Welcome to The Michael Russell Group. We have been providing public relations and marketing to filmmakers, studios, non-profit organizations and corporations in Southern California for over 15 years. We offer clients a full range of public relations and marketing services, from motion picture and television campaigns to making distribution deals, social media, corporate image building and special events. MRG principals have more than 25 years of experience in entertainment and corporate marketing, including public relations, promotions and advertising.
Entertainment public relations MRG oversaw the publicity and promotion for “The Annual Golden Globe Awards” for 17 years and works with NBC on event production and marketing for a variety of series and specials including “The Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.” The company is currently working on several entertainment accounts including movies and theme parks. MRG also oversaw publicity campaigns for director Roland Emmerich, Centropolis Entertainment, Ron Nyswaner (Oscar®--nominated screenwriter for "Philadelphia,"“The Painted Veil”), Oscar®- nominated director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”), international director Sergei Bodrov (Oscar® Best Foreign Language Film nominee “Mongol), Doug Liman, Oscar®-nominated director and screenwriter Neil Jordan, and Chris Columbus. The agency also handles publicity for actress Kate del Castillo, who starred in "Weeds" and Telemundo’s hit series “La Reina del Sur” (“Queen of the South”). The agency oversaw the publicity campaigns for the opening of GameWorks in LA, Seattle and Las Vegas and The Annual Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards for five years (also serving ed as executive producers) with Jennifer Garner, Tom Hanks, and Nic Cage.
Corporate PR Major current or recent accounts include NuStep and Infinite Mind (MRG executive produced the hit long-form infomercial hosted by Pam Dawber. MRG did everything from overseeing creative to fulfillment and media buying. The agency launched a major campaign turning the book “The Zone Diet” into an international best-seller, brand and business. MRG oversaw the launch campaign and content development strategies for Scott Blum’s “BuyMusic.com.” MRG oversaw publicity and promotion for The One Club and One Show Entertainment in Los Angeles with the participation of Brett Ratner and Matt Weiner. The company represented Visconti of Italy, the world’s number one producer of luxury writing instruments, at the Cannes Film Festival.
Non-Profits MRG represents LA's’ Inner-City Arts, the non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the arts into the lives of children who live in the inner city. In addition to persuading “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to present the Oprah Winfrey Angel Network “Use Your Life” Award to ICA founder Bob Bates, MRG role in bringing such organizations as the Disney Foundation, the Katzenberg Foundation, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to Inner-City Arts as major donors. The Group overseed publicity and promotion for The Annual José Iturbi International Music Competition, presenting the highest cash prizes of any classical piano and singing competition worldwide. MRG worked with “Variety” on the fundraiser celebrating “The Power of Women” (honorees included Sigourney Weaver and Anne Hathaway. The company also publicized The John Huston Awards honoring Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, The Hollywood Reporter’s Young Star Awards and celebrity outreach for Estee Lauder Celebrity and SeeMyLa.com.
Interactive and New Media Event marketing campaigns include the launch of GameWorks in Seattle, Las Vegas and LA for Stephen Spielberg and DreamWorks SKG, the New York launch of "Independence Day” for 20th Century Fox.
International Outreach MRG oversees Entertainment Outreach for the Government of Iraq. MRG recently arranged for two delegations of Hollywood executives to visit Kurdistan.
Michael Russell's major studio credits include Vice President of National Publicity for 20th Century Fox, Vice Preisent of Orion Pictures, Executive Publicity Director for Paramount and Disney. Following 17 years at the studios, he worked as Senior Vice President of Rogers & Cowan overseeing its worldwide film division. Russell’s 100+ national publicity campaigns for motion pictures include “Notting Hill,” “What Dreams May Come,” “The Game,” back-to-back Orion Oscar® Best Picture winners “Dances With Wolves” and “The Silence of the Lambs;” “Home Alone 2,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Ghost,” “Fatal Attraction,” “The Godfather Part III,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” and “The Untouchables.” He has also worked on a multitude of Oscar® publicity campaigns uncluding "Mongol " and "All Things Fair."