Justin Oberman Re-evaluates ‘Publicist’ Title and Career Pivots

In a recent LinkedIn post, Justin Oberman discusses the evolving nature of professional titles and career trajectories, particularly within the creative and marketing industries. Oberman reflects on his own professional journey over the past eleven months, highlighting a significant shift in how he and others in related fields define their roles. He notes a broader trend where professionals are rebranding and repositioning themselves, moving from established titles to more specialized or dynamic ones.

The Shifting Landscape of Professional Titles

Oberman points out a widespread phenomenon where individuals, particularly copywriters and ghostwriters, have adopted new designations. He observes that this rebranding is not merely superficial but often signifies a strategic evolution of services offered.

“Ever since 2023, thousands of copywriters and ghostwriters changed clothes at the same time.”

As Justin Oberman elaborates, these shifts include transformations such as copywriters becoming narrative strategists and ghostwriters evolving into personal brand strategists. Similarly, designers have moved towards roles like design ops leads, and editors have become content architects. This collective rebranding, according to Oberman, suggests a deeper market demand for specialized expertise and a move away from more generalized service offerings.

Oberman’s Personal ‘Publicist’ Pivot

The article delves into Oberman’s personal experience with this trend. He describes his own series of professional pivots, moving from ghostwriter to personal brand manager, then to an ‘ad agency for people,’ a profile publicist, and finally, a publicist. However, he clarifies his specific interpretation of the term ‘publicist.’

Defining the ‘Personal Publicist’

Justin Oberman distinguishes his role from traditional public relations, stating:

“But not a P.R. publicist. No, no. I became a ‘Personal Publicist.’ You know, to help people with their personal publicity. And not that kind that pushes press releases, the kind that creates stunts and stuff.”

This distinction, as Oberman explains, positions his work as focused on creating unique and attention-grabbing publicity for individuals, rather than the conventional press release distribution. He notes that while he still engages in these activities, he has recently begun to re-evaluate this professional path.

Re-evaluation and Future Direction

Oberman reveals that a recent realization has prompted him to dismantle and publicly examine his career moves. He indicates that the direction of these professional pivots has consistently moved ‘upward and outward,’ and away from the core services that clients with significant financial resources were historically hiring him for.

“Because every one of those moves went the same way… Upward and outward, and away from the thing people with lots of money were still for some reason hiring me for.”

This introspection has led Oberman to dedicate the current week to a public deconstruction of his journey. This includes analyzing the five strategic moves he implemented with his own audience and a specific conversation that served as a catalyst for rediscovering his core professional identity.

According to Justin Oberman, this period of reflection is crucial for understanding the underlying motivations and effectiveness of his career evolution, ultimately aiming to redefine his professional focus.