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Revision as of 13:33, 28 March 2011 by 108.21.128.55 (talk) (→Activities and opinions)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Ronn D. Torossian | |
|---|---|
 Ronn Torossian | |
| Born | Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Citizenship | American, Israeli |
| Employer | 5W Public Relations |
| Known for | Public relations |
| Title | Chief executive officer |
| Website | RonnTorossian.com |
Ronn D. Torossian (born 1974) is an American public relations executive and entrepreneur. He is the founder, president and CEO of New York City-based 5W Public Relations, the 13th largest privately owned PR agency in the US. He is one of the youngest CEOs of a PR firm.
Personal
Torossian was born in Midwood, Brooklyn but grew up in The Bronx. He comes "from quite modest beginnings,", attended NYC public schools, graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1992 and afterward attended the State University of New York at Albany. Torossian was national president of the Israeli youth movement Betar, a Likud-affiliated youth organization that counts some of Israel's most well-known political leaders as former members.
Biography
His childhood rabbi, Rabbi Avi Weiss said of Torossian: “He is probably the greatest young Jewish political activist I have encountered in the last many years.” + |date=April 2, 2004}}</ref>. He credited his involvement with Betar for connecting him to his roots, and says that joining Betar "changed everything". +- It also fostered professional ties, as Torossian's clients have included the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Likud party itself, amongst others.
Early
- Torossian began his career in public relations in 1998, helping then New York City Council speaker Peter Vallone, Sr.'s trip to Israel, and worked for the Likud Party in Israel. - . In 2002 he was the media director for the Christian Coalition of America. He was Vice President/Group Director for one of The InterPublic Group’s largest PR agencies, where he worked on large corporate accounts, including Clinique, Fox News Channel, DHL and others. In 2003 he founded 5W Public Relations in a rooftop shack with one telephone and an unpaid intern.
Torossian founded 5WPR in 2003, and quickly became a presence in the New York PR scene. From a two-man operation, the company grew to be 13th largest PR firm in the US by 2009.
Torossian has grown 5WPR into one of the largest independent PR firms in the US, from its founding in 2003, with the firm being named fastest growing PR agency in the U.S. 3 years in a row, and Inc. ranked 5W Public Relations No. 153 in its 2007 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America annual survey, and ranked it No. 11 in the New York City metropolitan area.
He was named to the PR Week "40 under 40" , one of 10 rising stars in the PR industry by PR Week, a semi-finalist for the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year, , Advertising Age "40 under 40", and is a member of the prestigious Young Presidents Organization (YPO). .
The New York Times called him the "New Yorkiest practitioners of this quintessentially New York profession". ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/nyregion/thecity/20feat.html</ref> PR Week stated that Torossian "was known as a talented media hound in his early jobs at various New York City-area agencies", "will undoubtedly be a fixture in the industry for years to come", and that he made more media appearances as PR expert and drew more attention from reporters "than many PR executives twice his age."
Torossian specializes in corporate, technology, crisis communication and celebrity representation. He is one of the youngest CEOs of a PR firm.
Torossian has represented a client base which has included corporations and entertainers, including Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola andMcDonald's, as well as in the past the Christian Coalition of America, Bad Boy Entertainment, Seagrams, Fox News, Fortune 500 company EDS, + == Praise and Criticism==
- the State of Israel, Binyamin Elon (the former Israeli government Minister and Knesset member of the Israeli right-wing National Union party), and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat . Torossian has seen major corporations, small businesses and celebrities through a fair number of troubling times (Lil' Kim's perjury case and financial scandals of a Fortune 100 company).Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). 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." Democratic strategist and former Clinton Administration advisor Hank Sheinkopf said “I respect Ronn Torossian immensely. He gets it and knows how the game is played. He wins.”. On the other side, Republican strategist Roger Stone said “Simply there is no one today better at PR than Ronn Torossian,” and Israeli businessman Moshe Gaon said “Hire 5W and Ronn. No one will work harder.”
The Jerusalem Post, the largest Jewish newspaper in English in the world wrote a profile of Torossian which discussed his "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." Similarly, Jameel Spencer said, " Dennis Rodman: Everyone hated to play against . But if he was on your team, you loved him", while a Forward story said, “His aggressive style may not always be pretty, but the results speak for themselves.”
Recognition
He was listed in PR Week's "40 under 40" in 2007Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
- 2007 - PR Week "40 under 40" + |date=December 3, 2007}}</ref>, and in 2010 was a semifinalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year.
- 2010 - Semi-finalist 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year
Praise and Criticism
Torossian's style, PR tactics and opinions have led to criticism. Jeffrey Goldberg, a writer for the Atlantic, wrote that "it's said of Ronn Torossian that he represents 'right-wing' Israeli politicians, but this description does not do his clients justice," Goldberg wrote. " Torossian represents the lunatic fringe.". Rabbi Andy Bachman, a leader of the US Reform movement, has called his PR tactics unethical, and has protested a decision to hire Torossian as spokesman of Birthright Israel, a program to encourage young US Jews to visit Israel, "You can't hire an unethical person to represent a program that is supposed to inspire people to connect with the Jewish tradition - and all the great things Judaism has to offer," he said in an interview in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper.
On the other hand, some have lauded his aggressive PR style. "Even in an industry fueled by hype, Torossian stands out," wrote Business week. "Few seem better equipped to navigate a celebrity-obsessed culture." In the article, Torossian described the importance of aggression and focus in his work,
He was listed in PR Week's "40 under 40" in 2007, and in 2010 was a semifinalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year.
References
- ^ Kurutz, Steven (February 20, 2005). "Brash P.R. Guy Grabs Clients, Ink". The City. The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Gardner, Marilyn (January 3, 2005). "Meet the young(er) boss". The Christian Science Monitor.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Forwardwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Speedy Torossian, Avihu Kadosh, Atmosphere, November 2008; accessed November 26, 2008 via 5wpr.net.
- http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=150936
- http://adage.com/article?article_id=110905
- The Christian Coalition and the Jewish Community, Ronn Torossian, The Israel Report, October 12, 2002.
- [http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firm_rankings/independents.htm Top PR Firm Rankings | Public Relations Agency Rankings by O'Dwyer's Public Relations News]
- Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America profile of 5W, ranked No. 153 in 2007 survey; accessed November 25. 2008
- http://www.prweekus.com/40-under-40/article/99468/
- http://www.prweekus.com/Ten-Rising-StarsRonn-Torossian/article/50331/
- ^ http://www.eturbonews.com/15795/5w-public-relations-ceo-selected-semi-finalist-ernst-and-young-e
- http://www.algemeiner.com/author/ronn-t/
- http://adage.com/article?article_id=110905
- http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/nyregion/thecity/20feat.html
- http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_46/b4058064.htm
- http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/nyregion/thecity/20feat.html?pagewanted=2
- "Ronn Torossian: Israel's PR problems and solutions". Israel Insider. January 3, 2009.
- "Part 1: 5WPR and Ronn Torossian Present Hank Sheinkopf Speaks at 5W Public Relations". 5W Public Relations.
- "Part 1: 5WPR and Ronn Torossian Present Roger Stone: The World as it Really Is". 5W PUblic Relations.
- "Part 1: 5WPR and Ronn Torossian Present Israeli Entrepreneur Moishe Gaon". 5W Public Relations.
- http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=150936
- ^ "40 under 40". PR Week. December 3, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) Cite error: The named reference "prweek" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - Jeffrey Goldberg, [http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2008/10/the-jewish-extremists- behind-quot-obsession-quot/9006/ "The Jewish Extremists Behind 'Obsession'"], The Atlantic, October 27, 2008
- Nathaniel Popper, "The right-wing PR firms that make Birthright Israel free", Haaretz, August 20, 2009
- 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)