Shining The Spotlight
Jill Siegel Is The Woman Behind The Stars

Linda and Jill backstage at the Palace Theatre

"I got very lucky the day that Jill came into my life. Over the years we have been through some amazing things and it's been a blast to share them with her. Besides becoming a true friend, when it comes to business she is in many ways everything I am not. She is into the details as well as the big picture. Her enthusiasm and energy never seem to waver no matter what stage the project is at. She seems to be able to burn the candle at both ends and is always still going strong at the end of a very long night. One thing I will always be grateful for is the fact that she takes my early morning grumpiness in stride. I'm terrible when I have to wake up early. I never can sleep the night before a crack of dawn press event so everything hurts, and even though she knows the 'bear' is going to show up, she is always ready and always smiling. I love you, Jill. You're the best!"

Jill Siegel believes getting to know her clients is personally rewarding, but also fundamental to successful Public Relations. As the owner of her own business, Jill Siegel Communications, Inc. (JSC), she develops and nurtures the all-important link between "the stars" and the public. Jill's personal connection is the driving force that guides her approach to representing Linda as her publicist.

Jill has had a varied and interesting career in the field of Public Relations. We hope you'll enjoy learning more about the woman who helps put "our star" in the public eye.

Jill Siegel

VOICE: Where did you attend college?

JILL: The Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.

VOICE: What was your major?

JILL: Television, Radio and Film Management, but I actually I started off majoring in Broadcast Journalism.

VOICE: What influenced your decision to choose this particular field of study?

JILL: I was always a sports fan and I was crazy about music. I was attracted to the idea of being a sports broadcaster. During my early years of high school I remember watching the press conference when Phil Esposito retired from the New York Rangers. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I thought… that's what I want to do. I wanted to be a reporter to cover press conferences and I wanted to do celebrity interviews.

VOICE: What caused you to change your major?

JILL: After my freshman year in college, I had an internship at the Newark Star-Ledger. I was assigned to work in the photo "morgue." I completed my summer assignment in two weeks and they had to find something else for me to do for the rest of my time there. I was sent to work in the entertainment department where I got to talk with publicists, and I decided that was what I really wanted to do.

VOICE: Did you change your major after that experience?

JILL: I decided to change to Public Relations when I returned to Syracuse for my junior year. The head of the department asked me why I wanted to major in PR, and I said that I wanted to represent celebrities. She said that this was ridiculous. "Everyone wants to be in entertainment; that's not a viable option." She denied my request on the spot, in the middle of the hallway. It's ironic because I am very involved in alumni activities, and I've been interviewed by Syracuse Magazine about my work as a successful entertainment publicist.

VOICE: Although you weren't able to pursue Public Relations at Syracuse, you did change your major. What influenced your decision?

JILL: Broadcast Journalism was very heavy with on-camera experience and I didn't really enjoy that. I wanted to have more of a business background.

VOICE: Is there someone who greatly influenced you to pursue PR after graduation?

JILL: Henry Rogers… one of the original entertainment PR people. He actually invented this genre in Hollywood. My first job after college was at his firm, Rogers & Cowan. I learned so much from him during my time there. He wrote a little book titled Rogers Rules for Success. It's very outdated and old school, but I think it's amazing. I actually require everybody who works for me to read the book.

VOICE: What were your responsibilities at Rogers & Cowan?

Jill and Linda's Booking Agent Dave Hart

JILL: I started out with Julio Iglesias. My boss was on the road with the Rolling Stones and I was left in the office during the launch of his fragrance, Only. We met at the press conference and he decided that I was his new publicist. I was still a secretary (that's what they called assistants at the time) and I got to travel all over the world with him.

VOICE: You also worked with the Rolling Stones early in your career. How did this come about?

JILL: My boss was the publicist for the Rolling Stones and I was the assistant. I got to help out at the big shows with VIP rooms, photographers, tickets and things like that. I also handled everything from the office while they were on the road, including helping to coordinate the historical press conference in Grand Central Terminal. I worked on their clothing line, their IMAX film, their pay-per-view special; they are truly an iconic brand. My experience was like going to graduate school. My work on the Steel Wheels Tour solidified my career.

VOICE: How did you begin working with New Kids on the Block?

JILL: They needed a "kid" to go on the road with a boy band that was being pushed by Sony. What was supposed to be a two-week assignment turned into six months on the road. When they tried to send a "grown-up" publicist out with them, the kids wanted me to stay. It was an amazing and truly awesome experience. We went from theatres to stadiums within the course of a couple of months. The mania was unbelievable. We released dolls and comic books and bedding and trading cards and there was a Saturday morning cartoon based on the guys. It was just crazy. We had a McDonald's sponsorship that I wrote the tray liner copy for! I even booked their mothers on Oprah and had them on the cover of Ladies Home Journal with their sons for Mother's Day one year. Dealing with such a meteoric rise and all of the complexities that come along with the instant fame really taught me so much about being a publicist and a person, really.

VOICE: How did you come to work with Gloria Estefan?

JILL: Gloria's former publicist was moving to Minneapolis to work with Prince so I was introduced to Gloria and Emilio at a show at the Meadowlands. I was working with her only two days when I got a phone call from a newspaper in Pennsylvania about an accident. The news was horrifying and a terrible way to start a working relationship. I thought I would never see her walk again.

VOICE: It was a long road to recovery for her. How did you feel when Gloria returned to the stage?

JILL: It was incredible to see her beat the odds. I was there when she returned to the stage in Pittsburgh. That night was something like I never experienced before or since. It was truly amazing.

VOICE: Where did your career take you after your time at Rogers & Cowan?

Jill and one of her musical idols, Barry Manilow

JILL: I was offered the opportunity to be head of publicity for David Bowie's record label, Savage/BMG. This was a most incredible experience and too good to be true because it ended after 13 months when the company closed.

VOICE: From Savage/BMG you went to work for Susan Blond, Inc. Please tell us about your work there.

JILL: I went to work for Susan Blond, the first female vice president of a record label. As vice president at her company, I handled the national corporate account for Hard Rock Café, including its New York landmark location. I worked Meatloaf's BAT OUT OF HELLl II, which became a No. 1 record. I worked with Carly Simon on her LETTERS NEVER SENT CD and was responsible for her being on the cover of In Style Magazine, her first cover in many years. My work with her was personally rewarding because she's one of my heroes. I also handled corporate press for Andre Harrell when he went from Uptown Records to Motown Records. I had him on the cover of New York Magazine and handled the Urban Aid Concert at Madison Square Garden featuring every major Hip Hop and R&B artist. This concert benefited Life Beat, the Music Industry Fights AIDS Organization. It was during this time that I figured out how to cross-collateralize clients.

VOICE: What do you mean by cross-collateralizing?

JILL: A good example is: when we began working with Hulk Hogan on his CD release, I needed to come up with a hook that would put him in the context of his music rather than have the CD be an "also ran." I felt that we needed people to see Hulk as a singer/artist, so we ran a promotional event at the Hard Rock Café's corporate headquarters in Orlando. We held a promotion for people to be extras in Hulk's music video, which I totally made up. Press covered the video shoot. The video was used in conjunction with every interview he did, and we got someone else to pay to produce his video.

VOICE: When did you start your own business, Jill Siegel Communications, Inc.?

JILL: In 1997 I decided to take everything I had learned and to create a boutique agency that was very artist oriented where I could work only on things I had a passion for. I figured if it didn't work, I'd get a job.

Jill and David Bryan

VOICE: Who was your first client?

JILL: I got a call from David Bryan, the keyboard player for Bon Jovi, who was releasing a solo album. I'm a Jersey girl. We used to see the band play the bars in high school so I saw this as an omen. If this was my first client, then I was going to be okay. It wasn't long before the trade magazines began to write about me, and this freaked me out because I wasn't really sure. I was still thinking about going to work for a record company but I had two months to decide. I told David I would work with him for two months and then decide. Here we are, seven years later.

VOICE: What are you and David working on now?

JILL: I'm working with him on his first big musical called MEMPHIS that he has written with Joe DiPietro. It is directed by Gabriel Barre who left the Goodspeed's production of CAMILLE CLAUDEL to come to Boston to work on MEMPHIS at the North Shore Music Theatre. In between his recording and touring with the band, we are meeting with producers and always working on something! Bon Jovi has just released their box set 10,000,000 BON JOVI FANS CAN'T BE WRONG, celebrating their 20 years together.

VOICE: When did you meet Linda?

JILL: I met her briefly during THE CIVIL WAR run at the Alley Theatre, but we really never got to know each other at that time. Months and months later when she was taping her PBS Special, Atlantic Records brought me in to meet her. She had just found out that she was pregnant. Her latest album, IT'S NO SECRET ANYMORE, would be coming out the same time as her baby, an interesting time in her life. That was our first record "together." The first real thing I did was plan a baby shower/record release party for her at Serendipity in New York City.

VOICE: Which project that you have worked on with Linda has been the most rewarding?

JILL: I'd have to say that the projects we are working on right now are the most exciting because I see Linda so excited about the work, where she is, where she is going… it's really cool.

VOICE: Can you tell us one really unforgettable moment from your time working with Linda?

JILL: One moment I'll never forget is seeing Linda on stage at Carnegie Hall the second time. When she sang the words "Hey, world, here I am," my world froze. After a moment, I heard thunderous applause all around me and there were tears in my eyes. It was like an out-of-body experience… like time stopped. I realized what was happening and I saw how far Linda had come. I always think Linda is incredible and I'm in such a wonderful position to see her in so many different situations… concerts, television performances, special appearances.

Jill and Linda

VOICE: Does any one of Linda's special performances stand out in your mind?

JILL: Linda's performances around the time of 9/11 come to mind. Linda was to sing The National Anthem before a Yankee game when they were honoring the canine squad that had performed rescue missions at Ground Zero. Linda got to see the dogs, which she loved. When it started to rain they took us in the dugout. I was dying because Derek Jeter came and sat next to me. I sort of lost the moment of why we were there until Linda sang. When she sang the words "And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air," I realized this was real. She held those notes like I had never heard anyone do before. The stadium erupted into applause and cheers well before the end of the song. I've been to a lot of stadiums and heard a lot of anthems sung, but nothing can ever compare to this time. Nobody has ever sung it like Linda did that day. Since it was a Yankee game, there were a lot of people watching who were directly affected by 9/11 and who really got something special out of her delivery.

VOICE: What is your favorite Linda song?

JILL: It depends. It's so much about her delivery. It's what she gets me with on any given night.

VOICE: What has been the most personally rewarding part of your career?

JILL: I feel so truly honored to get to witness such amazing talent. To have a vantage point to this kind of talent is more than I could have dreamed of. I'm a "Jersey girl" and the fact that any of these great talents even listen to me is just so amazing.