2013 (Production)

2013-04-09 (Production)

English

Interviewee: Paul Bloch

Professional production

United States

Publicist Paul Bloch is interviewed by Sienna McLean LoGreco at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood in 2013. In his interview, Bloch talks about his client roster in the film, television and music industries. He touches on his involvement in award campaigns and spearheading multi-tiered film publicity initiatives. Bloch discusses films from THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) to BATMAN (1989).

Publicist Paul Bloch is interviewed by Sienna McLean LoGreco at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood on April 9, 2013. Reminiscing on his early years, Bloch talks about his childhood in New York and moving to Los Angeles in 1947. Bloch discusses his fascination with the film industry from an early age, mentioning his affinity for westerns and B-movies. He covers his stint in the Army and subsequent studies at UCLA. Bloch recalls the circumstances that led him to a mailroom job with Rogers & Cowan and speaks on his promotion to their television publicity department. He goes on to discuss his first assignment as a publicist for TV actor Chuck Connors. Bloch recounts his first film project with Kirk Douglas, CAST A GIANT SHADOW (1966), emphasizing how Douglas served as a mentor in his professional development. Bloch recalls his move to Rogers & Cowan’s music department and details the public relation strategies for George Harrison, the Carpenters, A&M Records and the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. He discusses working on the ABC Movie of the Week BRIAN’S SONG (1971) and reflects on his personal relationship with the film’s star James Caan. Bloch continues with a discussion on the publicity campaign for LADY SINGS THE BLUES (1972), providing insight on his negotiations with producer Berry Gordy and the Academy Award nomination push for actress Diana Ross. He takes an aside to talk about his approach to gaining the trust of clients, his media training methods, and maintaining relationships with the press. Bloch goes on to provide an overview of his PR roster, sharing brief anecdotes on clients Jerry Bruckheimer, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Eddie Murphy, and Kevin Costner. Bloch talks about his appointment to the chairmanship of Rogers & Cowan and muses fondly on his five-decade tenure with the firm. He continues with descriptions of project-specific publicity campaigns for clients Bruce Willis (MOONLIGHTING, 1985-1989) and Michael Keaton (BATMAN, 1989). Bloch shares experiences on his four-year association with Tom Cruise and details the collaborative PR efforts with Cruise’s creative team. Bloch closes with thoughts on his personal philosophy and habit of diligence, and the traits he finds are important in a good publicist: hard work, understanding, courtesy, and patience.

Paul Bloch (1939-2018) was a veteran film publicist with a 57-year career at public relations agency Rogers & Cowan. Bloch was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Los Angeles in 1947 where he earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science at UCLA. He joined Rogers & Cowan in 1961 as a mailroom assistant and eventually moved up to head the music department, representing popular performers, such as Diana Ross, Ricky Nelson and the Beach Boys. Mentored by founders Henry Rogers and Warren Cowan, he soon became known for his skill in protecting clients from adverse publicity. Bloch would later be appointed Rogers & Cowan’s chairman, a post he held until his death. Over the course of his career, Bloch represented a multifaceted roster of celebrities, including Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Anthony Hopkins, Eddie Murphy, Michael Keaton, and John Travolta. Bloch was honored with the Les Mason Award from the International Cinematographers Publicists Guild in 1991.

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