High-powered political players on the left are finding a new home in Hollywood, according to the New York Times.
The entertainment world, from Warner Brothers to the Academy, is bringing in the politically savvy to fill a variety of roles, and veterans of the Clinton and Obama administrations are taking advantage of it.
Dee Dee Myers, a former Clinton administration spokeswoman, is headed for Warner Bros. Mark Fabiani, another political veteran, has agreed to advise the boycott-plagued Beverly Hills Hotel. And, as it turns out, yet another high-powered political player, Craig Schirmer, has been working behind the scenes at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [...]
Mr. Schirmer and his politically savvy fellows are the latest among a long line of East Coast power players who have found a new niche in the entertainment world. They include Zenia Mucha, who took charge of communications at Walt Disney after working with George E. Pataki, a former governor of New York; Matthew Hiltzik, whose work with Hillary Rodham Clinton preceded his association with Harvey Weinstein and an independent consulting career; and Anna Perez, who was associated with Barbara Bush before briefly becoming a spokeswoman for the Creative Artists Agency.
As for other high-powered backdoor consultants, Ms. Kounelias said the academy has retained only a very few, including Allan Mayer of the publicity firm 42West, who has advised Ms. Hudson on strategic communications and other matters. "We do, from time to time, bring people in," Ms. Kounelias said.