What's the most important trait Cowell looks for in a PR executive? "Loyalty," he says. "This is someone who almost devotes their life to you -- they give up weekends, they're on call 24 hours, holidays don't exist -- and they need to care, and she genuinely does."
STORY: How Simon Cowell's Right-Hand Woman Handles His Empire and Ego
Jessica ChouNot a day goes by when X Factor or Simon Cowell doesn’t grace the front page of a British newspaper. On average, 500 such tabloid stories run in a year, covering everything from Cowell’s love life to the latest contestant controversy.
COMPLETE LIST: 2011 Women in Entertainment Power 100
The gatekeeper tasked with commenting, denying and, yes, ducking the nearly 100 queries lobbed her way daily is relocated Brit Ann-Marie Thomson, 33, Syco’s global head of media, who has spent the better part of a decade in the business of Cowell, which includes a record label (Syco Records) and the international TV franchises Got Talent and X Factor, boasting 44 and 29 localized versions, respectively. She got the gig following an apprenticeship with veteran British rep Max Clifford, whom she credits with giving her “the confidence to deal with high-profile stories” and the nerve to handle them.
“If Ann-Marie calls you at 10:30 at night, it isn’t good news,” laughs Cowell.
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He hired Thomson because “she understands the relationship that I like to have with the media — a close one. A lot of publicists treat the media like enemies, which is ridiculous because the media makes you. She respects press.”
PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes With Simon Cowell’s Right-Hand Woman
Ultimately, says Thomson, who shares PR duties with team members from Fox, PMK and FremantleMedia, “We treat press like a partner in the show. We’re all in the entertainment business, so what benefits us benefits you.”
As for the “sticky moments” Cowell winces at, like promising 20 million viewers and falling 8 million short, Thomson insists spin is rarely part of their strategy, but her expert reaction when asked about it says otherwise. “That’s what he wanted to aim for. Whether it’s now or next year or whenever, he’s going to aim high, like with everything we do. Then we’ll work hard or die trying.”
View more behind-the-scenes photos of Ann-Marie Thomson’s busy life here.
