Music
Susan began as a major label publicist. Releases include the Lafayette Afro Rock Band anthology AfroFunkExplosion! on Manifesto Records and Liminal Shade’s cover of David Lynch’s “In Heaven.”
Cultural PR services
Cultural PR services for festivals, music, film and books.
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Cultural PR services help festivals, artists, filmmakers, authors, and cultural organizations earn media coverage for a release, opening, or event.
Susan von Seggern delivers them through four pillars: sustained media outreach with podcast pitching, press releasing, daily lead service monitoring, and events. Her cultural releases range from funk reissues and documentaries to audiobooks and a carnival parade on Hollywood Boulevard.
What do cultural PR services include?
Cultural PR services include writing and timing press releases, building target media lists, pitching journalists, podcast hosts, and local outlets, answering journalist source requests, and planning events that bring press face to face with the work.
The difference from general PR is the calendar and the audience. Cultural news is tied to dates such as release days, openings, and festival weekends, and the right outlets range from national arts desks to niche podcasts and neighborhood listings. Susan's mix of newer tactics, like podcast pitching and hyper-local coverage, with established ones, like events and releases, is built for that range.
Evidence
Cultural work by discipline
Film and documentary
Crowdfunding and release campaigns for Mantra: Sounds into Silence, and the announcement of David Donnelly’s documentary DETOX and its Indiegogo campaign.
Books and audiobooks
The audiobook of Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual, the Wiley book Redesigning Nonprofits, and Haunted Ground from Praeger.
Festivals and cultural events
The Hollywood Carnival Parade and Festival, the DIY Convention for film, music and books, and SewDown at Los Angeles Fashion Week.
How it works
The four pillars behind every cultural campaign
Sustained media outreach
Identify target outlets and contacts, then pitch for coverage, including podcast pitching and hyper-local press.
Press releasing
Announce significant milestones through an exclusive or pre-brief, then email servicing, then a newswire if budgeted.
Lead service monitoring
Watch five lead service feeds daily, plus journalist emails and Substacks, and pitch requests that match the client.
Events
Large celebrity and media events, small media intro events, sponsorships, conference exhibits or talks, gifting events and gift bags.
Cultural organizations are working in a tougher market. In the Artlogic Gallery Report 2026, 49% of galleries describe 2026 as more challenging, and collector demand is rated the biggest obstacle to growth. Visibility is one of the few levers an organization fully controls. See more numbers.
Gallery or exhibition program? Read how gallery publicity in LA works. Planning a festival? See event PR. Or go back to the arts PR Los Angeles overview.
Have a release, opening or festival coming?
Send the date and what is new. Susan will scope a campaign around it.
FAQ
Common questions
What do cultural PR services include?
Cultural PR services usually include story development, press releases, media outreach, interview pitching, and event publicity. In Susan von Seggern's practice that also means podcast pitching, hyper-local coverage, daily monitoring of journalist lead requests, and event tactics such as media cocktail hours, luncheons, sponsorships, and gift bag inclusions. Each campaign is individualized, so the mix depends on the project and budget.
Who is arts PR for?
It suits festivals, galleries, museums, artists, musicians, filmmakers, authors, cultural nonprofits, and companies that support culture. Susan von Seggern consults for event, corporate, cause, and cultural clients, and her best fit is an interesting, newsworthy, active client with something real to announce, such as an opening, release, launch, festival, or milestone.
Do you work with individual artists and musicians?
Yes, cultural clients include individual creators. Susan began as a major label publicist, and releases on her site cover an anthology from the Lafayette Afro Rock Band on Manifesto Records and a David Lynch cover from darkwave band Liminal Shade. Artists with a concrete release, show, or project give the press the clearest hook.
Do you work with documentaries and films?
Yes. Her portfolio includes crowdfunding and release campaigns for the documentary Mantra: Sounds into Silence and an announcement for David Donnelly’s documentary DETOX and its Indiegogo campaign. Premieres are one of the event types in her events framework, and the DIY Convention release covered film screenings alongside music and books.
Do you pitch podcasts?
Yes. Podcast pitching is part of sustained media outreach in Susan von Seggern’s framework. For cultural clients, podcasts suit artists, authors, filmmakers, curators, and festival producers who can talk at length about their work. For companies, they can position founders and executives as voices in their field. Shows are chosen to match the audience the client wants to reach.
Do you offer a public relations package?
Campaigns are individualized rather than sold as fixed packages. A typical scope combines some or all of the four pillars: sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring, and events. You can ask for a scope matched to a single launch, a season of events, or ongoing corporate visibility. Confirm what is included in writing before work starts.