Mintzed Words

I was poised to write about Paris Hilton’s publicist Elliot Mintz (shown here sandwiched between the Hilton sisters ) who was profiled in yesterday’s New York Times Sunday “Styles” section, but my buddy Andy Plesser pointed me to Scoble’s lesson on the advantages of using blogging’s Z list to gain real PR traction.

Before I get into the Scobleizer, I will say that I thought Mr. Mintz came off well in The Times piece, in spite of being called Ms. Hilton’s “walker” (and his black silk shirt and black tie).

“So in many ways the 61-year-old Mr. Mintz is an unlikely figure to be working the graveyard shift of Ms. Hilton’s social life.”

I especially appreciated his sober assessment of the life he has carved for himself in the glam regions of the PR world:

“But to hear Mr. Mintz tell it, he has just about had it with the game — celebrities, nightclubs, paparazzi — which he finds demoralizing and embarrassing. ‘I’m at the end of the trail,’ he said. ‘I’m done with it. If I’m still doing this 12 months from now, I will have failed.'”

Of course, his threat to quit the biz will only enhance the new biz pipeline, and the description of what he does for Ms. Hilton will only entice more young and celeb-obsessed wannabes into this brand of the profession:

“She tells him where she plans to go, and he shows up early, inserting his diminutive frame between the 25-year-old heiress and unwanted gawkers and cameramen, so that they do not scare or fluster her.”

It reminded me of that vacuous MTV show “The Hills” wherein the young and the restless outmaneuver each other to get into the coolest parties and clubs under the guise of having a job.

In the end, I hope Elliott does succeed in curing his addiction to a client famous for being famous. He certainly has achieved much in his career. His legacy deserves better.

Oops. I’ve run out of space for Scoble. Stay tuned to the space above.

Paris Hilton PR Elliot Mintz celebrity PR public relations Scoble