Dear Warner Bros. Team,
I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the media and PR outreach for The End of Oak Street in India, particularly in connection with the screening being organised in Mumbai.
for the last two weeks, I have consistently supported and promoted the film through my platform, publishing posts and writing about the film to help generate awareness among my audience. What makes this situation particularly disappointing is that Warner Bros. itself has acknowledged my coverage and engagement on social media. I genuinely appreciated that recognition.
However, despite being based in Mumbai and actively contributing to the film’s promotion, I have not been invited to the Mumbai screening being handled by the local PR team, Mozart.
When I raised this with the PR team, I was informed that seating is very limited and that they are unable to invite every journalist. I completely understand that screenings have capacity limitations, and I am certainly not suggesting that every journalist or content creator must be accommodated.
My concern is about how priority is determined.
Should media outreach be based primarily on personal familiarity and existing relationships, or should meaningful and consistent contribution towards a film’s publicity also be taken into consideration?
I would never undermine the contribution or credentials of the journalists, publications and media professionals who have been invited. Many of them may represent highly respected platforms and fully deserve to be there. My question is much simpler: among all the seats available at the screening, did my consistent contribution over the past month not merit consideration for even one?
There is also an unfortunate irony here. Warner Bros., despite being an international organisation, noticed and acknowledged the work I was doing for the film, while the PR team operating locally in Mumbai apparently did not recognise the same contribution.
For independent writers and media professionals, every article, post and piece of coverage involves time, research and effort. We willingly invest that time because we genuinely want to support films and the industry. Time is perhaps the most valuable thing any of us can contribute because, once spent, it cannot be recovered.
That is why this experience has been particularly disappointing.
I am not writing this message merely to seek an invitation. At this stage, the larger issue for me is recognition, fairness and the principle behind media outreach. An invitation has greater meaning when it comes naturally because someone's contribution has been noticed, rather than after that person has had to ask for it.
I have always preferred supporting films positively rather than publicly criticising PR teams or individuals. However, I felt it was important to bring this experience directly to your attention because genuine contributors should not feel overlooked simply because they may not be part of a particular PR team's immediate circle.
I hope Warner Bros. will take this feedback constructively and consider encouraging its local PR partners to evaluate media professionals not only through existing relationships, but also through the actual work, consistency and support they contribute towards a film.
Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.
Fond regards,
Suyash Pachauri