01 Jan How I Did It: Michael Sitrick Tells Inc. Magazine
When bad things happen to a company–a bankruptcy filing, a CEO’s messy divorce, a proxy fight–Michael Sitrick is the public relations guy who gets the call. His clients, who have included billionaire investor Ron Burkle, Global Crossing (NASDAQ:GLBC) ex-chairman Gary Winnick, and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) ex-chairwoman Patricia Dunn, hire him to present their best sides to the press and public, by means that range from encouraging a reporter to see the client’s point of view to placing a sympathetic op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal. Sitrick, who runs his operation out of a sleek high-rise in L.A.’s Century City, is also the make-this-go-away guy for entertainment industry bigs–everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Halle Berry. Whomever’s case he is presenting, Sitrick is not afraid to make waves with reporters and editors, day or night–at $695 an hour, that’s what his clients expect. He is the author of Spin: How to Turn the Power of the Press to Your Advantage.
