Howard J. Rubenstein
Howard J. Rubenstein is an American lawyer and public relations expert. He has been called "the dean of damage control" by Rudolph Giuliani.[1]
Rubenstein grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on 74th St. near Bay Parkway with an older sister. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a crime reporter for the Herald Tribune.[2] He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Phi Beta Kappa in 1953 with a degree in economics.[2] He then attended Harvard Law School, but dropped out partway through the first semester.[2]
He then began writing press releases for a Brooklyn nursing home, the Menorah Home and Hospital for the Aged and Infirm, after his father had introduced him to some officials at the home.[1][2][3] Initially he worked out of his parent's kitchen, but later moved out after his parents refused to answer the phone saying "Rubenstein Associates".
Business grew quickly; as Rubenstein later said, "I was the only Democratic press agent in Brooklyn, so the politicians started coming to me".[2] He enrolled in St. John's University Law School to take night classes, and graduated in 1959 first in his class.[1][2] He then took a job as an assistant counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, but quit after six months.[2]
He is the president and founder of Rubenstein Associates, which has been described as the most influential public relations organization in New York City.[3] The firm was founded in 1954. Rubenstein’s more notable clients include many of New York’s iconic organizations including: The New York Yankees,[4] News Corporation,[5] Columbia University,[3] New York Philharmonic,[5] and The Metropolitan Opera.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Blaine Harden (1999-09-30). "Image Spinner at the Center of a Web; Rubenstein, 'Dean of Damage Control' for New York's Powerful". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/30/nyregion/image-spinner-center-web-rubenstein-dean-damage-control-for-new-york-s-powerful.html?scp=7&sq=Howard%20J.%20Rubenstein&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g Richard T. Pienciak (1997-06-08). "Howard J. Rubenstein is the Prince of Public Relations Who Rose From His Own Corner Office Knowing That... Image Is Everything". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1997/06/08/1997-06-08_howard_j__rubenstein_is_the_.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ a b c William Geist (1990-04-08). "What Really Makes New York Work; Dan Klores: The Man Behind The Images". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/08/magazine/what-really-makes-new-york-work-secret-powers-dan-klores-man-behind-images.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Richard Sandomir (2005-07-01). "BASEBALL; The Voice of the Boss Is Often a Voice of Reason". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDC1231F932A35754C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b c Ken Auletta (2007-02-12). "The Fixer: Why New Yorkers call Howard Rubenstein when they’ve got a problem.". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/12/070212fa_fact_auletta. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
[edit] External links
- Biography at Rubenstein
- A film clip "The Open Mind - A Further Conversation with a PR Guru (2007)" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
