Trailblazers and leaders: Tiffany Kizito

Tiffany Kizito | Manager, Talent Relations & Awards | Netflix

How did you get into comms?

I'm Canadian and was working for the Government in a field I had originally thought I wanted to pursue. As it turned out, I wasn't that passionate about it, but in the back of my mind, I knew I always wanted to try my hand at film PR. I also wanted to move to London and decided to combine the two. I applied for a UK visa and started at the bottom - as an unpaid intern in PR agencies. That was 10 years ago.

What does an average day look like?

I don't know yet! It's a new job and I'm currently on maternity leave.

What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?

Persevere. You got this.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known when you started working?

That the hustle would be just as hard and as important as the work itself.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

Over the years, I've tried to make a conscious effort to take a step back and recognise my major achievements: first internship, paid contract, major film festival, etc. I recently become a voting BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) and BAFTA member, and for me, that epitomises the last decade - my work and the goals I wanted to achieve in this industry.

Is there a particular comms campaign that you’ve seen in your career that you didn’t work on but wish you had?

Yes! Probably too many to mention. But there are filmmakers I've not yet had the privilege of working with: Denzel Washington, Amma Asante, Ava DuVernay, Steve McQueen, to name just a few. I very much admire their commitment to telling Black stories - which can certainly be a challenge in this industry - and would love to develop and execute a publicity campaign for any one of their projects.

What’s the key skill you think a successful comms person/comms business owner requires

They need to be an excellent networker. That's what will get you where you want to be. Well, that and a lot of hard work, of course!