Lobbying I’m not sure former-Senator Chris Dodd did himself any favors by giving an interview to the Times’ Maureen Dowd in his first week as CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. The Sunday op-ed piece that resulted opened with Dodd waxing whimsically about the job he really wanted (“just down the street” at the White House) and closed with him damning Hollywood with faint praise about its mild winter climate compared to Washington, DC and Connecticut. In between Dodd recounted a weird anecdote about Katherine Hepburn that made the legendary movie star sound snooty and boorish and described the movie industry’s business model as “nuts in many ways.”
No one expects Dodd to be an expert on the industry at this point, of course. He was hired for his ties to Capitol Hill, not Beverly Hills. But at a time when the studios are facing both a major public policy agenda and major PR challenges, Dodd managed to make himself sound less-than fully committed to the job and the industry he now represents sound obnoxious.
One interview won’t matter all that much in the long run. But not quite the star turn would might have expected.
Further reading:
Tough Job Awaits Dodd at Helm of MPAA