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“They
never saw it as a job by itself. They didn’t
see it as a specialty. They didn’t
see it as that little niche that was not
being served. They just felt like they were
doing fine.”
In late 1999, Stevenson’s work as
a publicist for 12 years with Universal
convinced at least one studio executive
that there was a need for someone who could
promote not only black films but also mainstream
films to a black audience. She also wrote
press releases and feature stories for the
African American, Asian American and Hispanic
communities nationwide.
“Every time there was something black
involved,” says Stevenson, “they
would say, ‘ask Roz, she can do it.’”
She was offered a newly created position
as vice president of special markets.
But the special
markets position did not materialize, says
Stevenson, as in early 2000 Universal was
going through a re-engineering process at
the studio and, after laying off seven executives
in the department, was not in a position
to create any new positions. Stevenson was
offered something better—the opportunity
to start her own public relations firm,
with Universal as the main client, and a
contract that would allow her firm to seek
business from other studios.
“Everything that was publicity was
me,” says Stevenson. “I had
always worked on school newspapers. But
I never took journalism. It seems I just
had a natural flair for it.”
Stevenson, a 1961 graduate of Centennial
High School in Compton and Cal-State University-Los
Angeles, began her career with hopes of
becoming a writer, working from 1975 to
1978 as a script consultant with Norman
Lear’s Minority Comedy Writing Program.
She also served as assistant to the producers
of “Good Times” for four seasons,
earning four writing credits for teleplays
for the black sitcom hits “Good Times”
and “The Jeffersons.”
But creative writing wasn’t for her,
she quickly discovered.
“I enjoyed working on teleplays,”
says Stevenson. “But it was such a
struggle and there was so much politics
going on with it, I just said, ‘let
me see what else is out there.
“I was really struggling around trying
to find a place for myself creatively.”
Stevenson said the long hours involved in
writing for sitcoms interfered with her
family life and raising a new baby and two
older sons. Ironically, as a publicist,
she has not slowed down.
“To be in publicity, you have to be
fast-paced and be able to multi-task,”
advises Stevenson. “As a working mother,
I had been doing that my entire career.
I learned to just take it one day at a time.
I make a general plan that is flexible.”
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