OPINION: Farewell to His Master’s Voice

These days it’s not the done thing for a journalist to praise a PR.

But it would be remiss to ignore the departure of HMV’s head of PR Gennaro Castaldo, who bids farewell to the retailer this week after almost 30 years.

Those who haven’t worked with Gennaro will have no doubt seen him. As spokesman for the UK’s biggest entertainment outlet, he has been a go-to voice for the mainstream media needing comment on a game launch, pop star, or a DVD best-seller.

He also put a calm face on the retailer’s most serious challenges.

Is there a lesson to learn when you contrast the games PR merry-go-round (there have been more changes and departures at almost every major publisher in the last month) with his 28 years service?

Challenges are different for everyone, but Castaldo was one of the best at supplying what matters most to the media, as Microsoft has found this week: honesty and access.