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Gene Schwam, a veteran Hollywood publicist who worked with Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Barbara Eden and Blake Edwards, has died. He was 96 years old.
Schwam died Friday in Los Angeles after a brief illness.
By 1954, he was earning $35 a week working for fellow publicist Stanley Cowan when he decided to leave the company and found his own agency. Together with Adeline Hanson, they founded Hanson & Schwam Public Relations in 1955.
The company began by representing restaurants and musicians, but their roster quickly expanded into the broader entertainment industry. Nancy Wilson and Lou Rawls were among the agency representatives who also handled publicity for the Cocoanut Grove nightclub.
Schwam also worked with Lenny Bruce, Cyd Charisse, and Gene Barry. His work with Andrews and Eden was central to his career as a publicist, and he developed a close friendship with Edwards. Publicist character in the 1981 film sob Inspired by Schwam.
He is also the founder of Humanity 101, an initiative of Project Humanities at Arizona State University that promotes compassion, empathy, forgiveness, authenticity, kindness, respect, and self-reflection.
The veteran publicist reflected on his career in an interview. The Hollywood Reporter‘s Chris Gardner noted in April 2021, “There’s a mistake people make when they think about who they know in Hollywood, but it’s not about that. It’s about who knows you.”
He also shared some secrets to success. “Start at the end of the game and work your way back,” Schwam said. “We figure out what we want to do, like winning an Oscar, and then figure out how to get there.”
Schwam added, “I’ve always felt that the success of a personal services business is a referral. It’s not about picking up the phone or going online. It’s always about someone saying, ‘Hey, Gene, I have a friend who’s writing a book. Would you like to work with him?'”
He is survived by his wife, Myrna Schwam; his daughter, Stephanie Schwam Adams; his stepchildren, Adam London, Greg London and Linda London; and four grandchildren.