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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAfter days of fielding questions regarding the no-show of celebrities Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel at last Friday’s opening of Indiana Live Casino, Coles Marketing Communications Inc. said today it is ending its contract with the Shelbyville casino.
Barbara Coles, president of the Indianapolis public relations firm, said she had sent a notice of termination to the client.
“In response to numerous media requests following the grand opening, we repeatedly asked casino officials to provide additional information to the media regarding this issue, and they denied our requests,” Coles said in a prepared statement. “We simply won’t continue working with a client with whom we cannot communicate when it is our job to communicate for and with them.”
Mark Hemmerle, general manager of Indiana Live, and Tricia Lavore, its vice president of marketing, could not be reached this afternoon for comment.
Coles handled the press release touting the participation of Timberlake and Biel at the ribbon-cutting, but neither showed up. Thousands of people attended the grand opening, snarling traffic for miles on Interstate 74.
Questions have been raised as to whether Indiana Live ever expected the celebrities to attend. The casino didn’t make arrangements for extra security, logistics, transportation and other matters that are standard for such high-level celebrity appearances.
Timberlake’s publicist told The Indianapolis Star the performer never had planned to attend the event.
“We were just as surprised as everyone else when Mr. Timberlake and Ms. Biel did not show up,” Coles said. “We offered what we believed at the time to be honest, accurate information provided by our client, with whom we have worked for the past year.”
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