Mike Sitrick was never supposed to work in public relations. As a young man he wanted to be a journalist and worked briefly as a reporter when, in 1969, he found himself in talks with the Chicago Tribune about a job paying $125 a week.

He also received an offer worth $160 a week working in PR at the University of Maryland, where he had studied. “I said to my wife: ‘I love journalism but I’d rather eat,’ ” he recalls.

The companies, celebrities and other clients that have relied on Mr Sitrick’s skills since he founded his own firm in 1989 after working at various businesses in-house, will be glad he chose the career he did. From his headquarters in the heart of Los Angeles, Sitrick and Company has carved out a lucrative niche offering crisis advice for embattled companies and celebrities who have found themselves in the media’s cross-hairs.