Leslee Dart will step down from her role as co-CEO at 42West to take a job as a senior advisor at the PR/marketing firm’s parent company, Dolphin Entertainment. Amanda Lundberg will remain as 42West’s sole CEO.
Dart will continue to represent a 42West clientele that includes A-listers like Tom Hanks, Martin Scorsese and Meryl Streep. In addition to advising at Dolphin, she will continue to be involved at 42West in a similar role.
“As 42West evolves and grows so will its relationship with Leslee and I have loved our past 3 years of collaboration and know the best is yet to come,” Dolphin President Bill O’Dowd said in a statement. “Amanda has been leading 42West with Leslee since Year One of the company. Her passion for the success of 42West is inspirational, and l also know how proud she is of the seasoned senior management team she works with in both New York and Los Angeles.”
Dart founded 42West, originally known as The Dart Group, after a contentious split with PMK in 2004. With the representation she took with her from PMK, Dart built 42West into the largest independently-owned PR firm in the entertainment industry before it was bought by Dolphin in 2017 as part of an expansion into the PR space. Lundberg has been alongside Dart for much of the company’s existence, having joined Dart from MGM back in 2005.
“Since we became part of Dolphin, 42West has had a whole new trajectory and I’m very proud we were the first company Bill bought,” Dart said. “This new role allows for me to continue to do high level strategy for my clients, whom I love, as well as focusing on the growth of all the Dolphin companies. Throughout the 15 years of 42West’s life, Amanda has been more than a partner and leader. She is one of the most forward thinking people I know and, more importantly to me, she is the sister I never had.”