COURTESY / KYMBERLEE NORSWORTHY

As a public relations specialist who works with music industry titans, Kymberlee Norsworthy is accustomed to going virtually unrecognized for her expertise. 

But last month, Norsworthy heard her praises sung loud and clear during her induction to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame for her PR career.

“The ceremony was a lot of fun,” said Norsworthy, an advertising and public relations professor. “It was just really exciting and also humbling to be recognized in that way.”

Norsworthy was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame on Sept. 6 at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis. Norsworthy worked with artists like Marvin Sapp, Method Man and Mary J. Blige in her more than two decades in the industry, before shifting to higher education at Temple in 2022. 

When she began promoting talent shows in high school for class fundraisers, Norsworthy entered PR before knowing of its existence. By her freshman year at California State, it was an avid hobby; when she first heard of PR in a required class, she had no doubt about moving into the profession. 

Norsworthy founded her first talent agency, Sleepless Nights Entertainment, that same school year before slowly acquiring internships at a real estate company, a record label and Paramount Pictures.

“I was really struck by how dynamic the field is,” Norsworthy said. “You have the opportunity to do storytelling, but from a lot of different perspectives.” 

Sleepless Nights Entertainment became Norsworthy’s way to promote artists that she already enjoyed. After California State, Norsworthy attended Temple for her master’s in journalism and used Tomlinson Theater as her springboard for hosting events. 

At Tomlinson, she hosted everything from concerts to poetry slams and met influential artists in the city, including Jill Scott and The Roots. 

“That grew into me having a lot of experience,” Norsworthy said. “By the time I finished my graduate program, I got my first job through networks that I had built here in Philadelphia.”

Once she earned her master’s degree, Norsworthy got a job at a record label in New York. One of her earliest clients of high notoriety was Method Man of the Wu Tang Clan.

“Meth” was a challenge for Norsworthy, she said. He didn’t care for mainstream media since it wasn’t relevant to his audience. Norsworthy’s shining moment was “Meth” receiving a Grammy for his hit song with Mary J. Blige, “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” in 1996.

“I was almost in tears when he was on stage doing the press conference,” Norsworthy said. “It was perfection. He was still Meth, but he was charismatic, he had people laughing, and he really leaned into the moment instead of shying away from it.”

In 2022, Norsworthy brought her skills back to Temple to guide the next generation of publicists. Jair Anderson, a senior film and media arts major who minors in PR, took Norsworthy’s Introduction to Public Relations course last semester and gravitated toward the field.

One day after class, Anderson met with Norsworthy during office hours, and their mentorship began. 

“I think her going into her background on her professional experience and explaining how she always went for what she wanted really inspired me,” Anderson said. “It seemed like she always stood on what she believed in and always strived to do more.”

Lily Terp, a freshman public relations major currently in Norsworthy’s Introduction to Public Relations course, is similarly engaged with Norsworthy’s professional experience in the field. Terp chose the major due to her background in theater and believes the skills she used in theatrics apply to PR.

Terp had her doubts about the field being interesting, but Norsworthy’s class reversed those beliefs.

“I feel like it makes the class a lot more engaging,” Terp said. “I’ll ask a question about something pretty general, and then she’ll be able to answer with a story. It feels more like I’m actually gaining something from this.” 

Norsworthy believes that the public relations field branches people and media communications. She is proud to walk the line between advocate and teacher for clients in media relations.

“If we can create conversations and interactions where their voice is heard and they know that their voice is heard, that’s the way to build lasting relationships,” Norsworthy said. “We thrive in this field and in this business by having enduring good relationships.”