Michael Levine (publicist)

Michael Levine
Occupation Author, publicist, success coach
Known for Celebrity publicist
Website www.michaellevinemedia.com

Michael Levine is an American writer and public relations expert.[1] He is the author of numerous books on public relations including Guerrilla P.R.[2] He has represented 58 Academy Award winners, 34 Grammy Award winners, and 43 New York Times best-sellers,[3] with such names that include Michael Jackson,[4] Barbra Streisand,[5] and George Carlin among many others.[6] His work has included non paid media counsel to former presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.[7] Levine also appeared in POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, the 2011 documentary by Morgan Spurlock.[8]

In addition to his writing career, Levine is a sought after speaker and commentator throughout the media industry. He has provided commentary for nearly every major national television and radio show,[9] including media outlets such as Variety, Forbes, Fox News, The New York Times, and the USA Today.[10][11][12][13][14] Levine has been referred to as the "Michael Jordan of entertainment P.R."[15]

Early life and education

Levine was born in New York City and graduated from Fort Lee High School in 1973.[16] He went on to attend Rutgers University where he dropped out after six months. Levine had a poor childhood and had learning issues due to dyslexia.[16] He describes his mother as an alcoholic and his father as passive; however, he attributes much of his success to both of them for instilling a will to succeed.[17] During his childhood, Levine was always interested in the entertainment industry and politics. In his early career after leaving Rutgers, he worked in show business as an impresario prior to moving to Los Angeles.[16]

Career

Levine moved to Los Angeles in 1977[16] and opened his own public relations firm, Levine Communications Office (LCO), in 1983.[18] He started the firm with a borrowed desk and worked out of the back of a hair salon located in Sherman Oaks, California.[3] In an interview with the Jewish Journal, he described trying to land his first client to "stapl[ing] jelly to the ceiling."[16] His first clients were stand-up comedian David Brenner and actress Joan Rivers. Former David Brenner manager Steve Reidman has described Levine as someone who is devoted to his clients.[16] Throughout his career at LCO, Levine represented many celebrity clients including David Bowie, Sandra Bullock, Michael J. Fox, Demi Moore, Nike, Ozzy Osbourne, Pizza Hut, Prince, Sharp Electronics and Barbra Streisand among many others.[19]

Levine was Michael Jackson's publicist in 1993 and 1994 during which time Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old by the name of Jordan Chandler.[19] Prior to that time, Levine helped Jackson disseminate the story of Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a story fabricated by Jackson.[4] In later interviews, Levine describes the Jackson molestation accusations as one of his toughest public relations battle that he has faced.[15] After Jackson's death in 2009, Levine was interviewed by numerous media outlets about Jackson's conditions through those years.[19] Levine described Jackson's life a self-destructive journey and was quoted as saying, "His talent was unquestionable, but so to was his discomfort with the norms of the world. A human simply can not withstand this level of prolonged stress."[19]

Levine has represented numerous comedians throughout his career, including George Carlin, Sam Kinison and Rodney Dangerfield. In 2010, he organized a birthday party in honor of then deceased Carlin.[20] The event was attended by celebrities that included Tom Arnold, Paul Mooney, Paul Rodriguez, Tom Green, Judy Tenuta, Jay Phillips and Shawn Wayans, each of whom held a sign representing each of Carlin's seven dirty words.[20] Levine also gave commentary on the Laugh Factory incident involving Michael Richards' use of racial slurrs during a stand up act in 2006.[21][22]

Writing and public speaking career

Levine is the author of 19 books and numerous op ed pieces that have appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, Reader's Digest, Los Angeles Times and the USA Today.[9] His book Guerrilla P.R. was a best-seller and became the best-selling P.R. book of all-time.[23] He is a sought after speaker and in addition to his media appearances has spoken at Oxford, UCLA, and Harvard University.

Levine is the creator of a national online newsletter known as the LBN E-lert (sometimes referred to as Levine Breaking News).[9] The newsletter started with an email list of approximately 500 people with whom Levine had previously worked with. It was reported that the newsletter has more than 474,000 subscribers from all 50 states in the U.S. as well as 26 foreign countries.[24]

Levine has appeared in national print and televised media. His commentary has been sought for numerous incidents involving celebrities, including the molestation controversy involving Josh Duggar that gained national attention in 2015, speaking on Justice with Judge Jeanine in June 2015.[25]

Bibliography

Title Publication date Pages ISBN, publisher
Broken Windows, Broken Business: How the Smallest Remedies Reap the Biggest Rewards November 1, 2006 192 ISBN 9780446698481, Grand Central Publishing
Charming Your Way to the Top: Hollywoods Premier P.R. Executive Shows You How to Get Ahead January 1, 2004 201 ISBN 9781422368022, Lyons Press
Guerrilla PR Wired : Waging a successful publicity campaign online, offline, and everywhere in between February 11, 2003 306 ISBN 9780071382328, McGraw-Hill
A branded world: Adventures in public relations and the creation of superbrands March 3, 2003 256 ISBN 9780471263661, Wiley

References

  1. ↑ Joseph, Mark (May 20, 2009). "Michael Levine Roasted @ 55". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. ↑ Wynne, Robert (July 8, 2014). "The Real Difference Between PR And Advertising". Forbes. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Milano, Valerie (September 16, 2014). "Best-selling Author, Media Expert and Success Coach, Michael Levine on Show Biz, Media, and Life". The Hollywood Times. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (2014). Michael Jackson Inc.: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a Billion-Dollar Empire. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781476705965. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  5. ↑ Bacon, Brittany; Michels, Scott (January 7, 2015). "The Secret World of Celebrity Blackmail". ABC News. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ Kurylo, Anastacia (2013). The Communicated Stereotype: From Celebrity Vilification to Everyday Talk. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739167540. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  7. ↑ Edwin, Bruce (December 6, 2009). "Michael Levine – The Power Behind The Stars". News Blaze. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Mulvey, Jeanette (April 7, 2011). "5 In-Your-Face Business Lessons from PR Legend Michael Levine". Business News Daily. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Edwin, Bruce (February 2, 2012). "Celebrity Publicist Michael Levine Reveals Secrets for Authors". News Blaze. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  10. ↑ Bart, Peter (October 2, 2014). "NFL, Walmart Fumbles Show Just How Tough PR Business Is". Variety Magazine. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ Wynne, Robert (July 8, 2014). "The Real Difference Between PR And Advertising". Forbes. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  12. ↑ McKay, Hollie (August 12, 2014). "Robin Williams worried about faltering career, struggled with survivor's guilt, sources say". Fox News. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ Elliott, Stuart (August 11, 2010). "JetBlue's Response to a Fed-Up Employee's Exit". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  14. ↑ Bowles, Scott (July 17, 2013). "Only God Forgives divides film community". USA Today. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Michael Levine: Gift Wrapping Your Business". CBS News. November 27, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teicholz, Tom (February 16, 2006). "Tommywood – Sayings of Chairman Levine". Jewish Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ Halpern, Jake (2008). Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547527246. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  18. ↑ Gilman, Greg (April 2, 2013). "Michael Levine's PR Firm LCO Acquired by Icon Builder Media". The Wrap. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Eberhart, Dave (June 26, 2009). "Former Jackson Publicist Remembers a Fragile Michael". Newsmax. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Comedians celebrate George Carlin's legacy". CNN. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  21. ↑ Elber, Lynn (November 20, 2006). "Michael Richards, aka Kramer, spews racial slurs during stand-up". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  22. ↑ Kurylo, Anastacia (2013). The Communicated Stereotype: From Celebrity Vilification to Everyday Talk. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739167540. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  23. ↑ Edwin, Bruce (April 4, 2013). "World Renowned Publicist Michael Levine Sells P.R. Firm for 1 Million Dollars". News Blaze. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  24. ↑ Sved, Je (December 14, 2009). "Michael Levine knows things you don't. Really.". Herald de Paris. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Michael Levine commentary on Justice with Judge Jeanine". Justice with Judge Jeanine.
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