Arlene Winnick, a veteran Hollywood publicist who worked with clients ranging from Universal Studios Hollywood to the TCL Chinese Theater over a more than three-decade career, has died. He was 77 years old.
Winnick died Oct. 1 in Beverly Hills following a prolonged illness, according to publicist Jerry Digney, who credited her with being an integral part of Solters & Digney and its successor, Digney & Co. Public Relations.
Winnick has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years. Early in his career, he helped create pioneering advertising and marketing campaigns for the emerging home video industry, which featured highly successful exercise recordings starring Richard Simmons, Jane Fonda and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Over the years, he has also worked as a consultant with several independent public relations firms and with the Digney team on many of his entertainment accounts, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Madame Tussauds Hollywood and Las Vegas, Warner Bros. Studio Tour, the Carousel of Hope gala, TCL Hollywood Chinese Theaters and Ripley's Believe It or Not.
His latest collaborations include handprint ceremonies at the TCL Chinese Theater for James Cameron and Jon Landau, Keanu Reeves and the cast of the Avengers films.
In addition to her work in Hollywood, Winnick has had more than 35 years of public relations experience, managing public relations and special events in the food/restaurant and travel/tourism industries on behalf of Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, BeautifulPlaces, Le Meridien Beverly Hills (now the SLS hotel), RanchWeb, Paradisio de la Bonita, Ceiba del Mar and Pacifica Holistic Resort and Spa (Mexico), Wyndam Bel Age (now The London West Hollywood), Madison and Mulholland (luxury events and celebrities), Lake Arrowhead Resort + Spa, Johnnie Walker and Westlake Village Inn.
Since 2012, Winnick was also a senior writer at LA Arts Online, where he reported and reviewed more than 50 events and shows. She was also a volunteer at Project Angel Food. Winnick was originally from Great Neck, New York
She was preceded in death by her partner of 20 years, Richard Schulenberg. Survivors include two sons, Jon and Andrew Gladston; one brother, Larry Beer; a daughter-in-law, Leslie; two stepdaughters, Katie and Amy, with her husband, Chris; and seven grandchildren, Jacob, Talia, Harper, Lucy, Elenor, Kalan and Pono.