1. Leslee Dart is the founder and co-CEO of the Dart Group, now known as 42West, which prior to its 2017 acquisition was the largest independently-owned public relations firm in the entertainment industry.
15 Facts About Leslee Dart
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Leslee Dart has represented actors including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, and Jessica Lange, and directors Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Mike Nichols, and Sydney Pollack.
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Leslee Dart directed the publicity campaigns for the Academy Award-winning films Lincoln, No Country for Old Men, The Departed and Chicago, among others.
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An only child, Leslee Dart was born and raised in Los Angeles.
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Leslee Dart attended the University of Southern California, where she initially studied fine arts.
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Leslee Dart graduated with a degree in public relations in 1976.
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Leslee Dart worked briefly in corporate PR after her graduation, first as an in-house publicist, and later on behalf of corporate clients at an agency.
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Leslee Dart was mentored by Cowan as well as Sam Cohn, who would later introduce her to directors.
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Leslee Dart moved from Los Angeles to New York to head the New York office of PMK in 1983, and became an owner of the company with Kingsley and Smith in 1985.
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Leslee Dart brokered partnerships with brands such as Coca-Cola and General Motors, but said in a 2004 interview with Newsweek that her "passion" was always for filmmakers and talent.
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The weekend after she was fired from PMK, Leslee Dart established the Leslee Dart Group, working with one assistant from a midtown Manhattan hotel room.
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The filmmakers and actors who left PMK for the Leslee Dart Group included Demme, Hanks, Jessica Lange and Mike Nichols.
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Leslee Dart joined the Board of Directors of 42 West's parent company, Dolphin Entertainment in June 2020 and currently serves as its Strategic Advisor.
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Leslee Dart stepped down from 42 West in July 2020.
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Leslee Dart received the Matrix Award for Women in Communications in 2009.