Ronn Torossian
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Ronn Torossian
| Ronn D. Torossian | |
|---|---|
 Ronn Torossian |
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| Born | Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Citizenship | American, Israeli |
| Occupation | Public relations |
| Employer | 5W Public Relations |
| Known for | Public relations |
| Title | Chief executive officer |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Website | |
| RonnTorossian.com | |
Ronn D. Torossian is an American public relations executive, author, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of New York City-based 5W Public Relations (5WPR),[1] which as of 2010 was the 24th-largest PR firm in the US.[2] A crisis management specialist, his agency's clients include corporations, celebrities, hip-hop musicians, politicians, lobby groups, and political parties around the world. He is an active supporter of Jewish and Israeli causes.[3]
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Early life
Torossian was born in Midwood, Brooklyn in 1974 and grew up in The Bronx.[1] While at the SUNY Albany, Torossian became president of the American branch of Betar,[3] the international Zionist youth movement associated with Israel's conservative Likud party.[4]. After college, he moved to Israel, and founded an organization called "Yerushalayim Shelanu" (Our Jerusalem), which promoted Jewish settlement in the Arab sectors of Jerusalem.[5] He returned to the U.S. after a year and a half.[3]
Career
Torossian began his career in public relations in 1998, working with then New York City Council speaker Peter Vallone, Sr. during Vallone's trip to Israel. He also worked for the Likud Party in Israel.[1][6] In 2002 he was the media director for the Christian Coalition of America.[7]
Torossian founded 5WPR in 2003.[1] The company was ranked 24th largest PR firm by net fees in the US in 2010.[2] Among its clients are rappers and other musicians, including 'Lil Kim, Ice Cube and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs".[8] As a PR practitioner, Torossian has been described as "a crisis-management specialist".[9]
Torossian and 5WPR have done work for political parties and politicians, internationally. His agency has worked in Israel, with current and former clients including the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Tourism Ministry of Israel, the Likud Party and Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat[10], as well as two Israeli Prime Ministers: Ehud Olmert and Benyamin Netanyahu.[11] Torossian has also coached Israeli government officials to prepare them for media appearances.[12] His clients also include Christian supporters of Israel, including the Christians United For Israel and their leader, TV evangelist John Hagee.[13]
Torossian's political work has included work for various interests in the former Yugoslavia, including Serbian President Boris Tadić and the Albanian American Civic League.[14]
Personal life and activities
Torossian's book,"For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations" (ISBN 1936661160), was published in November 2011.[15]
Torossian has embraced causes associated with Israel's right wing, including support for Jewish settlement in the occupied areas of East Jerusalem. Torossian strongly criticized Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu when, in 1999, "upset by" Israeli government decisions "to freeze construction at ... proposed Jewish housing development Har Homa in southeastern Jerusalem and by the ... troop withdrawal from parts of Hebron".[16]. In an interview with the Forward in 2004, Torossian strongly criticized the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization of the Palestinian Authority referring to them as "gangsters".[3]
A New York Times profile called Torossian “brash and aggressively outspoken", "the consummate scrappy publicist", and "one of the New Yorkiest practitioners of this quintessentially New York profession"[1] Referred to as a publicity guru with determination, [3] Businessweek stated "Torossian has anointed himself the brash new face of PR ... loud, crass, buzz-obsessed ... echoes the raw, unvarnished discourse of the blogosphere."[17] Calling him "The Bad Boy of Buzz", BusinessWeek wrote that "even in an industry fueled by hype, Torossian stands out," and that for it, "few seem better equipped to navigate a celebrity-obsessed culture."[17] Torossian has described the importance of aggression and focus in his work, and he considered Antoine de Saint Exupéry a strong influence on his philosophy. [3]
Clients have cited his "unlimited energy" and his unique approach to public relations as reasons for hiring Torossian.[17] Jameel Spencer, former CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment-affiliated Blue Flame Marketing and Advertising, called Torossian "one of my most trusted business counsels."[3] New York Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove said "Ronn is somebody who gets it."[1] Democratic strategist and former Clinton Administration advisor Hank Sheinkopf said “I respect Ronn Torossian immensely. He gets it and knows how the game is played. He wins.” [18]. On the other side, Republican strategist Roger Stone said “Simply there is no one today better at PR than Ronn Torossian,”[19] and Israeli businessman Moshe Gaon said “Hire 5W and Ronn. No one will work harder.”[20]
After Torossian criticized competitor Lizzie Grubman, attorney Benjamin Brafman dropped 5W as his publicists in 2005[1], and a former client complained, "I saw more press releases on him than any work for my firm" [17], while Atlantic Monthly writer Jeffrey Goldberg called him "the most disreputable flack in New York" and in particular criticized his representation of what Goldberg called the "lunatic fringe" of Israeli politics.[21] Brafman lauded Torossian publicly in a speech at 5WPR in January 2009. [22]
In 2009, The Jerusalem Post wrote a profile of Torossian which described his career as a "meteoric rise in the business world today", and referenced relationships with many of the business and political elite of Israel. [23] Morris Reid, former adviser to President Bill Clinton said, "I love Ronn Torossian. The reason I'm with the firm is because he represents the same energy and passion that I try to bring to my own business...He's a 24-7 type of guy, just like I am."BusinessweekSimilarly, Jameel Spencer, Sean Combs' business partner said, "[Like] Dennis Rodman: Everyone hated to play against [him]. But if he was on your team, you loved him" [3], while a Forward story said, “His aggressive style may not always be pretty, but the results speak for themselves.”[3]
Achievements and recognition
- 2006 – Advertising Age "40 under 40"[24]
- 2007 – PR Week "40 under 40"[25]
- 2010 – Semi-finalist 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year [26]
- 2011 – Author, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations" [27]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Kurutz, Steven (February 20, 2005). "Brash P.R. Guy Grabs Clients, Ink". The City (The New York Times). http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/nyregion/thecity/20feat.html. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ a b "Public Relations Firms Rankings – 2010 WORLDWIDE FEES OF INDEPENDENT FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS". J.R. O'Dwyer Company. 2011-03. http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firm_rankings/independents.htm. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Popper, Nathaniel (April 2, 2004). "Publicist scores with rappers, right-wing politicians". The Forward. http://www.forward.com/articles/5408.
- ^ http://betar.org.il/en/
- ^ Popper, Nathaniel (2009-08-28). "Birthright Scored for Picking P.R. Firm Tied To Scandal, Hard Right Politics". Forward. http://www.forward.com/articles/112464/. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ http://adage.com/article?article_id=110905
- ^ The Christian Coalition and the Jewish Community, Ronn Torossian, The Israel Report, October 12, 2002.
- ^ "Bubble Trouble: Jay-Z's Cristal War". Fox News. August 31, 2006. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211078,00.html.
- ^ Kercheval, Nancy; Matuszewski, Erik (February 9, 2011). "NFL Offers All-Expenses Trip to Any Super Bowl to 400 Fans Who Lost Seats". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-09/nfl-offers-all-expenses-trip-to-any-super-bowl-to-400-fans-who-lost-seats.html.
- ^ "One on One: 'It's all about shaping a story'" interview by Ruthie Blum Leibowitz in The Jerusalem Post August 5, 2009, accessed April 3, 2011
- ^ "Confident Of A Comeback" article by Stewart Ain in The Jewish Week January 13, 2006, accessed April 3, 2011
- ^ "Israel branding effort aims to humanize nation's image" article by Ted McKenna in PRWeek December 14, 2006, accessed April 3, 2011
- ^ 5W Public Relations
- ^ http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=10&dd=26&nav_id=37589
- ^ "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, And Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations". openisbn.com. OPENISBN Project. 2011. http://www.openisbn.com/isbn/1936661160/. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
- ^ Stewart Ain, "Enough of this guy", The Jewish Week, January 8, 1999
- ^ a b c d Brady, Diane (November 12 2007). "The Bad Boy of Buzz and His PR Problem". Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_46/b4058064.htm.
- ^ "Part 1: 5WPR and Ronn Torossian Present Hank Sheinkopf Speaks at 5W Public Relations". 5W Public Relations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tnJ53yrCwc.
- ^ "Part 1: 5WPR and Ronn Torossian Present Roger Stone: The World as it Really Is". 5W PUblic Relations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7z-YNOaQNU.
- ^ "Part 1: 5WPR and Ronn Torossian Present Israeli Entrepreneur Moishe Gaon". 5W Public Relations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V4jGSXgXTU.
- ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (October 27 2008). "The Jewish Extremists Behind "Obsession"". The Atlantic Monthly. http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/the_jewish_extremists_behind_o.php.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5KHmMNZoRM
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=150936
- ^ "5WPR, Ronn Torossian". Advertising Age. August 7, 2006. http://adage.com/archive-date?date=2006-08-07.
- ^ "40 under 40". PR Week. December 3, 2007. http://www.prweekus.com/40-under-40/article/99468/.
- ^ http://www.eturbonews.com/15795/5w-public-relations-ceo-selected-semi-finalist-ernst-and-young-e
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936661160
External links and further reading
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