Erika Kauffman, publicist for the Halekulani Hotel & Resorts, is the new unit publicist for "Hawaii Five-O," the much-anticipated CBS series this fall that reboots the iconic show that launched Jack Lord as a kingpin crimefighter in paradise and gave the Islands a window of opportunity to boost tourism.
She starts her new job Monday (June 14).
"After an extraordinary five-year journey, I have decided to advance my career as an independent publicist and am thrilled to share that my first is CBS," she said in a statement to media sources, yours truly included. Her company will be called E-PR.
Kauffman described the show, starring Alex O'Loughlin as Steve McGarrett, "the network's No. 1 most anticipated show of the fall schedule and, of course, an iconic series for all of us that call Hawaii home."
Filming begins this month, with Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly, Scott Caan as Danny "Book, em Danno" Williams, and Grace Park as Kono Kalakaua.
Kauffman's presence, as show publicist here, is great news, not only for print and television journalists. To have a local aboard as unit publicist is like having a pass to the board room.
Apparently, "Five-O," which will show at 9 p.m. Mondays (10 p.m. on the Mainland), will be a skosh more receptive to press and media than, say, ABC's "Lost," where secrecy was thick and access as murky as plot twists.
The original "Five-O" was the first-ever network series to film its episodes entirely in the Islands, between 1968 and 1980. Access to the show was freely granted — Len Weismann was the unit publicist — because the theory was that the more locals knew about the actors, the more they embraced the series, widening community acceptance and support. The open publicity boosted Island tourism and opened doors to series that followed, including the likes of "Magnum, P.I." and "Jake and the Fatman."
Kauffman, who was 1997's Miss Hawaii and a semi-finalist in the 1998 Miss America pageant, will continue to serve Halekulani in a two-week overlap as a search for her replacement is launched.
"It has been a life changing experience and honor to serve as the Corporate Director of Public Relations for Halekulani Corporation, Halekulani, Waikiki Parc Hotel and Nobu Waikiki," she said.