# 42West

> 42West is a New York-headquartered entertainment public relations and marketing agency that manages attention for films, television, talent, games, consumer franchises, corporate reputations and social-impact organizations. Founded as The Dart Group in 2004 and renamed 42West in 2006, it became a wholly owned Dolphin Entertainment company in a 2017 stock deal valued at about $28 million. Its advantage is not one clever channel but the ability to coordinate talent publicity, release campaigns, awards, festivals, crisis counsel and fan engagement through senior specialist teams.

- **Founded:** 2004
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** Leslee Dart (Founder; former co-CEO)
- **Products:** Entertainment marketing, Talent publicity, Strategic communications, Fandoms & Franchises, Social good and advocacy
- **Notable:** Grew from The Dart Group into one of the largest independently owned entertainment PR firms before its 2017 sale., Acquired by Dolphin in 2017 for aggregate consideration of approximately $28 million., Ranked No. 2 in the New York Observer's 2022 Power 50, the highest position then held by an entertainment PR firm, according to Dolphin's annual report.

## Products & services

- **Entertainment marketing** — Publicity and media strategy for film, television and digital productions, including releases, festivals, awards campaigns, premieres and red carpets.
- **Talent publicity** — Ongoing strategic counsel, media relations and event support for actors, filmmakers, recording artists, authors and other creators.
- **Strategic communications** — Corporate positioning, executive counsel, messaging, internal communications, crisis and issue management, litigation support and reputation work.
- **Fandoms & Franchises** — Publicity and fan engagement for video games, esports, publishing, comics, consumer products and genre entertainment; built from Bender/Helper Impact and renamed in 2024.
- **Social good and advocacy** — Communications for mission-led brands, nonprofits, philanthropic foundations and social-impact leaders, strengthened through Elle Communications in 2024.
- **Original content and digital communications** — Shareable creative content, influencer-aware campaigns and digital storytelling designed to create coverage as well as seek it.

## Achievements

- Grew from The Dart Group into one of the largest independently owned entertainment PR firms before its 2017 sale.
- Acquired by Dolphin in 2017 for aggregate consideration of approximately $28 million.
- Ranked No. 2 in the New York Observer's 2022 Power 50, the highest position then held by an entertainment PR firm, according to Dolphin's annual report.
- A 2018 original-content video for A Simple Favor reached more than two million users in its first week.
- 42West clients received 15 nominations at the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards.
- Represented 16 titles at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, including the People's Choice Documentary Award winner.
- Expanded from talent, entertainment marketing and strategic communications into games, esports, consumer products, publishing, comics and impact communications.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — 42West represented 16 titles at the Toronto International Film Festival; one won the People's Choice Documentary Award.
- **2026-09** — 42West joined sibling agencies Special Projects and The Digital Dept. on New York Fashion Week campaigns and activations.
- **2026-07** — 42West and The Door supported clients and programming at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
- **2026-05** — The agency handled publicity campaigns, talent, market launches and panels at the Cannes Film Festival.
- **2025-09** — 42West led global publicity for 30 Ninjas' Asteroid, an immersive project backed by Google Android XR and CAA.
- **2025-07** — The agency ran film, television, consumer-product and talent campaigns at San Diego Comic-Con and reported 15 Primetime Emmy nominations for clients.
- **2024-07** — Dolphin acquired Elle Communications and made it a division of 42West, adding social and environmental impact expertise.

## Links

- Website: https://42west.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/42west
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/42west
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/42west/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/42West

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/42west
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-24