Eddie Michaels

MICHAELS, Eddie
A vibrant fixture of the Hollywood public relations community for more than two decades, passed away late Thursday following a long cancer battle. He was 49 years old.
Mr. Michaels launched his firm - first called Eddie Michaels & Associates and later Insignia Public Relations - in 1992. Late last year, he sold the company to Todd Beck's Beck Media & Marketing, delivering a roster of clients that included Chris Meledandri's Illumination Entertainment, actors Noah Wyle and Lou Diamond Phillips and directors Jonathan Mostow and Andy Tennant.
The diverse list of clients reflected Mr. Michaels' ability to juggle both companies and Hollywood talent, using a gentle touch and infectious sense of humor to build and buttress the public profiles of the people he represented. He approached reporters with a smile and a laugh, setting him off from the more aggressive hard-sell of many competitors.
Mr. Michaels was equally facile walking the red carpet with talent or pitching business stories to publications like the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal. He sought to expand his clients' profile beyond the expected; at the height of Drew Barrymore's stardom as an actress, for example, he also positioned her as a savvy businesswoman running Flower Films, the production company she launched with partner Nancy Juvonen.
Mr. Wyle said that, despite having a poster for "The Sweet Smell of Success" on his wall, Mr. Michaels was effectively the opposite of the bottom-feeding press agent played by Tony Curtis.
"Eddie was indeed of the 'old school.', but never became cynical," said Mr. Wyle, who began working with Michaels just as he was rocketing to fame on the television hit "E.R.". "He was experienced but without being jaded. Above all, he was honest, sometimes painfully so, but that only made him more trustworthy. In an industry fueled by hyperbole, his candor was refreshing, his perspective invaluable."
Some of those clients credit some of their own success to Michaels' work. "Eddie's friendship and guidance have been invaluable to me personally and to our company since its inception," said Mr. Meledandri. "Eddie had extraordinary character. He had a quiet elegance that brought out the best in those who were fortunate to be around him."
The careful and sometimes round-the-clock attention Michaels gave his clients generated fierce loyalty, with some remaining with him for most or all of their careers.
"Eddie Michaels was my longest and certainly one of the closest relationships I have had in this industry," said Mr. Phillips. "He was my first and only publicist reaching back to the days before the release of 'La Bamba,' a professional relationship that exceeded 26 years." He added: "His honesty and integrity were an inspiration and the way he comported himself in daily life, showing respect and kindness to all, galvanized my belief that this industry need not be cynical and jaded."
Mr. Michaels was born in Los Angeles on July 27, 1964, growing up near La Cienega and Olympic Blvds. and attending Temple Emmanuel. He graduated from University High School and later attended both Santa Monica College and California State University, Northridge.
He began doing internships in the PR business in the early 1980s, and began his career working with a man he described as a mentor, Joe Sutton of the firm Freeman & Sutton, learning the ropes with a veteran handler of talent publicity and entertainment industry companies.
Growing up an Angeleno, he became a passionate lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers. During the late '70s, he developed what turned into a long obsession with Bruce Springsteen, taking every opportunity possible to see the Boss perform over a period of more than 30 years.
In 2002 he met Lorin Goldman, then an executive at Walt Disney Co.'s ABC Family channel. They were married in 2003 and later had a daughter Dylan, now 9 years old, and a son Matthew, 7.
In 2006, Mr. Michaels was diagnosed with Malignant astrocytoma brain cancer. He maintained a business-as-usual posture during the ensuing seven-year fight, maintaining the core of his client roster even after selling the business to Mr. Beck last year.
"Even though his health was in decline for some time," Mr. Wyle said, "we chose to rarely speak of it. Instead we continued to talk, work, and plan our futures as if they were infinite. I loved him dearly and will miss him even more."

Funeral services will be held Sunday, 2:00 PM at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park.

Malinow and Silverman
Mortuary 800.710.7100