Lights, Camera, Promotion: the Lisa Lu Press Kit Collection

by Victoria Veloz, a third-year undergraduate student studying Business Administration Marketing - October 20, 2026

One of the many misconceptions of archival research, and archives in general, is that it is only for history majors. This is far from the truth! Archives can hold valuable information for any field of study. In CSUN Library’s Special Collections and Archives, this is the case! Whether you're a film, marketing, or journalism major, the Lisa Lu Press Kit collection may be of interest to you. 

The collection is named after actress and journalist Lisa Lu. At 99 years old, Lisa Lu has been acting since the 1950s, amassing over 90 acting credits in both Chinese and English language productions. Lu was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in May 2025. She is also currently the only person to be a voting member of all the following: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars), the Television Academy, and the Screen Actors’ Guild. From this extensive membership, Lu was sent the many press kits of this collection.

Spanning from 1990 to 2001, this collection includes curated press kits by major movie studios that were sent to journalists, bloggers, critics, and other media outlets to publicize upcoming releases. Either dedicated to a single feature film or the studios’ season or year of upcoming releases, the press kits contained promotional marketing materials, timelines for release dates, photographic stills, and occasionally interviews with actors and directors.  A handful of folders are campaigns for various Film and Television awards. This collection was acquired in 2002 after a donation from CSUN’s very own, the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication’s Entertainment Industry Institute.

There are many popular titles available to research. Walt Disney Pictures’ 1995 animated film Toy Story’s press kit is dedicated to an Academy Awards campaign for best original song and score by Randy Newman and it includes CDs, sheet music for the song, and a letter to an Academy member from the director and producers. The campaign was successful as the film was nominated in both categories. Another popular title researchers can view is for the 1996 movie Independence Day. This press kit is unique because of its pop-up feature of the White House and a flap revealing an extraterrestrial flying saucer above it, such as the one from the film. Lastly, the press kit for the found footage film The Blair Witch Project includes an extensive production notes packet. The 1999 horror movie was one of the first to market via a website with extensive lore and mythology. The promotional website was launched pre-release to build interest and allure to the faux mystery the film portrays as real events. The press kit’s production notes packet explains in great detail the guerilla-style marketing tactics, the detailed lore of the plot, and a timeline of the movie’s in-universe history.

If these film press kits pique your interest, use the Lisa Lu Press Kit Collection finding aid or stop by Special Collections and Archives to see if your favorite 90’s movie is in our collection!
 

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