ANNOUNCEMENT: My Byline Is Back!

By Wyllisa R. Bennett

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had the gift of gab. Growing up in Burlington, North Carolina, family members always accused me of talking too loud or talking too much. “Tone it down,” they would always say, in an effort to curtail my unladylike ways. Because not only do I talk loud, but I laugh even louder. And for many years, I tried to edit my behavior in an effort to be the perfect, well-mannered, cultured Southern lady.

But then one day, I had an AHA moment: I. Can’t. Tone. It. Down. I’ve tried. Lord, knows, I’ve tried, but I just can’t do it. I have a really big personality, a booming voice, and I have a lot to say … every day! The older I get, the more I realize that it just can’t contained it. Either people will “get me” or they won’t.

I have to admit, I have a split personality. As a Southerner, I still respect the culture and adhere to some of the social graces I was raised on; but now that I’m a California girl, I’ve also integrated other habits from my adoptive homeland. I speak less with a Southern accent than I use to; lean a little more to the left than ever before; and I spend less time in church, and more time at the beach.

Since moving to Los Angeles 16 years ago, I can honestly say that my over-the-top personality has served me well as a writer and entertainment publicist. I often refer to myself as a “publicist du jour,” which means publicist of the day, borrowing a few words from the French. I think it describes my work as a public relations practitioner in this fast-paced, ever-changing, crazy world of entertainment.

I am so excited that the California Crusader News has asked me to be one of its columnists, sharing my POV of pop culture as an entertainment publicist. I thought this would also be the perfect opportunity to simultaneously re-launch my blog, “Rantings From the Red Carpet,” on WyllisaBennett.com, which I began in 2014, to share my witty, little musings with new readers about things popping in pop culture, politics, fashion, and entertainment – all the stuff I love to talk about.

COMING TO YOU, VIA FACEBOOK LIVE!
I shared the news with family and friends on Facebook Live. Check out the annoucement here.

So, I’ll be working triple duty as a publicist, blogger and entertainment columnist for the California Crusader News; plus, sharing fresh content from my blog, “Rantings From the Red Carpet.”  My byline is back! Look for stories by Wyllisa R. Bennett.

Check out my first column, “Meeting Dick Gregory, Twice in a Lifetime,” which appears in the September 21, 2017 issue of the California Crusader News. Enjoy! CCN#38_Sept_21_2017_

Wyllisa R. Bennett is a blogger and the publicist du jour of wrb public relations, a publicity firm based in Los Angeles. She uses her creative and communication skills to help actors ,actresses, celebrities, tv personalities, media experts, filmmakers, and authors as well as non-profit organizations and businesses achieve their public relations and marketing goals. Visit her blog RANTINGS FROM THE RED CARPET at WyllisaBenett.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @WyllisaBennett