For 23 years, Harlan Werner has been the marketing agent for sports icons including Sandy Koufax, Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. But he wants to move into the music business.
Opera, to be specific.
Werner, chief executive of Sports Placement Service Inc. in Hollywood, has a new client in Carlos de Antonis, a classically trained tenor from Argentina. Werner thinks the singer has the talent to become a fan favorite.
“When I first heard his music, I got goose bumps,” Werner told the Business Journal. “I went to Milan. The minute I met him, I said, ‘You need to be in Hollywood.’”
De Antonis has performed in front of millions of fans in Europe and Latin America, but is unknown in the United States. Werner has put more than $250,000 of his own money into the recording of a demo tape and the staging of a de Antonis concert at UCLA for video footage.
Apart from his push into music with the tenor, Werner recently executive produced a documentary, “Tyson” by director James Toback, and is in talks with ESPN about a new TV show.
“The agency is continuing to evolve into a TV and entertainment company and Carlos is part of that progression,” he said.
PRSA Awards
The L.A. chapter of the Public Relations Society of America held its annual awards ceremony and distributed 65 trophies to many of the region’s top shops.
Ketchum PR won Best of Show and other awards for managing the 50th anniversary of the Barbie doll for client Mattel Inc. Paine PR Chief Executive Daryl McCullough won the 2009 Public Relations Professional of the Year title.
Ketchum took home a total of 10 awards, followed by Paine with nine, GolinHarris with eight, Rogers Group with seven, Hoyt Organization and Metro Communications with six, Hill & Knowlton with five, WongDoody with four and Wonacott Communications with three.
Kurt “Cyber Guy” Knutsson of KTLA-TV (Channel 5) was host of the Oct. 22 event at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel.
Desktop Artistry
Even though advertising folks are often called “creatives,” they sometimes feel that the need to sell product limits their creativity. In an exception to that dilemma, 72andSunny recently finished a dream assignment that was more like a fine art commission than an ad campaign.
For the launch of its Windows 7 operating system, Microsoft Corp. charged the Venice ad agency with delivering 12 wallpapers – background designs for screens – that Windows 7 buyers could use on their computers. In response, 72andSunny directed 12 illustrators from around the world to create imaginative backgrounds for the desktop.
Previously, the agency had worked on TV ads for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming system. But the Windows 7 assignment had no marketing goal – it was strictly product enhancement.
“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to improve the experience of one of the most ubiquitous products in the world,” said Glenn Cole, 72andSunny creative director.
Agencies & Accounts
RFPR Inc., a Miracle Mile-based public relations agency, has signed clients KPG Solutions Inc., a software developer that focuses on agribusiness clients, and Chocolate Box Café, an L.A.-based retailer of high-end confections. RFPR will manage community relations and online presence for both brands. … The West L.A. office of CCG Investor Relations has hired Jonathan Macmillan, a financial writer and equity analyst. He joins the firm from a New York-based hedge fund, where he analyzed distressed debt. … Project Access, a non-profit that provides services for people in low-income housing, is a new client at PR shop Carl Terzian Associates in Los Angeles. Terzian will handle media relations and fundraising for the group, which is headquartered in Newport Beach. … Gorilla Nation Media, an online advertising firm, ranked 243 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500, a directory of the fastest-growing companies in technology and media. Rankings were based on revenue growth from 2004 to 2008. Gorilla Nation revenue increased 542 percent in that period. … Striker Media Group, a Santa Monica-based publisher of visitor guides and travel marketing materials, has appointed Jon Trumbull as director of sales. Trumbull joins Striker from Sunset magazine, where he was advertising director. At Striker, he will develop marketing and strategic partnerships. … Di Moda Public Relations in Beverly Hills has signed Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council of Los Angeles as a client. Di Moda will handle media relations and philanthropic endorsements for the charity.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
