. State what you will protect before you state what you will demand.
Build a name that outlasts the clients. Cutrone's name became known to audiences that had never heard of her clients. Publish under a founder's byline before the firm needs it, not after.
People's Revolution is the fashion and lifestyle PR, branding and marketing firm Kelly Cutrone founded in New York in 1996. It has represented Longchamp, Vivienne Westwood and Sass & Bide.
When did Kell on Earth premiere?
Kell on Earth premiered on Bravo on February 1, 2010, and ran eight episodes about Cutrone and People's Revolution.
What books has Kelly Cutrone written?
Kelly Cutrone has written If You Have to Cry, Go Outside (2010), co-written with Meredith Bryan, and Normal Gets You Nowhere (published May 3, 2011).
Who did Kelly Cutrone work with on The Hills and The City?
Cutrone employed Lauren Conrad on The Hills and mentored and employed Whitney Port on The City, both on MTV, according to Wikipedia's biography.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
