Why a Disney Publicist Launched a Personal FYC Campaign

As a senior publicist and 15-year veteran at The Walt Disney Co., Marshall Weinbaum is used to pitching in on campaigns for the studio’s film and TV offerings. What’s brand new is being singled out for that work.

Weinbaum scored a publicist of the year nomination for the 59th annual ICG Publicists Awards and he tells THR that once he shook off the initial shock, he decided to put those skills to work by launching a personal FYC campaign. “I have loved this industry and award shows since I was a little kid,” explains the industry insider. “I remember watching the Oscars at 11 or 12 and thinking how amazing it was. Now, to be working in this industry and being a part of awards season by pushing great films, performances and the work of great artists, when I got nominated, I thought, let’s have some fun.”

He reached out to a friend, content creator Amy Fulcher of the creative entertainment site As the Bunny Hops, to craft the ad (seen above) which he shared on his social media platforms. “We’re publicists, if we’re nominated for an award and don’t publicize it, what we are doing?” Weinbaum says with a laugh, noting that in his decade in the guild, it’s the first personal FYC ad he’s seen. As for how it’s been received among his peers, he adds, “People have been really kind, they’ve all said it was really creative and have been rooting me on. Maybe some hated it but they didn’t say that to me.”

Also nominated in Weinbaum’s category are Paramount Pictures domestic publicist Michelle Alt, Paramount international publicist Hayley Morrow, 42West’s Annalee Paulo-Hensley, and unit publicists John Pisani and Claire Raskind.

Meanwhile, he’s rooting on his colleagues, saying he’s thrilled to be a part of the talented teams that scored nominations for West Side Story and Wanda Vision in the film and TV categories, respectively. The awards luncheon is March 25 and whether or not he walks out with a trophy, he’ll always have the ad. “At this point, I’m going to hold my head up high and be proud of the work I did and be proud of the nomination. I’m a pretty humble person,” concludes Weinbaum, who plans to print and frame the FYC ad. “Win or lose, at least I had some fun.”

A version of this story first appeared in the March 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.