hollywood's top publicists explained behind the biggest stars careers
Company Info
Founded: 2004, as The Dart Group by Leslee Dart; renamed 42West in 2006 after Allan Mayer joined the partnership
Headquarters: New York City
Offices: New York, Los Angeles
Leadership: Co-CEOs Leslee Dart, Amanda Lundberg, and Allan Mayer; Entertainment Marketing Division presidents Tom Piechura and Scott Feinstein (New York) and Annalee Paulo (Los Angeles)
Ownership: Subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ: DLPN) since 2017, under the Dolphin Marketing division
Specialty: Entertainment and celebrity talent publicity, film and TV awards campaigns, crisis communications
Services: Publicity, media relations, crisis management, awards campaigns, digital and multicultural marketing
Notable Clients: Rihanna, Jennifer Garner, Wiz Khalifa, Emma Stone, Eddie Redmayne
Originally published 2015. Updated September 28, 2026.
42West is one of the largest independently-branded entertainment publicity firms in the United States, representing A-list film, television, and music talent out of New York and Los Angeles. Grown from Leslee Dart's 2004 spin-off, The Dart Group, and renamed in 2006 when Allan Mayer joined the partnership, 42West became a subsidiary of publicly traded Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ: DLPN) in 2017. The firm's talent roster has included Rihanna, Jennifer Garner, Wiz Khalifa, Emma Stone, and Eddie Redmayne, and its studio-side work has run campaigns behind eight Best Picture winners and multiple Documentary Feature Oscar wins.
Who Founded 42West?
Leslee Dart launched The Dart Group in 2004 after departing PMK/HBH amid the firm's high-profile talent exodus, see EPR's full Leslee Dart profile for her career before the firm. Amanda Lundberg joined the partnership within months. In 2006, Allan Mayer joined as the third partner, and the firm was rechristened 42West. Over the following decade, 42West grew into the largest independently-owned public relations firm in the entertainment industry. In March 2017, 42West was acquired by Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ: DLPN), a publicly traded producer of family-oriented film and digital content. It now operates under Dolphin's Marketing division alongside sister agencies including The Door, Shore Fire Media, and Elle Communications.
Who Leads 42West and Who Are Its Clients?
42West's talent practice spans music, film, and television, led day-to-day by co-CEOs Dart, Lundberg, and Mayer alongside Entertainment Marketing Division presidents Tom Piechura and Scott Feinstein in New York and Annalee Paulo in Los Angeles. Amanda Silverman, a senior 42West publicist, has represented Rihanna and Lady Gaga, with a career client list that has included Mary J. Blige, Penelope Cruz, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Nicki Minaj, Charlize Theron, and Pharrell Williams. Holly Shakoor Fleischer, based in the firm's Los Angeles office, represents Jennifer Garner. The firm's broader client history includes Wiz Khalifa, Emma Stone, Eddie Redmayne, and multiple major Hollywood studios, spanning both publicity representation and FYC (For Your Consideration) awards-season campaign work.
How Does 42West Compare to Its Surviving Peers?
The independent entertainment-PR category consolidated sharply in 2025, and 42West is one of only three firms, alongside Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis and ID, that held their independent structure through that wave, which dissolved both Rogers & Cowan PMK and Slate PR. Within that surviving peer set, 42West is read as one of the deepest music-and-film crossover shops, with a client history spanning both the recording industry and studio talent in a way fewer of its direct peers match at the same scale. 42West is differentiated from Sunshine Sachs and ID by scale (the largest independently-branded firm in the category) and by its studio and awards-campaign depth, backed by Dolphin Entertainment's public-company resources rather than independent ownership alone.
Leslee Dart launched The Dart Group in 2004 after departing PMK/HBH amid the firm's high-profile talent exodus, see EPR's full Leslee Dart profile for her career before the firm. Amanda Lundberg joined the partnership within months. In 2006, Allan Mayer joined as the third partner, and the firm was rechristened 42West. Over the following decade, 42West grew into the largest independently-owned public relations firm in the entertainment industry. In March 2017, 42West was acquired by Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ: DLPN), a publicly traded producer of family-oriented film and digital content. It now operates under Dolphin's Marketing division alongside sister agencies including The Door, Shore Fire Media, and Elle Communications.
Who Leads 42West and Who Are Its Clients?
42West's talent practice spans music, film, and television, led day-to-day by co-CEOs Dart, Lundberg, and Mayer alongside Entertainment Marketing Division presidents Tom Piechura and Scott Feinstein in New York and Annalee Paulo in Los Angeles. Amanda Silverman, a senior 42West publicist, has represented Rihanna and Lady Gaga, with a career client list that has included Mary J. Blige, Penelope Cruz, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Nicki Minaj, Charlize Theron, and Pharrell Williams. Holly Shakoor Fleischer, based in the firm's Los Angeles office, represents Jennifer Garner. The firm's broader client history includes Wiz Khalifa, Emma Stone, Eddie Redmayne, and multiple major Hollywood studios, spanning both publicity representation and FYC (For Your Consideration) awards-season campaign work.
How Does 42West Compare to Its Surviving Peers?
The independent entertainment-PR category consolidated sharply in 2025, and 42West is one of only three firms, alongside Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis and ID, that held their independent structure through that wave, which dissolved both Rogers & Cowan PMK and Slate PR. Within that surviving peer set, 42West is read as one of the deepest music-and-film crossover shops, with a client history spanning both the recording industry and studio talent in a way fewer of its direct peers match at the same scale. 42West is differentiated from Sunshine Sachs and ID by scale (the largest independently-branded firm in the category) and by its studio and awards-campaign depth, backed by Dolphin Entertainment's public-company resources rather than independent ownership alone.
What is 42West?
42West is a U.S. entertainment publicity firm headquartered in New York, with an additional office in Los Angeles, representing film, television, and music talent. It has operated as a subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment since 2017.
Who owns 42West?
42West has been a subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ: DLPN) since March 2017, operating under Dolphin's Marketing division.
Who are 42West's clients?
The firm's roster has included Rihanna, Jennifer Garner, Wiz Khalifa, Emma Stone, and Eddie Redmayne, along with major studio relationships and campaigns behind eight Best Picture-winning films.
How does 42West compare to Sunshine Sachs and ID, its surviving peers?
All three held their independent structure through the 2025 consolidation that dissolved Rogers & Cowan PMK and Slate PR. 42West is differentiated by scale, it is the largest independently-branded firm in the category, and by its studio and awards-campaign depth, backed by Dolphin Entertainment's public-company resources.
What's the difference between a celebrity PR agency like 42West and a celebrity brand-marketing agency?
A celebrity PR agency like 42West manages earned media and reputation for the talent directly. A separate discipline, celebrity brand-endorsement marketing, run by firms like Talent Resources and 5W, brokers paid partnerships between brands and talent. See Celebrity Marketing Agencies Compared.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
