Creative Coalitions

Jessica Leu Hoy ’04 helps make ‘Pollywood’ Happen

by Gabrielle Blitz ’09

April 1, 2009

Hoy takes a moment to enjoy the red carpet and chat with award-winning songwriter and record producer Bryan-Michael Cox, who has worked with artists such as Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton and Usher.

On presidential inauguration night, Jan. 20, one of the hottest tickets was The Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Jessica Leu Hoy ’04 played a critical role in organizing the event hosted not only by high-ranking politicians, such as U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach ’77 (R-Pa.) and Hilda Solis, now U.S. secretary of labor, but Hollywood greats such as Anne Hathaway, Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

Hoy became a newsmaker herself, for her experience—and that of other newcomers to the entertainment and political industry—was followed for several months prior to the event by an NBC camera crew. The program, “My First Time: Presidential Inauguration,” has been nominated for an Emmy award.

Hoy handled all of the media outreach, secured event sponsorships, hosted a “swearing-in” brunch as well as two private dinners and invited singers, such as headliner Elvis Costello, and Sting, to perform.

“It was really intense,” she recalls of inauguration night. “We had [all of these] celebrities and politicos, and we were taking a whole group around in a party bus. I remember comparing experiences from the previous years’ debates and conventions with the likes of Marisa Tomei, Billy Baldwin and Susan Sarandon.”

Hoy worked the event for her employer, Westin Rinehart, a marketing and public affairs firm in Washington, D.C., that has quickly become a go-to company for accomplishing one of the newest trends in marketing and communications—intertwining Hollywood celebrities with Washington politicos. According to Hoy, the company is one of a kind in the U.S. capital, as it is deeply involved in shaping policy issues and stimulating the political and cultural agenda.

The Creative Coalition, one of Westin Rinehart’s major clients, is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to engage members of the arts community in areas such as education, arts advocacy and the changing dynamics of the political spectrum. “The Creative Coalition is a perfect client for us because they combine both politics and entertainment,” Hoy says.

After working in New York City in fashion and public relations for Council of Fashion Designers of America member Naeem Khan after graduation, Hoy ventured to Washington, D.C., more than a year ago. She soon used herknowledge to become one of Westin Rinehart’s leading publicists for the entertainment and lifestyle sector.

Hoy looks for ways to get her clients the right press, working with media ranging from E! and US Weekly to the Washington Post and New York Times. When it comes time to organize events like the Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball, Hoy says she finds out which celebrities are in town and secures media coverage for the client, the celebrity involved and the cause that he or she is backing.

Last summer, Hoy organized media events for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) as well as the Republican National Convention, with the idea of “Pollywood,” a commingling of politics and Hollywood, in mind. “We found that when you mix politics with entertainment, you can get so much more press coverage for an issue. It makes it hot, relevant and ultimately seen by more people,” she continues.

At the DNC, “We did a whole series of events tying the environment, health-care issues and the economy to different businesses, political agendas and organization to educate celebrities so that they can shed a spotlight on relevant social-advocacy issues and give them a chance to seek out the different issues that they want to support in the eyes of the public,” Hoy explains.

Westin Rinehart has also worked with the NBA All-Star Weekend, held in February, which includes annual events for the charitable organization Behind the Bench, The National Basketball Wives Association. Hoy sets up ladies’ luncheons, makeovers and champagne tastings. “We were able to get our clients on the map with press and high-profile attendance. It gave this great cachet to our company and the cause of the ladies at Behind the Bench,” Hoy claims.

Though her work in public relations is far afield from her college double major of anthropology and French, Hoy feels that her liberal-arts background provided her with a firm foundation. She finds solutions for her clients because Dickinson offered her the “kind of education that teaches you how to problem solve and pursue a whole series of various interests.”

“There’s no opportunity I turn down or situation I find myself in that seems unapproachable or without a feasible solution,” she adds. “Those ideals were fostered at Dickinson, and they’ve helped me to succeed now.”