A Crisis Manager Speaks Out About What Normally Goes On Behind The Scenes During PR Situations Like Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni’s

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Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are currently embroiled in a legal dispute stemming from their work together on the project It Ends with Us. The disagreement escalated back in December when actress and producer Lively filed a lawsuit against director and co-star Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment during filming and orchestrating a defamatory campaign against her. Since then, various lawsuits have been initiated; however, prior to all the legal proceedings, a crisis management expert shed light on what typically transpires behind the scenes when public relations issues like this arise.

37-year-old actress submitted a complaint against Justin Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, accompanied by several text messages. These messages, later published by The New York Times, were exchanges between Baldoni, his representative, Jennifer Abel, crisis manager Melissa Nathan, and Baldoni’s crisis team. The texts appeared to show the group strategizing on manipulating public opinion in favor of Baldoni. In his lawsuit against The New York Times, Baldoni claimed that the messages were selectively presented and edited communications lacking crucial context.

Despite reading the comments in the complaint from an unidentified media broker who has previously worked with crisis management firms, it was revealed that they had spoken to Variety about the Baldoni/Lively issue some weeks ago. While they highlighted a shared trait they observed in how Baldoni’s team allegedly handled the situation, they also expressed shock regarding another aspect of this case.

People in crises often act reactively, handling situations as they come up. However, orchestrating an entire campaign, putting it into words – that’s a different level of planning and execution, isn’t it?

In summary, it appears that the method of communication is what has left this individual in awe. As stated by Melissa Nathan, these methods claimed to alter the narrative would be “untraceable.” During an interview with the media, the anonymous source further elaborated, expressing similar sentiments.

At fix-it shops, you’ll often find individuals referred to as cyber warriors, whose role is to handle online conversations. However, there’s an informal understanding that these shops won’t recruit external companies or social media provocateurs to create new narratives.

More on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni

A Representative for the Person Exposed for Revealing Justin Baldoni’s Suspected Defamation Messages Responds: “Attempting to Divert Focus from Their Regrettable Character Assault on Blake Lively

In the discussions about the alleged smear tactic, there were references to several famous personalities, among them Taylor Swift, who is a friend of Blake Lively. Swift was highlighted in a leaked email that underscored Justin Baldoni’s critical circumstances. A crisis manager even stated, “We’ve seen trivial matters blow up due to social media or the biggest crises have no impact on social media at all. It’s hard to predict at this point. However, BL does share some of Taylor Swift’s fanbase, so we will be treating it with utmost seriousness.” Additionally, Hailey Bieber was also mentioned, as Baldoni’s team apparently used a conversation related to her as a basis for their strategies.

The legal situation has broadened beyond the initial complaint and text messages. Now, it includes Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against the New York Times, where he’s demanding $250 million due to alleged libel, false light invasion of privacy, and more. Blake Lively, in response to this suit, has also officially sued Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and others for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, emotional distress, and additional charges. The role that the shared texts among Baldoni’s team continues to play in this matter is yet to be determined.

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2025-01-13 03:37