Rogers & Cowan
Cowan joined the firm established by his mentor, Henry C. Rogers (see Wikipedia article Henry and Roz Rogers), in 1946, following three years' service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. In 1950, he became a partner in the pioneering entertainment industry public relations firm, which then changed its name to Rogers & Cowan. He was named president in 1964.
Rogers & Cowan became the biggest entertainment PR firm in the world. With a list of clients that reads like the entertainment industry's "Who's Who," Cowan represented just about every major star of the late 20th century, from Paul Newman to Elizabeth Taylor, from Danny Kaye to Kirk Douglas, from Frank Sinatra to Tony Curtis, from Shirley MacLaine to Elton John. Whenever he was asked to name his favorite client, Cowan's constant answer was always "the next one."
During his career, Cowan created publicity campaigns for giant automotive concerns, saloon singers, fashion and cosmetic companies, hotels, and resorts, airlines, motion pictures, books, and even nations.
From the beginning, Cowan started the first celebrity charity-fundraisers, such as the first pro-celebrity sports event. It was a golf tournament, staged in 1950, on behalf of motion picture director Frank Borzage. He also created and promoted events for such humanitarian organizations as the John Wayne Cancer Institute, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Society of Singers.
Rogers began Hollywood's Academy Awards campaigns, starting with Joan Crawford's performance in 1945's Mildred Pierce the year before Cowan arrived at the company. The buzz he generated helped win her the Best Actress Oscar. With Cowan's arrival, the company created a formula that has lasted to this day. In 1997, for example, Cowan personally introduced the little-known Italian actor Roberto Benigni to his already famous American peers, all of them Cowan clients and Academy voters, on behalf of Miramax. Benigni and his picture, Life Is Beautiful, won three Oscars that year.
In 1988, Rogers & Cowan company was sold to Shandwick Plc., an English conglomorate. "It was the right move to make in some respects, but I found that I was doing too much that was administrative and too little that was creative," Cowan said. In 1994, after a two-year non-competitive period, he launched a new company, Warren Cowan & Associates, where he remained the creative center of his business.
Read more about this topic: Warren Cowan
Famous quotes containing the word rogers:
“The very best reason parents are so special . . . is because we are the holders of a priceless gift, a gift we received from countless generations we never knew, a gift that only we now possess and only we can give to our children. That unique gift, of course, is the gift of ourselves. Whatever we can do to give that gift, and to help others receive it, is worth the challenge of all our human endeavor.”
—Fred Rogers (20th century)