I met Lagan Sebert, a young publicist, at AFI FEST 2006. Lagan did such a great job helping journalist that we decided to introduce him to our readers.
CWB: Please tell us about your AFI FEST experience and how you felt working with the media?
Lagan: AFI Fest 2006 presented by Audi was a great experience for me. It is a very international festival with equal parts glamour and substance. One great thing about AFI Fest is that it brings out everyone from some of the largest news networks in the world to the smaller on-line and foreign language press. Working with such an array of media outlets was exciting. There was a story for everyone. Working in the fast paced fervor that is generated at world class festivals such as AFI is always one of the best and most challenging parts of the job. For me I love working amongst the controlled mayhem, and if only a few of the truly independent filmmakers make breaks out of the festival then it is a success.
CWB: You did a great job and left a very good impression on the entire journalist that we talked to, where and how did you get your training for public relation?
Lagan: My first experience working in the world of Public Relations was with the Sundance Film Festival. I had no previous training or experience in Public Relations however Patrick Hubley and Irene Cho who run the festival press office gave me a chance to come and work in Utah. Patrick and Irene took the time to help me learn how to navigate the world of festival publicity, and I owe them for taking a chance in hiring me without any direct prior experience.
CWB: Tell us about an exceptional or interesting experience you had during AFI FEST 2006.
Lagan: At AFI FEST 2006 one of the favorite films of the press team was “Comic Evangelists”. For a film that was made with fifty dollars we helped it generate a good amount of festival buzz. One of my personal Festival highlights was watching the entire cast of the film picket outside of the Arclight theaters pleading to confused festival-goers to please not attend their two screenings in theaters 14 and 11 an hour before each screening.
CWB: Please tell us more about yourself and your goals in life.
Lagan: I have a wide array of interests in current media, from publicity to writing to producing and directing. My educational and professional background is mainly in humanitarian work and the social sciences. I hope to use my experience and skills in both humanitarian work and media to create socially conscious media in the near future.
Lagan Sebert could be reached at lagan_sebert2003@yahoo.com