New Line boosts PR staff

Elzer upped to senior VP

By BENEDICT CARVER

In a long-expected reorganization of its publicity corps, New Line Cinema has promoted a handful of senior and junior executives, and hired a new VP and director.

Upped to the rank of senior VP of corporate communications is Steve Elzer, whose duties at the Time Warner-owned studio have broadened to encompass Fine Line Features, New Line Home Video, New Line Intl. and New Line Television.

Elzer will serve as chief company spokesman to the media for all these New Line divisions in addition to the rest of the company, and will oversee the preparation and writing of all press releases, media kits and speeches.

Elissa Greer, meanwhile, becomes senior VP of West Coast publicity and promotions. Based in the studio's Los Angeles offices, she will be responsible for coordinating all of its film publicity activities. She will continue to manage field agencies and interactive and music marketing initiatives.

Both Elzer and Greer will report to Mary Donovan, New Line's executive VP of publicity and promotions.

In addition, New Line has tapped Clare Ann Darragh as VP of East Coast publicity, Ileen Reich as VP of West Coast publicity and David Mortimer as director of West Coast publicity.

Reporting to Donovan, Darragh rejoins New Line from October Films (she was previously a senior publicist at New Line). Based in New York, Darragh will assume a number of Donovan's former duties.

Reich, who will report to Greer, will be responsible for developing national launch campaigns for New Line pics. She worked on "Rush Hour," "Boogie Nights," "The Wedding Singer" and "Austin Powers."

Reporting to Reich, Mortimer joins New Line from PR agency Bumble Ward & Associates, where he worked on the studio's campaigns for "Pleasantville" and "Boogie Nights."

Publicists Nicole Kalish and John Smith also have risen to director-level positions.