While Judy Smith’s life might not be as dramatic as Olivia Pope portrays it on the television show “Scandal,” an eager crowd still packed the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium on Monday to hear about her work as a crisis manager.

Syracuse University’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists welcomed Smith to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on Monday night. Smith works in crisis management and public relations and has had high-profile clients including Michael Vick, Paula Deen and Monica Lewinsky.

She served as special assistant and deputy press secretary to President George H.W. Bush while he was in the White House. She inspired the character of Olivia Pope on the ABC television series “Scandal,” of which she is a co-executive producer.

“I think Judy is very inspirational and she has done so much in her career. She’s an excellent role model for these students,” said Lorraine Branham, dean of Newhouse. “You see her portrayed as Olivia Pope on television, but it’s nice to see the real Judy and everything she has accomplished.”

By the time Smith’s speech began at 6:30 p.m., a line extended from the door, and some students had resorted to sitting in the aisle of the auditorium. NABJ-SU’s President Kelvin Sherman and Vice President Troy James introduced her and played a short video to familiarize the crowd with her resume. Smith took the stage shortly afterward and sat down across from senior public relations major Ola Idowu to discuss issues she has faced in her career and what advice she can offer communications students.

When Idowu asked how she chooses her clients, Smith replied that while she believes in second chances, she doesn’t agree to work with everyone who approaches her.

“There are some things that just can’t be fixed,” Smith said. “I think everybody remembers Casey Anthony and her highly publicized trial. When I see situations like that, I really don’t think there’s anything that I could do to help out.”

The next topic of discussion was Smith’s involvement with the show “Scandal.” The crowd erupted with applause as soon as the show was mentioned, and Smith immediately addressed the question she thought was on everyone’s minds.

“OK, OK. I know what you’re going to ask me before you even begin, and I’ll save you some time. No, I did not sleep with the president in real life,” Smith joked.

After the crowd’s laughter died down, Smith addressed how realistic the scenarios on “Scandal” are. She said that while certain issues on “Scandal,” like election rigging and extramarital affairs, are also played out in the real world, the television show is dramatized to hold the viewers’ interest.

“Scandal” continues to captivate audiences nationwide: More than 10 million viewers watched the third season premiere on Oct. 3. The show often trends on social media sites like Twitter, and Smith said she has also had to deal with the rise of social media in her professional work as a crisis manager.

“Social media has totally changed the landscape of what I do,” Smith said. “How I tell my clients to handle their social media accounts varies case by case, but overall it has made what I do a little harder.”

After wrapping up her discussion with Idowu, Smith fielded questions from both audience members and from Twitter users who tweeted their questions to NABJ-SU. One Twitter user asked Smith what advice she would give to Chris Brown, whose public image took a toll when he was arrested and charged with assault a few weeks ago.

“That would take too much time. I don’t want to keep people here all night with that, so we should probably move on,” Smith said.

After answering about a dozen questions from members of the crowd, Smith exited the stage to a standing ovation. Demi Douglas, a sophomore public relations major, said she was extremely pleased with the event.

“She was really inspirational, and especially as a PR major, I learned a lot from what she said tonight,” Douglas said. “I also really love ‘Scandal,’ so it was cool to get some inside information on the show.”

 

Published on November 19, 2013 at 1:18 am

Contact Tom: tsharkey@syr.edu