Sitrick and Company
Encyclopedia
Sitrick and Company is a Los Angeles
-based public relations
firm started by Mike Sitrick in 1989. It would go on to establish offices in New York
, Miami, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley
. Sitrick and Company works together with Brinko Associates as the Sitrick Brincko Group to offer management consulting
services; the group counts among its employees retired United States Army lieutenant general H. Steven Blum
.
, The Wall Street Journal
, and other media organizations), versus Resources' 2,700. The two purchased firms had a combined revenue of $24.4 million in 2008, according to Resources Connection. The purchase combined the two into a new subsidiary, the Sitrick Brincko Group. Mike Sitrick continued as head of the subsidiary after its purchase. In 2010, two ex-employees filed suit in federal court regarding Sitrick's buyout of the Employee Share Ownership Plan's holdings in the company in 2008, shortly prior to the Resources Connection deal; the suit alleged that Sitrick paid an unreasonably low price for the ESOP's stake, causing losses to the employees in question.
hired the firm to represent him to the media in his dispute with 20th Century Fox
regarding breach of contract
relating to his work on the The X-Files
television show; Sitrick and Company arranged for a feature in Forbes
regarding Fox's vertical monopoly
, which put pressure on Fox to settle with Duchovny. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
hired the firm in 2002 regarding the diocese's sexual abuse scandal
. Hewlett-Packard
and its departing chairwoman Patricia C. Dunn
hired the firm to handle media relations regarding HP's 2006 leak-investigation crisis. Paris Hilton
made use of their services after she was released from a brief time in jail. Steven Page
of music group Barenaked Ladies
hired the firm in 2008 after his own drug arrest. Medicis Pharmaceutical
CEO Jonah Shacknai hired the firm following the 2011 death of Rebecca Zahau
. Sitrick advised "the late Roy Disney and Stanley Gold when he orchestrated their campaign to remove Michael Eisner as chairman of Walt Disney in 2003. The campaign led to 43 per cent of Disney shareholders withholding their support from him. Mr Eisner later stepped down voluntarily."
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
firm started by Mike Sitrick in 1989. It would go on to establish offices in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Miami, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. Sitrick and Company works together with Brinko Associates as the Sitrick Brincko Group to offer management consulting
Management consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
services; the group counts among its employees retired United States Army lieutenant general H. Steven Blum
H. Steven Blum
H. Steven Blum is a retired United States Army lieutenant general. He last served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command, where he concurrently served as Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command from January 16, 2009 to May 21, 2010...
.
Purchase by Resources Connection
In October 2009, Sitrick and Company and restructuring firm Brincko Associates were purchased by Deloitte spin-off Resources Connection Inc. in a combined cash and stock deal worth $43.3 million. At the time, Sitrick and Company had 45 staff members (largely ex-journalists from the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, and other media organizations), versus Resources' 2,700. The two purchased firms had a combined revenue of $24.4 million in 2008, according to Resources Connection. The purchase combined the two into a new subsidiary, the Sitrick Brincko Group. Mike Sitrick continued as head of the subsidiary after its purchase. In 2010, two ex-employees filed suit in federal court regarding Sitrick's buyout of the Employee Share Ownership Plan's holdings in the company in 2008, shortly prior to the Resources Connection deal; the suit alleged that Sitrick paid an unreasonably low price for the ESOP's stake, causing losses to the employees in question.
Clientele
Sitrick and Company is known for its handling of famous or controversial clients. Its work earned Sitrick the title of "the king of crisis PR". David DuchovnyDavid Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
hired the firm to represent him to the media in his dispute with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
regarding breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
relating to his work on the The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
television show; Sitrick and Company arranged for a feature in Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
regarding Fox's vertical monopoly
Vertical integration
In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service, and the products combine to...
, which put pressure on Fox to settle with Duchovny. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
hired the firm in 2002 regarding the diocese's sexual abuse scandal
Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles
The sexual abuse scandal in Los Angeles archdiocese covered a period beginning in the 1930s and was mostly resolved in 2007 when a settlement was reached in which the archdiocese agreed to a pay victims $660 million....
. Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
and its departing chairwoman Patricia C. Dunn
Patricia C. Dunn
Patricia Cecile Dunn , aka Patricia Cecile Dunn-Jahnke, is the former non-executive chairman of the board of Hewlett-Packard , a position she held from February 2005 until September 22, 2006, when she resigned her position. On October 4, 2006 Bill Lockyer, the California attorney general, charged...
hired the firm to handle media relations regarding HP's 2006 leak-investigation crisis. Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
made use of their services after she was released from a brief time in jail. Steven Page
Steven Page
Steven Jay Page , is a Canadian musician. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies ; he left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career....
of music group Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
hired the firm in 2008 after his own drug arrest. Medicis Pharmaceutical
Medicis Pharmaceutical
Medicis Pharmaceutical is a medical cosmetics company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded in 1988. Among their products are Solodyn and Ziana for treating acne, and Restylane and Dysport for treating facial wrinkles. As of September of 2011, the company has also sold it's rights to...
CEO Jonah Shacknai hired the firm following the 2011 death of Rebecca Zahau
Death of Rebecca Zahau
Rebecca Mawii Zahau was a 32-year-old woman discovered dead on July 13, 2011, in a historic mansion in Coronado, California. Initial reports described her as being hanged to death while unclothed, with her hands bound behind her back and feet bound together...
. Sitrick advised "the late Roy Disney and Stanley Gold when he orchestrated their campaign to remove Michael Eisner as chairman of Walt Disney in 2003. The campaign led to 43 per cent of Disney shareholders withholding their support from him. Mr Eisner later stepped down voluntarily."