Universal Studios Hollywood

Photo: Courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood™ is The Entertainment Capital of L.A. and includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour. As a leading global entertainment destination, Universal Studios Hollywood delivers highly themed immersive lands that translate to real-life interpretations of iconic movies and television shows. 

In 2015, the popular theme park sought a seasoned and driven PR specialist to lead all media relations in its local and international markets, while also focusing on travel trade, and events to increase consumer visibility. Seeing this as an opportunity to utilize her experience in entertainment and television, Crystal Williams was tasked as Manager of International Publicity to do just that. Starting with a bare-bones media list, Crystal quickly increased her relationships to include some of Los Angeles' best print, digital, broadcast, and radio contacts. Over the course of a few months, the list exponentially grew with media contacts in the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Italy, India, Mexico and Brazil.

With a robust database in hand, Crystal worked alongside the digital and regional PR team to create multifaceted strategy plans to support attraction openings ("Springfield," "Fast & Furious—Supercharged," "The Walking Dead") and seasonal events, including the historic 2016 grand opening of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™,” where editorial coverage generated over 5,000 print and online stories globally and more than 3,000 broadcast hits around the world. The week-long press event included on-site activations with media and social influencers, talent junkets, and word-of-mouth support by digital content creators such as BuzzFeed, Travel + Leisure and IGN.

Having spent almost three years at Universal Studios Hollywood, Crystal also worked closely with the Sales, Brand Marketing, Social Media, and Special Events departments to ensure cohesive messaging in international markets while remaining focused on high-impact media opportunities. In addition, she successfully improved the PR team’s relationships with domestic and international tourism partners such as Visit California, Visit West Hollywood, and Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board to increase the park's global visibility.

Photo: Courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood