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Leslee Dart
Photo by Brigitte Lacombe
Born
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationBA in Public Relations, School of Journalism
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupation(s)Publicist, entrepreneur
Years active1977 - present
SpouseMichael Leon
ChildrenAdam Leon (stepson), Matthew Leon
AwardsWomen in Communications Matrix Award for excellence in Public Relations

Leslee Dart is an American publicist and entrepreneur.[1] She is the founder and co-CEO of the Dart Group, now known as 42West,[2] which prior to its 2017 acquisition was the largest independently-owned public relations firm in the entertainment industry.[3][4]

Dart's work has been focused on both actors and filmmakers since the start of her career. She has represented actors including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, and Jessica Lange, and directors Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Mike Nichols, and Sydney Pollack.[5] Dart directed the publicity campaigns for the Academy Award-winning films Lincoln, No Country for Old Men, The Departed and Chicago, among others.[6][7] Her longtime work with Woody Allen became a source of controversy in the wake of his alleged sexual abuse.[8]

Early life and education

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An only child, Dart was born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended the University of Southern California, where she initially studied fine arts. After her father suggested she consider journalism or public relations, she enrolled at the USC School for Communications. She graduated with a degree in public relations in 1976.[9]

Career

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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Rogers and Cowan

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Dart worked briefly in corporate PR after her graduation, first as an in-house publicist, and later on behalf of corporate clients at an agency. In 1977, she was hired by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. While working on the Academy Awards, she met Warren Cowan, the co-founder of Rogers & Cowan. A "mastermind of the modern day Oscar campaign," he incorrectly assumed Dart had established relationships and hired her on the spot.[10] Dart was mentored by Cowan as well as Sam Cohn, who would later introduce her to directors.[11][9][12]

PMK

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At 28, Dart partnered with Pat Kingsley and Lois Smith to form the PR agency PMK, the successor to Smith and Kingley's firm Pickwick/Maslansky/Koenigsberg. She moved from Los Angeles to New York to head the New York office of PMK in 1983, and became an owner of the company with Kingsley and Smith in 1985.[13] During her 23-year tenure at the agency, it became the leading PR firm in entertainment. Revenue increased from $1.5 million to $14 million annually,[14] as the PMK roster grew to more than 200 clients. In 2001 a photo of Dart, Kingsley and Smith ran in the "Legends of Hollywood" issue of Vanity Fair with the caption "Not since the heyday of MGM have three little letters wielded so much power."[15][16] In 2004, The New York Times wrote: "With the explosion in media interest in celebrity over the last decade, publicists have become a power center in their own right. For many years, Ms. Kingsley, based in Los Angeles, and Ms. Dart, her New York-based partner in privately held PMK, were indisputably the most influential among them."[17]

PMK was sold to advertising company Interpublic in 1999, and its focus shifted away from Hollywood talent toward high-paying corporate clients. Dart brokered partnerships with brands such as Coca-Cola and General Motors,[18] but said in a 2004 interview with Newsweek that her "passion" was always for filmmakers and talent. As the concentration on brands intensified, Kingsley and Dart became increasingly estranged. In November 2004, Kingsley fired Dart, then the president of PMK, stating that her contract would not be renewed. It was reported that Dart's dismissal was based on a protracted power struggle,[19] a "succession drama" between Kingsley, then 72, and Dart, more than 20 years her junior. Dart's termination and the resulting departure of talent from PMK was a major media story, with New York writing that "the ultimate test for any publicist is spinning her own dismissal, and this Leslee Dart has done masterfully."[20]

The Dart Group, 42 West

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The weekend after she was fired from PMK, Dart established the Dart Group, working with one assistant from a midtown Manhattan hotel room.[21] The filmmakers and actors who left PMK for the Dart Group included Demme, Hanks, Jessica Lange and Mike Nichols.[22] In 2006 the Dart Group was renamed 42 West. As the company expanded, its roster grew to include musicians. It was acquired in March 2017 by Dolphin Digital Media.[23][24][4]

Dart joined the Board of Directors of 42 West's parent company, Dolphin Entertainment in June 2020 and currently serves as its Strategic Advisor. She stepped down from 42 West in July 2020.[25]

Controversy

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Allen at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival

Dart became known for "not only for promoting clients who wanted coverage but also for protecting those who did not."[1][13] This controversially[8] included film director Woody Allen, who Dart had represented since the mid-1980s and who faced allegations of sexual assault against his adoptive daughter. Variety wrote: "Even the efforts of Allen’s longtime publicist, Leslee Dart, to counter the initial tide of negative stories itself became a news item."[26] Her work to counter these allegations and garner positive publicity for Allen were brought to further public attention in February 2021, when HBO released Kirby Dick's and Amy Ziering's four-part documentary Allen v. Farrow, which explores the sexual abuse allegations against Allen.[27][28] This included the accusation by Allen's son, journalist Ronan Farrow, that Dart protected Allen through the use of access journalism, saying that "When you have Leslee Dart on your payroll, that is someone who can say, ‘You better print this or I’m going to withhold my clients from you in the future.'".[5] Also in February 2021, it was announced Allen's sister Letty Aronson would now serve as Allen’s spokesperson, instead of Dart.[29]

Recognition

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Dart received the Matrix Award for Women in Communications in 2009. She has appeared on the Crain's list of the "Most Powerful Women in New York",[21] Nikki Finke's list of the most influential women in TV and film for Elle,[30] the Hollywood Reporter "Women in Entertainment Power 100,"[31] the PR Week "Power List,"[32] the Variety Women's Impact Report, [33] and New York magazine's "Most Influential People in Movies".[34] In 2015, 20 years after she orchestrated Hugh Grant's mea culpa on the Tonight Show following his arrest for lewd conduct; The Independent wrote that it was "the greatest PR save of all time."[35]

Personal life

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Dart and her husband, Michael Leon, were married in 1996 and had two sons, Matthew and Adam, a director and screenwriter.[36][37] Michael Leon died in 2023. [38]

Dart supports organizations including Planned Parenthood and causes related to environmental protection and LGBTQ rights.[33]

References

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  1. ^ a b Elliott, Stuart (November 9, 2004). "Entertainment Publicist Fired After 23 Years at an Agency". New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  2. ^ "The Influentials: Movies". NYMag.com. 3 May 2006. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  3. ^ Guttman, Dick (2015). Starflacker: Inside the Golden Age of Hollywood. New York: Guttman Associates. ISBN 978-0986407116. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b Kilday, Gregg (March 30, 2017). "PR Firm 42West Acquired by Dolphin Digital Media in $28 Million Deal". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b Smail, Gretchen (March 14, 2021). "'Where's Leslee Dart Now?'". Bustle. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Pasquarelli, Adrienne (December 5, 2007). "Most Powerful Women in New York 2007". Crains New York. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  7. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (2016-10-04). "10 Years Later: 'The Departed,' the Oscars, and the Non-Campaign Campaign". Variety. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  8. ^ a b Dries, Kate (May 12, 2016). "'Meet the PR Mastermind Who's Managed Woody Allen's Image For Years'". Jezebel. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Pinck, Alissa (April 27, 2009). "Leslee Dart: A Star Among Stars" (PDF). Matrix Journal. pp. 50, 51. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ^ Kilday, Greg (May 15, 2008). "Warren Cowan Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter (via AP). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ^ Cieply, Michael (1988-07-10). "Hollywood's High-Powered Image Machine: In Pat Kingsley's Tough World of Celebrity Publicity, Less Is More, and Too Much Exposure Can Be Fatal". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  12. ^ Benet, Lorenzo (September 28, 1986). "The Public Business of Show Business: Press Agents are Out There Making a Name for the Stars". Los Angeles Daily News. p. 1.
  13. ^ a b O'Leary, Noreen (May 17, 1999). "L.A. Confidential". Adweek. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. ^ Eller, Claudia (November 19, 2004). "Movie Biz PR Whiz Is Nixed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Legends of Hollywood". Vanity Fair. April 2, 2001. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Vanity Fair's Bumper April 2001 Legends of Hollywood". PR Week. March 19, 2001. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  17. ^ Waxman, Sharon (November 23, 2004). "Hollywood Shakeout". New York Times. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  18. ^ Taylor, Chris (February 15, 1999). "It's General Motors on Line One, Mr. Redford". TIME. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  19. ^ Giles, Jeff (November 19, 2004). "My Passion is for Movies". Newsweek. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  20. ^ Swanson, Carl and, Bernstein, Jacob (November 20, 2004). "PMK Publicist Putsch". New York. Retrieved 25 September 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ a b Pasquarelli, Adrienne (September 16, 2017). "Most Powerful Women in New York 2007". Crains. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  22. ^ Grove, Lloyd and, Morgan, Hudson (May 27, 2005). "PMK Clients Dart to Axed Publicist". New York Daily News. Retrieved 26 September 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "42West, PR Firm For Lady Gaga, Rihanna, The Weeknd, Acquired by Dolphin Digital in $28 Mil. Deal". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  24. ^ "Observer's 2017 PR Power 50". Observer. 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  25. ^ "42West Shakeup: Leslee Dart Upped To Senior Post At Parent Dolphin Entertainment; Amanda Lundberg Becomes Sole 42West CEO". Deadline. March 2, 2020.
  26. ^ Foundas, Scott (2014-02-21). "Woody Allen and the Media's Mob Hysteria". Variety. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  27. ^ Sperling, Nicole (February 5, 2021). "Filmmakers Look at Woody Allen Abuse Allegations in Four-Part Series". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  28. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 5, 2021). "Secret, Explosive Woody Allen Doc Series From Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering Coming to HBO". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  29. ^ Stern, Marlow (March 9, 2021). "'Allen v. Farrow' Filmmakers Call Out Woody Allen: 'What Are You Afraid Of?'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  30. ^ Nikki, Finke (October 16, 2009). "Nikki Finke's Power List". Elle. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  31. ^ THR Staff (December 7, 2010). "Women in Entertainment - Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  32. ^ PR Week Staff (July 1, 2007). "Leslee Dart: Power List". PR Week. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  33. ^ a b Editorial Staff (December 1, 2017). "Women's Impact Report". Variety. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  34. ^ New York staff (May 3, 2006). "The Influentials: Movies". New York. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  35. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (January 20, 2014). "The Divine redemption of Hugh Grant: A look at 'the greatest PR save of all time' almost 20 years after he was arrested with a prostitute". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  36. ^ Brooks, Brian (2012-03-22). "A New Spielberg or Aronofsky? Six Filmmakers To Watch From New Directors/New Films". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  37. ^ Rush, George (June 27, 1997). "Pretty Woman Proposes Marriage of Convenience". Daily News. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  38. ^ Earl, William (2023-04-04). "Music Industry Executive Michael Leon Dies at 76". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
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