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"Melissa makes my life easy. She doesn't hound, but is quick to respond when I need something. She always has a client for whatever I need and will have them get back to me with quotes ASAP whenever I'm on a time crunch. She really is such a pleasure to work with!"
- Zachary Zane; Writer & Editor |
"Not only is Melissa Vitale the Queen Publicist of New York City but she has also become one of my best friends. Whenever I need a source or brand to feature in the vice categories, whether it is cannabis or sex, I reach out to her. She always delivers exactly what I need and connects me promptly to sources and is always on time. She is also amazing at predicting trends and tailor pitching content that inspires journalists."
- Sophie Saint Thomas; Writer & Author |
For Editors, Journalists, Producers, Hosts & Press babes of all kinds:
Welcome to MAVPR! I wanted to create what I've been calling my "Why I don't suck" page for press and journalists who stumble upon my website from a pitch or social media.
I consider myself one of the last classic publicists. I love my relationships, my network of experts and sources, doling out local scoops, negotiating exclusives. Breakfast meetings are a staple of my business, as is cocktail-toasting and rolling fat spliffs during meetings. I've always been fascinated by the media. I'm great with ideas but I'm not the personality to sit down and write and edit something. Plus, I love being in the boardroom behind closed doors with CEOs and learning the inner workings of an organization. I've always been fascinated by a few things: sex wellness, legal cannabis and the media industry. I love that some of the biggest moments in history are framed by the journalists who write those headlines. I've always wanted to be apart of it. Safe to say, I found my passion an niche in as a Vice Publicist.
I started my company on whim, with $400 to my name and a goal to work with brands I loved, doing the type of media relations I loved without a shitty boss or a stuffy PR firm with overhead that held me back. I never thought one day I would work with the new industries (sex and cannabis baby) that I was absolutely fascinated with.
Since starting my firm in 2017, MAVPR has become a recognized source-of-sources with reliable, consumer friendly and niche insight at a moments notice. My phone is always on and charged and my experts are but a ping away!
MAVPR maintains a network of experts, industry access, thought-leaders and premium products available for related media requests.
Some examples of sources we can provide include (but are not limited to):
- CBD Experts, Doctors, Entrepreneurs & Advocates on related buying guides, trend stories or market predictions
- Sexperts and Sex Educators on product recommendations, intimacy topics, dating trends, and sex industry trend stories & predictions
- Must-have CBD skincare, topicals, tinctures, pleasure oils, and more for post-workouts, self-care, stress relief, sleeplessness, etc
- Best lubricants, vibrators, intimacy products, couples toys etc to spice up the evening or for a night of self love
- Sex + cannabis positive sources available to share experiences on the record (albeit anonymously)
Journalists seeking any vice sources please reach out through the form at the bottom of this page.
MAVPR Clients are typically available within two hours for phone interview requests and can respond to written interviews within as little as 24 hrs. MAVPR client samples can be messengered same-day within NYC with overnight delivery available for immediate requests outside of NYC. Non-client sources can usually be arranged in 24-48 hrs from request.
I consider myself one of the last classic publicists. I love my relationships, my network of experts and sources, doling out local scoops, negotiating exclusives. Breakfast meetings are a staple of my business, as is cocktail-toasting and rolling fat spliffs during meetings. I've always been fascinated by the media. I'm great with ideas but I'm not the personality to sit down and write and edit something. Plus, I love being in the boardroom behind closed doors with CEOs and learning the inner workings of an organization. I've always been fascinated by a few things: sex wellness, legal cannabis and the media industry. I love that some of the biggest moments in history are framed by the journalists who write those headlines. I've always wanted to be apart of it. Safe to say, I found my passion an niche in as a Vice Publicist.
I started my company on whim, with $400 to my name and a goal to work with brands I loved, doing the type of media relations I loved without a shitty boss or a stuffy PR firm with overhead that held me back. I never thought one day I would work with the new industries (sex and cannabis baby) that I was absolutely fascinated with.
Since starting my firm in 2017, MAVPR has become a recognized source-of-sources with reliable, consumer friendly and niche insight at a moments notice. My phone is always on and charged and my experts are but a ping away!
MAVPR maintains a network of experts, industry access, thought-leaders and premium products available for related media requests.
Some examples of sources we can provide include (but are not limited to):
- CBD Experts, Doctors, Entrepreneurs & Advocates on related buying guides, trend stories or market predictions
- Sexperts and Sex Educators on product recommendations, intimacy topics, dating trends, and sex industry trend stories & predictions
- Must-have CBD skincare, topicals, tinctures, pleasure oils, and more for post-workouts, self-care, stress relief, sleeplessness, etc
- Best lubricants, vibrators, intimacy products, couples toys etc to spice up the evening or for a night of self love
- Sex + cannabis positive sources available to share experiences on the record (albeit anonymously)
Journalists seeking any vice sources please reach out through the form at the bottom of this page.
MAVPR Clients are typically available within two hours for phone interview requests and can respond to written interviews within as little as 24 hrs. MAVPR client samples can be messengered same-day within NYC with overnight delivery available for immediate requests outside of NYC. Non-client sources can usually be arranged in 24-48 hrs from request.
A little more about me..
I am the publicist that “knows what’s up”. A sex and cannabis positive Brooklynite with roots in New Jersey, I don’t like to beat around the bush. I smoke way too much weed to follow up 5 times on a single email as I’ve seen some publicists do. I'm also Type-A so I'm organized and live by my g-cal. Ask me to learn a new video chat app and I'll give you lots of lip.
My goal for MAVPR is to be the ANTI-PR firm: to do more than send media alerts and press releases, but actually curate brand stories and trend conversations that audiences can't help but click on. Not only do I craft more curated pitches than a long press release, but I research each and every contact before pitching. I aim to be a reliable source-of-sources for all things sex-wellness and legal cannabis.
I am human: If you received a pitch that isn’t a fit for your beat, I may have found a specific assignment of yours and assumed you cover the topic regularly. Sending me a note of your personal and professional coverage preferences will make sure I only send you the most curated pitches for what you and your audiences will find innovative. I work across Sex, AI, Tech Startups, and Cannabis, Wellness, Luxury and everything in-between and I'm sure I have an angle you'd like to sink your teeth into.
I’ll go out of my way to make sure I don’t come off as a pushy, coverage hounding publicist. If you want to feature my clients, great... I’ll have all image and quote assets ready for you on your deadline. If not, keep them in your inbox for future stories.When I send a pitch, I'm not expecting you to stop what you're doing and cover that angle. But I know that in the coming months, it may be useful to have that pitch sitting in your inbox for when you assigned a relevant topic. I try to make sure all my pitches are engaging and all my targets are relevant. If they are neither, please let me know! I welcome feedback and thoroughly enjoy writing emails I know press will love.
I only work with brands I love and support, so if I’m telling you a product is great, it’s not because I’m paid to do so; its because I actually work with some amazing clients and therefore I want you to try them, and make sure your audiences know about them. Along with brands I adore, I genuinely love working with media who are great and passionate about what they do. The journalists I work with are more than just a field in an email blast: I see the human behind each headline, and I'd rather build a strong relationship than make you feel used with every pitch you get.
Being based in NYC, I work with a number of event producers and brand events taking advantage of New York’s media hub. If you get an event invite, please RSVP without worrying that I require coverage or will hound you for weeks after the event. I am not the Coverage C*nt! During the event, I won’t even be the pesky fly on your shoulder asking you if you see an angle yet from an event. If you come to an event, that is great! If you cover an event, you will be invited to every single event I ever host. Come to an event, enjoy, and if something sparks your interest (and I do some cool events from erotic off-broadway plays, immersive play parties, CBD self-care nights and cannabis speakeasies and dinner series, so I’m sure your fancy will be tickled), we’ll make sure you have all the event details, photos and b-roll you need. While I try to offer plus ones and sample bags to all plus ones, but with startups and emerging brands, my clients don’t always have the budget to do so.
Outside of events, I love to take things offline for a drink, a smoke, a night on the town, an evening in hanging out with my 20-lb Maine coon over a bottle of champagne and some snacks Italian-mom style. Just because we work together doesn’t mean it has to be dry.
Sadly, I’ve had some journalists say that I ruin all other publicists for them. I hate that some people in my industry are so pushy and ill-mannered that they ruin the name publicist. Fortunately, I’ve met some other incredible boss babes who “get it” as well and we focus more on telling great stories, being reliable sources and offering juicy scoops + angles, premium products and thought-provoking. I’m happy that I provide the best service I can not just to my clients but to the press babes I work with every day. I’m passionate without being jaded, because I know media is just the first of my many careers.
My goal for MAVPR is to be the ANTI-PR firm: to do more than send media alerts and press releases, but actually curate brand stories and trend conversations that audiences can't help but click on. Not only do I craft more curated pitches than a long press release, but I research each and every contact before pitching. I aim to be a reliable source-of-sources for all things sex-wellness and legal cannabis.
I am human: If you received a pitch that isn’t a fit for your beat, I may have found a specific assignment of yours and assumed you cover the topic regularly. Sending me a note of your personal and professional coverage preferences will make sure I only send you the most curated pitches for what you and your audiences will find innovative. I work across Sex, AI, Tech Startups, and Cannabis, Wellness, Luxury and everything in-between and I'm sure I have an angle you'd like to sink your teeth into.
I’ll go out of my way to make sure I don’t come off as a pushy, coverage hounding publicist. If you want to feature my clients, great... I’ll have all image and quote assets ready for you on your deadline. If not, keep them in your inbox for future stories.When I send a pitch, I'm not expecting you to stop what you're doing and cover that angle. But I know that in the coming months, it may be useful to have that pitch sitting in your inbox for when you assigned a relevant topic. I try to make sure all my pitches are engaging and all my targets are relevant. If they are neither, please let me know! I welcome feedback and thoroughly enjoy writing emails I know press will love.
I only work with brands I love and support, so if I’m telling you a product is great, it’s not because I’m paid to do so; its because I actually work with some amazing clients and therefore I want you to try them, and make sure your audiences know about them. Along with brands I adore, I genuinely love working with media who are great and passionate about what they do. The journalists I work with are more than just a field in an email blast: I see the human behind each headline, and I'd rather build a strong relationship than make you feel used with every pitch you get.
Being based in NYC, I work with a number of event producers and brand events taking advantage of New York’s media hub. If you get an event invite, please RSVP without worrying that I require coverage or will hound you for weeks after the event. I am not the Coverage C*nt! During the event, I won’t even be the pesky fly on your shoulder asking you if you see an angle yet from an event. If you come to an event, that is great! If you cover an event, you will be invited to every single event I ever host. Come to an event, enjoy, and if something sparks your interest (and I do some cool events from erotic off-broadway plays, immersive play parties, CBD self-care nights and cannabis speakeasies and dinner series, so I’m sure your fancy will be tickled), we’ll make sure you have all the event details, photos and b-roll you need. While I try to offer plus ones and sample bags to all plus ones, but with startups and emerging brands, my clients don’t always have the budget to do so.
Outside of events, I love to take things offline for a drink, a smoke, a night on the town, an evening in hanging out with my 20-lb Maine coon over a bottle of champagne and some snacks Italian-mom style. Just because we work together doesn’t mean it has to be dry.
Sadly, I’ve had some journalists say that I ruin all other publicists for them. I hate that some people in my industry are so pushy and ill-mannered that they ruin the name publicist. Fortunately, I’ve met some other incredible boss babes who “get it” as well and we focus more on telling great stories, being reliable sources and offering juicy scoops + angles, premium products and thought-provoking. I’m happy that I provide the best service I can not just to my clients but to the press babes I work with every day. I’m passionate without being jaded, because I know media is just the first of my many careers.
For a full introduction and to keep up with MAVPR's resources for journalists, visit our blog.
Press babes! Know a superb un-represented brand you think would be a great match for MAVPR? Learn more about our Press Referral Program.