Creative Artists Agency Gets Its Own Publicist

Hollywood’s most powerful and elusive talent agent, Michael Ovitz, has hired a prominent New York public relations firm, Howard J. Rubenstein Associates Inc., to field press inquiries about the company he runs, Creative Artists Agency.

But don’t watch for publicity-shy Ovitz to appear on the cover of Time or Newsweek--yet.

“The relationship won’t be in the traditional way of seeking publicity for CAA,” explained Rubenstein, whose own client list includes names like Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch.

In the past, CAA has had a strict policy against any contact with the press. Some agents have said they could be fired for talking to reporters. While that policy has created an aura of mystery and intrigue around CAA, Rubenstein said it also fostered inaccurate press reports about its activities. “Not speaking to the media at all creates problems that they don’t need,” Rubenstein said. Now, the publicist vows, reporters’ calls will be returned.

In particular, Rubenstein complained that reports about the agency’s role in the packaging of film projects “were not treated factually” in some stories. He also acknowledged that Ovitz was angered when New York’s Spy magazine succeeded in breaking through the agency’s taboo against publicity by printing a list of CAA clients, who include Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. (Ironically, the publication of that list appeared to anger those who were omitted more than those whose names appeared in the pages of Spy.)

But Rubenstein said Ovitz’s decision to hire the public relations firm was not prompted by the Spy article. And he denied rumors that the agent had hired a detective to find out who leaked the list.