Julie Desmarais (Publicist): Behind the Scenes at Cirque du Soleil Axel

Julie Desmarais is a publicist at Cirque du Soleil. Originally from Montreal, Julie has been with the company for many years. We met for the first time during CRYSTAL opening in Boston two years ago. Most recently, I interviewed her backstage for the new Cirque du Soleil ice show called AXEL.

After dozens of interviews with circus artists, Julie became the first publicist we interviewed on our podcast.

When you meet Julie and no matter how busy she is, she greets you with a big and authentic smile. She loves her work, and that love fuels her creative energy.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

What it means to be a publicist at Cirque du Soleil
How Julie became a publicist for the company
What it’s like to travel on the road with performers, and how that changes the relationships among people (for the better)
How to reinvent yourself in your career
How YOU can apply for jobs in and outside of circus roles (costume, accessories, finance, infrastructure and more) at Cirque du Soleil: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/careers/talent
BONUS Career Tip: How to stand out from the crowd and make the right connections for your next career move

When it comes to Cirque du Soleil and circus companies in general, most people imagine that you have to be a performing artist in order to be part of the crew. That’s far from the truth. In fact, there are many roles that do not require you to fly from a hundred feet above ground or balance on your two fingers. These roles may be more behind the scenes, but they are not any less important.

As for Julie who’s been with the same company for a long time, she too has to reinvent herself. In addition to her PR responsibilities, she’s constantly thinking about how to make a bigger impact by helping performers with their lives on the road. What we see on stage is only a small fraction of these people’s real lives in motion.

Learn more: