The 94th Academy Awards are just two days away and while Hollywood is abuzz with excitement, it’s hard to talk about the awards show without bringing up last year’s “slap”. When Will Smith hit Chris Rock on stage, it was one of the most shocking moments to ever happen on live television.
For the first time ever, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has put a “crisis team” in place to handle other potential surprise moments. CEO Bill Kramer revealed that the organization, which was widely criticized for its handling of the incident, is now preparing for anything that could happen.
Jimmy Kimmel was hand-picked to host the show for the third time because of his ability to “pivot and manage those moments”. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kimmel empathized with the show producers as it’s hard to be prepared for something shocking like that.
Yahoo Entertainment spoke with two crisis PR experts who shed light on what the Academy might be prepping for. A crisis team is responsible for preparing an organization for a major event that may threaten the organization itself, its reputation, its stakeholders, and/or the general public. PR professionals play a vital part in crisis communications and a crisis team prevents and manages events to avoid all, from the grossly stupid to shocking acts, and how to recover and protect the show and celebrities’ images and ensure the negative press gets influenced effectively.
Having a skilled team in place will help the Academy adapt to situations in real-time, as today’s world is much more fast-paced than it was in the past. The Academy is likely “preparing for everything from controversial speeches, wardrobe malfunctions, and even the remote chance of a differentiated version of ‘the slap’”.
If something does happen like last year’s incident, the Academy needs to act fast to remove any person or persons from the stage and camera while gathering all facts before making a timely and authentic statement. A win is getting through the event with the brand’s reputation intact and not in the septic muck of crisis chaos.
It will be interesting to see if the Academy’s crisis team needs to spring into action on Sunday. Tune into the Oscars at 5 p.m. PT on ABC to find out.
