Norman Winter

Norman Winter, heeding the old adage "go west, young man," initially headed from New York to Hollywood as a teen fanzine photographer. Lee Zhito, former Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Billboard, advised he'd make a "terrific" music publicist so Norm, trading on his caption writing skills and gift of gab, tossed his hat into PR. A year or so later Norman became a sought-after executive, eventually retained as MCA/Universal Records' publicity chief. There he enjoyed notable successes including the launch of Jesus Christ Superstar, the album, and the American debut of Elton John, whose start in the UK had led nowhere fast. These were stunning publicity achievements in every sense of the word. The groundbreaking rock opera's 1970 intro was an unusual assignment that led to a decades-long franchise built around the funkified story of Jesus and that catapulted Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to their own superstardom. Elton John, co-writing with lyricist Bernie Taupin, was also an oddity. A classically trained pianist, Elton brought to the States the manic spirit of an outrageous Looney Toon at his Troubadour bow. Based on his past success and on the heels of a series of further PR coups, Winter agreed to jump ship to establish his own diverse indie PR/Marketing firm. He opened shop as chief tubthumper for his rising superstar, (Elton) and - at the request of Universal Pictures President, Ned Tanen - Norman Jewison's acclaimed film version of Jesus Christ Superstar. The office soon sought and grabbed other reel entities, including the soundtrack music for American Graffiti. Collaboration with British actress Joan Collins, aggressively touting the wickedness she projected on the prime time soap, Dynasty, ultimately won her a Golden Globe award. When music and motion pictures wed, NW/A was already a key player in the genre. An ongoing relationship with the superstar producing team of Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds and LA Reid led to a new consultancy with 'Face' to herald his auspicious bow into celluloid for Waiting To Exhale - a strong film that yielded a blockbuster CD. Norm was retained by CBS Records Group (Columbia, Epic) for some six years, reporting exclusively to then-chairman Walter Yetnikoff. A close confidant to the industry's 'king of the grooves,' Winter spearheaded special projects on behalf of major artists, including Michael Jackson, with whom he would develop a long term relationship. Although Jackson's initial solo disc Off the Wall went multiple platinum, the artist justifiably felt that he was not gaining appropriate publicity saturation. Yetnikoff assigned Winter to the task. The association prospered and evolved into a long-term arrangement (with Jackson picking up the tab), highlighted by Thriller, dubbed by The Guinness Book Of World Records as the biggest-selling album in history! The legendary Victory Tour, Jackson's acquisition of the Beatles' catalog and his lucrative Pepsi endorsement were other milestones during that period. Norm joined Michael at the White House, where Ronald Reagan honored the star for allowing "Beat It" to be performed on a public-service TV spot against drunk driving. Coordinating media, Norm also wrote text for the President's speech. The event marked the first time that MTV News had gained press credentials to attend a Rose Garden reception. The music station's John Sykes (now chairman of VH1) strongly recalls their warm welcome. When Yetnikoff broached the idea of selling CBS Records Division to Sony Corp., Norman attended Hawaiian confabs between Yetnikoff and Norio Ohga, firm's President's/CEO, that ultimately brought about the CBS Group's acquisition by the Japanese. As a member of the Honorary Advisory Committee of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Winter worked fêtes for screen legends Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, and Tony Curtis. NW/A also helmed indie PR for the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for its annual Pop, Motion Picture/TV, and R&B Music Awards presentations as well as annual events honoring such luminaries as Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson, Dick Clark, George Michael, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Fred Astaire and Quincy Jones.