Leslee Dart

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]

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 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]

Dart currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to Dolphin Entertainment and its Chairman and CEO, Bill O’Dowd.[26]