An actor named Kevin Byrd sent a bad, self-composed press release to reporters, which one of them posted on Facebook. A PR blogger picked it up to point out how bad it was. That's when Kevin Byrd came unhinged.

Let's let the PR blogger in question, Jennifer Jones, pick it up from there (she posted this last week but we just saw a note about it today on Adrants and it's worthwhile so hey):

Well...last night at 10:00 pm (yes, 10:00 pm), my phone rang. I didn't answer because I was busy watching Sigourney Weaver beat up some Aliens. Then, it rang again. I hit ignore. It rang a third time. Then, I got a text. It said:

"I just read your email blog this is totally a mistake about me and my work...please remove now...kb"

Not recognizing the number and unable to think of any friends with the initials KB, I asked what the person was talking about. Well, as it turns out, it was the "award-winning actor" the bad pitch was about. (I've since removed my phone number from my web site).

He called and text messaged her about this post of hers on her blog, a post that consisted of pointing out the flaws in a press release written by him. Not a savvy PR move, for a non-psycho! So Jennifer started text messaging back and forth with him, but he would not be dissuaded:

He said he'd issue a National Press Release (yep he capitalized it and everything!) about how I am out to ruin his career. Of course, I did think, "cool, nothing like a media feud to drive some SEO my way!" But, he was sounding increasingly unhinged, so I stopped trying to reason with him and ignored his texts.

Unfortunately, it got really ugly with the guy actually making physical threats against me and even calling me a racist.

Kevin Byrd, that is certainly no way for a man with a one-man show about the risk of prostate cancer to act! Particularly not a man who also "starred as the Cover Model for the Best Selling Paperback Novel "Things In Between" by Nathanial Portis distributed in book stores nationwide including Barnes and Nobles." It's just not right. We've emailed Kevin through his website and we'll let you know what we hear. Though you have to admit his original pitch did have a compelling lead:

On behalf of our client Award Winning Off Broadway Actor [Client Name]; we're requesting a featured front cover story about [Client Name] for Atlanta Journal Constitution Newspaper for June 2009

[SpeakMediaBlog]