The Resume

(September 30, 1936-September 26, 2021)
Born in Savannah, Georgia
Publicist
Founded the agency Zarem, Inc. (1974)
Clients included Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cher, Michael Jackson, Michael Douglas, Michael Caine, Diana Ross, Sophia Loren, Alan Alda, and Ann-Margaret
Worked on publicity campaigns for the films ‘The Lion in Winter’ (1968), ‘Tommy’ (1975), ‘Saturday Night Fever’ (1977), ‘Scarface’ (1983), ‘Rambo’ (1985), and ‘Dances with Wolves’ (1991)
Nicknamed ‘Superflack’

Why he might be annoying:

He never married or was in a long-term relationship, which he claimed let him devote more time to his clients.
He got into numerous feuds, including with ex-client Dustin Hoffman, gossip columnist Claudia Cohen, and New York City Mayor Ed Koch.
He outed Liz Smith by sending out fake announcements for her wedding to longtime partner Iris Love.
Publicist Peggy Siegal claimed he threw a typewriter at her for incorrectly taking down a phone message.
He dressed so shabbily that Jonathan Bush – a cousin of President George W. Bush and Yale classmate of Zarem – failed to recognize him on the streets of Manhattan and handed him a dollar, thinking he was a panhandler.
He introduced Woody Allen to Mia Farrow.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was a batboy for the Brooklyn Dodgers when they played spring training in Savannah (1947).
He worked fourteen-hour days for his clients.
He and graphic designer Milton Glaser created the ‘I Love New York’ ad campaign.
His promotion rescued ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ a movie Paramount had no faith in.
He denied Liz Smith’s accusations of homophobia, claiming Smith was the only homosexual he hated.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 84]
• I Attended Phillips Academy [Andover, Massachusetts]
• I Attended Yale
• I Died in 2021 (Ranked: 84)
• I Died in the City I Was Born In
• I Have Diabetes
• I Have Lung Cancer
• I Hurled a Household Object as a Weapon
• I Publicly Defended Woody Allen
• I Went to a Psychiatrist
• My Attention Span is Limited [Reportedly A.D.D.]
• My Name, My Company
• Profiles 53001-53250 (Ranked: 53046)
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 20210926)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 120 Votes: 45.00% Annoying