{"id":14034,"date":"2026-04-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=14034"},"modified":"2026-04-27T14:39:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:39:54","slug":"how-saying-yes-led-me-to-the-grammys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/30\/how-saying-yes-led-me-to-the-grammys\/","title":{"rendered":"How Saying \u201cYes\u201d Led Me to the Grammys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Standing backstage at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, surrounded by production crews, artists and publicists moving quickly through the venue, it becomes clear that the magic viewers see on television is only a small part of what it takes to bring an event like this to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every red carpet appearance, performance and award moment is supported by dozens of professionals working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past two years, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to experience that environment firsthand while working the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony through GVF Productions. As a public relations student passionate about music and live events, stepping into the world of one of the biggest nights in music gave me a deeper understanding of what entertainment PR really looks like behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From credentialing talent to escorting artists through the venue and onto the red carpet, the experience reinforced something I\u2019ve quickly learned about this industry: things move fast, and the ability to adapt is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Grammys<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, my first year working the Grammys Premiere Ceremony, I served as a floater. This meant moving throughout the venue to support talent and their teams while making sure everything stayed on schedule. I worked closely with stage crew members and show managers to ensure artists and their escorts had everything they needed before performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role required constant communication and quick problem-solving. When you\u2019re working in a live-event environment, things change quickly, and the ability to pivot is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2026, I had the opportunity to take on a more focused role as a talent escort assigned to Zara Larsson and her team. My responsibilities included coordinating logistics for her performance, escorting her throughout the venue and guiding her to the main red carpet for interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being immersed in the event environment was an incredible experience. I was able to move through backstage areas, the red carpet and production spaces, which gave me a full view of how different teams work together to execute such a high-profile event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One moment that really stuck with me was watching the level of collaboration that goes into even the smallest decisions. Something as simple as choosing an outfit for the red carpet involved coordination between the artist, their manager and their publicist to ensure everything aligned with the artist\u2019s image and comfort level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a reminder that in entertainment PR, every detail matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What PR Students Don\u2019t Always See<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we watch major award shows from home, it\u2019s easy to think of them as a single production. In reality, there are many teams working simultaneously behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are artist teams made up of managers, publicists and stylists. There are production teams managing the show itself. There are event coordinators, media teams, stage managers and dozens of other professionals working together to keep everything running smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months of preparation go into making an event like the Grammys successful, and once the day arrives, everything moves at an incredibly fast pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For PR professionals, that environment requires strong communication skills, the ability to think on your feet and the willingness to collaborate with people across many different roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I Broke Into the Entertainment Industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Breaking into the entertainment industry can feel intimidating for students, but my biggest advice is to start by leveraging the resources already available to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, one of those resources was PRSA. Through PRSA-LA, I connected with Tony Ferguson, the current chapter president, who became an incredible mentor and helped open the door to this opportunity working the Grammys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your local PRSA chapter is a powerful networking tool. Look at the board of directors and see if anyone works in a field you\u2019re interested in. Reach out and ask for a coffee chat. Many professionals are willing to share advice with students who are genuinely interested in learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important lesson I\u2019ve learned is the value of simply saying yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in my career, many of the opportunities I said yes to were unpaid. While that can be challenging, those experiences allowed me to build my skills, expand my network and gain credibility in the industry. Over time, those connections have led to paid opportunities doing the kind of work I love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Networking also doesn\u2019t have to happen only at formal events. Some of the best conversations happen in everyday settings. Talk to people at concerts, festivals or industry events. You never know who you might meet or what advice they might have to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Don\u2019t Have to Know Everything<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One misconception about entertainment PR is that you need to know everything about music to succeed in the industry. While having an interest in the space certainly helps, what matters most are the core skills that PR professionals bring to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communication, organization, relationship building and problem solving are all critical in fast-paced event environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working the Grammys reinforced that success in entertainment PR is less about knowing every artist and more about being able to support a team, anticipate challenges and help create a seamless experience for talent and media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Advice for PR Students<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interested in entertainment PR, start building connections early and stay open to opportunities that help you gain experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use your PRSSA and PRSA networks. Reach out to professionals in the industry. Ask questions and be willing to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, don\u2019t wait until you feel \u201cready.\u201d Some of the most valuable experiences come from stepping into opportunities that push you outside your comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, those moments of saying yes ultimately led to working behind the scenes at the Grammys \u2014 an experience that has shaped my understanding of entertainment PR and strengthened my passion for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ajay Benmoin is a strategic communication student at California State University, San Bernardino and president of the CSUSB PRSSA chapter. She is passionate about entertainment public relations, live events and music industry storytelling.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a public relations student passionate about music and live events, stepping into the world of one of the biggest nights in music gave me a deeper understanding of what entertainment PR really looks like behind the scenes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":14035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2892,3793,3720,2894,3775],"tags":[4051,4047,4050,1373,4049,4052,4048,3354],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14034"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14034"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14037,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14034\/revisions\/14037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}