pub·li·cist   [noun]   One who publicizes, especially a press or publicity agent.

Celebrity publicists promote the careers of celebrities by generating publicity through sending out press releases, scheduling radio and TV interviews and arranging personal appearances. They also use their industry connections to help celebrities find projects to work on and to help keep them fresh in the public’s eye.

Jonathan Hay Publicity was established by PR Maven Jonathan Hay who’s been called a “PR Guru” and “legendary music producer” by International Business Times. Our company, otherwise known as JHP, has expanded worldwide to include international clients, as well as domestic. However, we are a boutique agency that specializes in giving individualized attention to each and every client.

Our fully-staffed publicity and marketing team goes above and beyond the call of standard unit publicity, and will assist you every step of the way, from getting your project acquired, marketed to audiences, or seen by major critics and media outlets.

Jonathan Hay was described as a “crisis management expert” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Hay’s expertise is the reason why we offer emergency crisis management (damage control), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and on holidays. Back in 2013, Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay of Jonathan Hay Celebrity formed SMH Records out of Charlotte, North Carolina with a reported reported capital raise of $30 million. SMH Records formed a distribution partnership with Caroline, a division of Capitol/Universal Music Group. Billboard Magazine reported the hiring of John Nicholas as the General Manager of SMH after leaving Universal Music Group where he worked for 25 years on such projects as The Beatles, Katy Perry and Coldplay.

Jonathan Hay sold his shares in SMH Records in early 2015 back to Mike Smith and said, “My passion is strategizing and developing new businesses. Taking an idea from the ground floor and turning it into something real is what I love to do. The inner workings and the time it takes to materialize an idea and turn it into the perfect storm is where I do my best work. Once the idea has come to fruition and it’s out in the public eye, I feel like my work is done and it’s time for me to move on. At that point it’s best for me to pass the baton to people who can finish and win the race.”

Highlights of Hay’s time with SMH include the Kim and Kanye publicity scandal, Lindsay Lohan and a record deal offer, the outrageous “famous as f#$k stunt”, offering Jay Z $15 Million to produce his album, being in a bidding war with Warner Brothers for Wu-Tang Clan and helping to launch the BET TV Show “One Shot” staring DJ Khaled, RZA, T.I., DJ Drama, Sway Calloway and more.

Jonathan Hay and Mike Smith have a production company and record label called Smith and Hay. In 2018, Smith and Hay scored a #1 Billboard Jazz album Jazz [Deluxe], a #1 Billboard Heatseekers album The Whoodlum Ball (with DJ Whoo Kid and Ranna Royce) and a #14 single titled “Beautiful Day” with Bubba Sparxxx. Having worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, and building a catalog of over 1,000 songs with over a billion streams, Smith and Hay have reached new heights in their careers.

In 2009, Jonathan Hay was hired by Sony Music Entertainment for his Publicity and Urban Media Expertise. In his own words, Hay describes his experience working with Sony by saying: “It’s amazing to me to be working along side the same individuals who handle Michael Jackson‘s music catalog and other legendary artists.”

Interesting fact: Jonathan Hay once tried to sign Michael Jackson during MJ’s dispute with Tommy Mottola and Sony Music Entertainment. With the help and influence of Uri Geller, Hay sent a letter of intent to Jackson’s manager, Trudy Green. Hay’s worked with MJJ Productions, MJJ Music and Jackson’s longtime music collaborators Teddy Riley, Jerry Hey, John “JR” Robinson and Bruce Sweiden.

For decades, the Jonathan Hay Publicity™️ team have been working with Death Row Records. WIDEawake Entertainment purchased Suge Knight’s Death Row Records out of bankruptcy for $18 Million. The main objective of our publicity outreach is to preserve and add on to the legacy of Death Row Records. The distributor of this venture, eOne Entertainment (formally Koch Records) is a leading international entertainment content and distribution business.

John Houston, once a prestigious Entertainment Executive and father of the late Whitney Houston, founded his entertainment company through which he once helped manage the career of his daughter, one of the greatest and most award-winning singers of our time. Before Jonathan Hay Publicity was established, publicist Jonathan Hay worked for John Houston Entertainment alongside the President of the company, Kevin Skinner.

Jonathan Hay was with John Houston Entertainment when they help mastermind Whitney Houston’s $100 Million deal with L.A. Reid and Arista Records.

Interesting fact: JHE was the acronym of John Houston Entertainment. Before John Houston passed away, he talked about launching a publicity firm called John Houston Publicity, or JHP for short. JHP is the acronym for our company Jonathan Hay Publicity and has always been a tribute to the late, great John Houston..Thanks to strong relationships with media partners and journalists, Jonathan Hay Publicity has facilitated coverage on a broad range of projects, generating prime time placements in virtually every major media market available. For more info, see our Affiliations.

When it comes to representing clients at the absolute highest level, Jonathan Hay Publicity boasts a wonderful track record. JHP has developed publicity campaigns for A-list celebrities, Artists, Actors, Entertainers, Record Label Companies, Major Motion Films, Professional Athletes, Brands and Products.

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