CharPR Prize Nominations, 2012

Nominations: CharPR Prize, 2012

The Charlebois Post is in a unique position in the Canadian cultural landscape. First, we are small, so there are only about five of us who have direct contact with publicists at the various companies we deal with. Secondly, with reviewers in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver and Quebec City, we are in almost continual contact with companies large and small, and because we publish articles about and from many companies outside of those centres, we have a fairly large reach. This is why we decided to create the CharPR Prize (pronounced Sharper).

It would be unfair to say that the PR of some companies makes the PR at others shine all the brighter. But it would be absolutely fair to say that the companies nominated below represent the best for reasons very specific to new media. You won't find any companies among the noms, for instance, who ask new media outlets like CharPo to prove and reprove their credentials every step of the way. You will also find no companies who have been reticent to put us in contact with their artistic directors, managers, technicians or artists. All of them understand the value not just of working with CharPo but - ask around - with new media in general. 

Companies who did not promptly manage the reckless behaviour of their hired publicists did not get nominated.

What set many of these companies apart from the many others was, also, the willingness of the artists there to share their experience as artists by writing first-person pieces for us, or by being available for interviews. However, we also feel that is an extension of good PR - and we know that publicists at the companies below made easy contact possible. 

We chose the nominees (and winners) by simply asking our people which public relations departments had made their lives easier. Although we will be giving two prizes to individuals - BEST PR, SINGLE SHOW and LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT - when the winners are announced January 2, 2013, we are nominating the companies themselves because, in some cases, they have used outside firms - but the efficiency of these firms, we feel, comes from directives and attention paid from within the companies themselves. (i.e.: Companies who did not promptly manage the reckless behaviour of their hired publicists did not get nominated.)

Finally, although we could have nominated many, many more houses in each category, we have kept the lists of finalists to three. The Charlebois Post, ltd. would like to congratulate and, especially, thank all the magnificent PR people across the country who have made the two years we have been publishing a glorious experience.

Best Photographers:

David Cooper

Cylla von Tiedemann

Andrée Lanthier

*Best PR - Indie (no fixed venue):

Brave New Productions (Montreal)

Against the Grain Theatre (Toronto)

WYRD Productions (Toronto)

*The winner in this category will receive a photo link from our site to theirs for the two weeks prior to their next production and during its entire run. The link will be from both our CharPo-Canada site and the appropriate regional site. The link will appear on every page of the site, at the top corner of the page.

Best PR - small:

La Licorne (Montreal)

Factory Theatre (Toronto)

ATP (Calgary)

Best PR - Medium (multiple venues amd mainstage of 400 seats+):

Arts Club Theatre (Vancouver)

Segal Centre (Montreal) 

Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg)

Best PR - Large (Mainstage 800+ seats):

Canadian Opera Company (Toronto)

Stratford Festival (Stratford)

Canadian Stage (Toronto)