Latest News

Author Anne Jones is an inspirational speaker and healer and has written seven books that have been published in 18 languages. When an actor friend of hers discovered a script based on a 100-year-old book, The Other Wise Man, she knew it would make a great musical. So, Anne set about writing the lyrics while a small group of friends joined in to turn it into a stage production, Artaban the Musical. However, writing a play is one thing, but staging it and finding a producer to take it forward was another. Anne had worked in the past with Panpathic to publicise her writing and it was that experience that convinced her that this PR company was just right for the job in hand.

I knew I was giving Panpathic a really difficult task as the obvious route would have been to go with one of the traditional theatre PR companies. But I had absolute faith they would deliver. I had already worked with them on a series of articles I had written, where they had got me some great exposure. I knew if anyone could get me the sort of publicity, we needed to showcase this play, it was going to be Chantal and Panpathic.

Prior to that I had not been impressed with the PR companies I had used. In my opinion they were a complete waste of time and money and it got to the stage that when I even mentioned PR as a possible avenue for publicity, my PA would roll her eyes in horror. She used to tell me I might as well open up my purse and throw the money out.

So, I hadn’t had any success with PR companies until I worked with Panpathic and I am so glad I didn’t give up on the idea. Chantal totally restored my faith in using the PR route for exposure.  Working with Panpathic has convinced me that in the right hands, a PR company is a great asset to any company. When it came to it, there was no question who I was going to trust with the Artaban campaign. Chantal had already earned a great big tick in the box from me for the coverage she had got for me with my self-help articles so it was inevitable I would turn to her again.

Unlike other PR companies I have known, Panpathic comes at things from a different angle. I really think Chantal does a truly fantastic job. Most of all she is honest and will tell you straight if something isn’t going to work or bring in the results you are hoping for.

Chantal was totally upfront about how hard it was going to be to boost ticket sales for a two-day event like the one we put on at The Actors’ Church in Covent Garden in November last year. So, we concentrated on showcasing the production and getting as much exposure as possible.

I really love working with her. She is very good at taking a professional stance on things and looking at how people might perceive you and then she excels at getting that image across. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all about her approach. Each campaign is in tune with you.

Using Panpathic gave us the real sense of authenticity we needed for the Artaban project. We were delighted to get around 40 pieces of coverage which reached more than 3 million people ahead of the launch. We really couldn’t have asked for more.

While it is always difficult to quantify how much success can be attributed to PR alone there is no doubt that we got great coverage. During that two-day event a theatre manager came to see the show and said it was the best he had ever seen. I have no idea how he knew about it.

We now have a producer for the stage show which will be coming to London’s West End in 2024 and we have signed a contract for a film. And although this didn’t come about directly through our PR coverage, the exposure and social media coverage was essential for giving us credibility.

I have absolute faith in Panpathic and we will be using them again nearer the stage/film launch. I am already working with Chantal again on another project so I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this company to everyone who is wondering about the merits of engaging a PR. When you get the right one it’s a joy.

Anne Jones is a spiritual healer, author of seven books translated into 18 languages, and co-creator of ‘Artaban The Musical’, which is based on the book ‘The Other Wise Man’ by Henry van Dyke.  artabanthemusical.co.uk