THR Chats With Nancy Kirkpatrick Twilight’s PR Champion at Summit


All TwiHards owe a debt of thanks to Nancy who made sure the studio thought outside the box and didn’t go with male-centric marketing tactics. She’s always been really approachable and wanted opinions. THR does a great interview and it’s not too “industry speak” definitely a good read and a very rare look (especially in the Twilight world) behind the curtain.

When a receptionist at Summit Entertainment buzzed Nancy Kirkpatrick in summer 2011 to say there were three Twi-hards outside who wanted a tour of the studio, she chuckled. Summit’s cozy office building in Santa Monica hardly resembles a storied Hollywood lot in size and scope.

But Kirkpatrick, the company’s president of worldwide marketing, had something in her office that trumped any movie or television set: the Carolina Herrera wedding dress worn by Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1. She invited the trio in, and together they marveled over the gown, made of crepe satin and French Chantilly lace with 152 tiny buttons down the back. Kirkpatrick also let them try on the Manolo Blahnik wedding shoes.

“When do you ever get to do something like that at a studio? It was so much fun,” says Kirkpatrick. “And these aren’t 17-year-old girls, these are women. They’d driven all the way from Nebraska.”

Check the rest out on THR

Just a side story on Nancy Kirkpatrick, back when David Slade was the Eclipse director, I had cause to stop in to Summit’s old offices in Santa Monica to pick up some posters that we were using for a giveaway. Nancy was there and we were chatting. It was the first time we had any kind of extended conversation. I expressed that in almost every available photo of David Slade he was giving the finger (actually two fingers UK style) in almost every one. I jokingly lamented at the time, “Can we just get a photo where he doesn’t look pissed off and isn’t flipping the bird? That two fingered thing isn’t a peace sign!” Nancy raised an eyebrow and immediately said, “Oh that will stop right now.” I didn’t quite bank on her cool and steely reaction. I kinda felt like I was back in elementary school and had ratted out one of my classmates for smoking in the bathroom. Regardless, we got the photos we needed shortly thereafter. In any case after that first encounter I’ve met Nancy several times and she’s always been a delight.