Misplaced Pages

Ronn Torossian

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DumbBOT (talk | contribs) at 01:28, 22 September 2012 (removing a protection template from a non-protected page (info)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 01:28, 22 September 2012 by DumbBOT (talk | contribs) (removing a protection template from a non-protected page (info))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Ronn D. Torossian
Ronn Torossian
Born1974
Brooklyn, New York
NationalityUnited States
CitizenshipAmerican
OccupationPublic relations
Employer5W Public Relations
Known forPublic relations
TitleChief executive officer
WebsiteOfficial website

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), which as of 2011 was the 24th-largest PR firm in the United States. 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.

Early life

Torossian was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1974 and grew up in The Bronx, and attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City. While at SUNY Albany, Torossian became national president of the North American branch of Betar, the international Zionist youth movement associated with Israel's conservative Likud party. After college he moved to Israel, and co-founded with fellow Betar members and current members of Knesset Danny Danon and Yoel Hasson an organization called "Yerushalayim Shelanu" (Our Jerusalem), which promoted Jewish settlement in the Arab sectors of Jerusalem. He returned to the US after a year and a half.

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. In 2002 he was the media director for the Christian Coalition of America.

Torossian founded 5WPR in 2003. The company was ranked the 24th-largest public relations firm by net fees in the US in 2010. Among its clients are corporations such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola, and musicians, including Lil' Kim, Ice Cube, and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. As a public relations practitioner, Torossian has been described as "a crisis-management specialist". Torossian and 5WPR have done work internationally for political parties and politicians. His agency has worked in Israel, with current and former clients such as the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Tourism Ministry of Israel, the Likud Party, and Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat, as well as two Israeli Prime Ministers—Ehud Olmert and Benyamin Netanyahu. Torossian has coached Israeli government officials to prepare them for media appearances.

Torossian's political work has included various interests in the former Yugoslavia, including Serbian President Boris Tadić and the Albanian American Civic League, and in Lebanon and elsewhere. He has worked in the former Soviet Union, including representation of Maira Nazarbayevav, the wife of Bolat Nazarbayev (brother of Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev), Vitaly Klitschko during his candidacy for Mayor of Kiev, Ukraine and representation of Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine.

Activities and commentary by the press

Torossian criticized Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1999 over 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". In an interview with The Forward in 2004, Torossian criticized the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization of the Palestinian Authority, referring to them as "gangsters".

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". Referred to as a publicity guru with determination, Businessweek stated "Torossian has anointed himself the brash new face of PR ... loud, crass, buzz-obsessed ... echoes the raw, unvarnished discourse of the blogosphere." Calling him "The Bad Boy of Buzz", BusinessWeek wrote that "even in an industry fueled by hype, Torossian stands out," and that "few seem better equipped to navigate a celebrity-obsessed culture." 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.

Clients have cited his "unlimited energy" and his unique approach to public relations as reasons for hiring him. Jameel Spencer, former CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment-affiliated Blue Flame Marketing and Advertising, called Torossian "one of my most trusted business counsels." New York Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove said "Ronn is somebody who gets it." Atlantic Monthly writer Jeffrey Goldberg called him "the most disreputable flack in New York", particularly criticizing his representation of what Goldberg called the "lunatic fringe" of Israeli politics. The New York Times said he has a reputation as "an aggressive publicist prone to sending off vitriolic e-mails."

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. 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." Jameel Spencer, Sean Combs' business partner, said, " Dennis Rodman: Everyone hated to play against . But if he was on your team, you loved him". A Forward story said, "His aggressive style may not always be pretty, but the results speak for themselves."

Public relations book

Torossian's book, For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations (ISBN 978-1-936661-16-9), was published in November 2011. It was named one of the top five American business books by the Shanghai Daily, an English language newspaper in China.

Achievements and recognition

  • 2006 – Advertising Age "40 under 40"
  • 2007 – PR Week "40 under 40"
  • 2010 – Semi-finalist 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year
  • 2011 – Author, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations"

References

  1. ^ Kurutz, Steven (February 20, 2005). "Brash P.R. Guy Grabs Clients, Ink". The City. The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ "Public Relations Firms Rankings – 2010 Worldwide Fees of Independent Firms With Major U.S. Operations". J.R. O'Dwyer Company. March 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  3. Fine, Larry (July 1, 2011). "Bad time for NBA lock-out, says marketing expert". Reuters. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  4. McKay, Hollie (December 22, 2011). "Kris Humphries Booed Mercilessly in Game: How Big a Mistake Was Marriage to Kim Kardashian?". Fox News. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  5. ^ Popper, Nathaniel (April 2, 2004). "Publicist scores with rappers, right-wing politicians". The Forward. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. "World Zionist youth movement – Home". Betar. September 23, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  7. Popper, Nathaniel (August 28, 2009). "Birthright Scored for Picking P.R. Firm Tied To Scandal, Hard Right Politics". Forward. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  8. ^ "Special Report – 40 under 40: Ronn Torossian". Adage.com. Advertising Age. August 7, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  9. Torossian, Ronn (October 12, 2002). "The Christian Coalition and the Jewish Community". cdn-friends-icej.ca. The Israel Report. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  10. "The Bad Boy of Buzz and His PR Problem". Businessweek.com. November 12, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  11. "Bubble Trouble: Jay-Z's Cristal War". Fox News. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006.
  12. Kercheval, Nancy; Matuszewski, Erik (February 9, 2011). "NFL Offers All-Expenses Trip to Any Super Bowl to 400 Fans Who Lost Seats". Bloomberg.
  13. ^ Blum, Ruthie (August 5, 2009). "One on One: 'It's all about shaping a story'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  14. Ain, Stewart (January 13, 2006). "Confident Of A Comeback". thejewishweek.com. The Jewish Week. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  15. McKenna, Ted (December 14, 2006). "Israel branding effort aims to humanize nation's image". prweekus.com. PRWeek US (subscription required). Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  16. Herskovits, Beth (March 10, 2005). "Lebanese organization challenging Syrian occupation taps 5WPR for strategic counsel". PRWeek US (subscription required). Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  17. "Info – US lobbyists work for both sides". B92. October 26, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  18. Fenton, Reuven (July 10, 2001). "$20M apt. 'thief': I'm still happily married to Kazakh accuser". New York Post. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  19. "5W Public Relations". Holmes Report. October 1, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  20. Ain, Stewart (January 8, 1999). "'Enough Of This Guy': Some of Netanyahu's staunchest U.S. supporters". highbeam.com. The Jewish Week. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  21. ^ Brady, Diane (November 12, 2007). "The Bad Boy of Buzz and His PR Problem". Businessweek. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. Goldberg, Jeffrey (October 27, 2008). "The Jewish Extremists Behind "Obsession"". The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved June 17, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. Cowan, Alison Leigh (December 29, 2011). "Rabbi Pinto's Followers Blame Aide for Missing Millions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  24. "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, And Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations". openisbn.com. OPENISBN Project. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  25. "Business Books: Top Five US". shanghaidaily.com. Shanghai Daily. June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  26. "40 under 40". PR Week. December 3, 2007. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. "Ronn Torossian Named 5W Public Relations CEO selected as semi-finalist for Ernst and Young". Eturbonews.com. April 27, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  28. "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations (9781936661169): Ronn Torossian: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved June 15, 2012.

Template:Persondata

Categories: