The Fixer: Secrets for Saving Your Reputation in the Age of Viral Media – Michael S. Sitrick

“The Wizard of Spin.”—Los Angeles Times

“The spin doctor’s spin doctor.” —Financial Times

“The Winston Wolf of Public Relations….Wolf, if you recall, was the fixer in Pulp Fiction. Played by Harvey Keitel, he washed away assassins’ splatter and gore. Sitrick, 65, cleans up the messes of companies, celebrities, and others, and he’s a strategist who isn’t averse to treating PR as combat. Over the years, clients of Sitrick & Co. have included the late HP chairman Patricia Dunn, Roy Disney, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Vick, Alex Rodriguez, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the Church of Scientology.”—Fortune Magazine

“Everyone understands the importance of shaping a story, but few are as shrewdly proficient at manipulating the media as L.A. crisis manager Mike Sitrick”—Fast Company

What do you do when the reputation you’ve built over decades is destroyed in a day?

In the court of public opinion, you’re rarely innocent until proved guilty, and your enemies don’t have to play by the rules.

Any misstep can blow up into a worldwide embarrassment on Facebook and Twitter, land on the front page of the New York Times, and bring down a CEO, a business, or a celebrity. You need a smart strategic response. You need Mike Sitrick.

In this book, Sitrick reveals the secrets that have made him America’s preeminent crisis communications expert.

You’ll see how the PR legend and his team guided clients like the estate of Michael Jackson and Papa John’s Pizza through the media-fueled fires of scandal, while helping others, like Roy Disney and the filmmakers who exposed the Russian Olympic doping scandal, achieve justice. You’ll learn Sitrick’s Ten Rules of Engagement and his thoughts on “no comment,” social media, public apologies, and more.

The question isn’t whether you’ll face a crisis one day, especially if you are at the top of your game. The question is what will you do when crisis comes? Don’t let a lie get repeated until it’s “fact,” festering forever on Google. Don’t let a damaging truth, stripped of nuance and context, damage your reputation forever. Follow the Fixer.

REVIEW

“There is no one better than Mike Sitrick in bet-your-company or bet-your-life situations.”

—Dan Webb, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

“When Michael Jackson unexpectedly passed away, I called Mike. He’s always your first choice when the stakes are high in Hollywood.”

—John Branca, co-executor of the Estate of Michael Jackson

“For nearly three decades, when public perception was at stake, I’ve told clients the same thing–call Mike.”

—Sanford Robertson, technology investor and adviser, co-founder of Francisco Partners

“When our clients need public relations counsel, we turn to Mike Sitrick. He’s creative, he’s dedicated, and he has the very best media contacts.”

—Patricia L. Glaser, trial attorney, Glaser Weil

“Mike Sitrick is tremendous in a crisis, but he’s also helped us launch, build, and grow many companies. He’s my first call when we invest in a company.”

—Thomas H. Lee, pioneer of private equity and the founder of Lee Equity Partners

“When your reputation or your company’s is on the line, it’s not about public relations, it’s about the truth. There is no one better than Mike Sitrick.”

—Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist