The stars came out to celebrate the man who helped them become stars. Public relations pro-Todd Shapiro was feted for two remarkable milestones: his 60 birthday and 30 years in business representing who’s who in the political, celebrity, and corporate world.
“It’s easy to see how much of a power broker Todd is from the people celebrating with him: a literal who's who of New York,” said friend George Schwertl, ticking off the VIPs who turned out, including state Comptroller Tom DeNapoli, Long Island’s county executives Bruce Blakeman and Ed Romaine, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney and Sheriff Errol Toulon. “There were so many friends; just a great week celebrating a great man.”
“Thirty years ago, I took a leap of faith and started Todd Shapiro Associates, and what a ride it has been,” said the PR man, who began his journey as a 19-year-old assistant to Brookhaven Supervisor Henrietta Acampora. From there, he worked his way up to legislative aide, press secretary to County Executive Bob Gaffney, and eventually Vice President at the powerhouse New York public relations firm Howard Rubenstein Associates.
“Since founding my own firm, I’ve attended hundreds of galas, walked miles of red carpets, worked with governors, mayors, counties, and towns,” Shapiro reminisced. His influence is so widespread that it took events in Palm Beach, Albany, Manhattan, and Long Island to accommodate all his friends.
He’s been part of incredible projects such as coordinating First Lady Hillary Clinton's visit to the Huntington Townhouse, working with Donald Trump on his catering hall vision for Long Island, and hosting legends such as Billy Joel and Chevy Chase, who recently threw a party at the Albany War Room, Shapiro’s tavern that has become the place to be in the state Capital.
Helping candidates get elected at every level of government, Shapiro has been to the White House a dozen times and has collaborated with CEOs and law enforcement unions. He’s helped in the aftermath of 9/11 and addressed the tragedies of Flight 800 and the Long Island wildfires, all the while finding time to toss the first pitch with a client at Yankee Stadium, attend the Oscars and the Met Ball, as well as the final episode of The Sopranos with the cast. He’s even served as a voter for the Grammys.
“Through it all, we've stood by our values—working with leaders in government, entertainment, and law enforcement to make a difference, whether feeding the homeless or supporting those who protect and serve,” Shapiro said. “Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this incredible journey. What a fantastic 30 years it's been, and I'm beyond grateful for all of it. Guess what? I'm not stopping.”
True to his public relations roots, the publicist thanked the many people who helped make his 30th milestone unforgettable: John and Margo Catsimatidis, former Governors David Paterson and George Pataki, Mayor Eric Adams, Attorney General Tish James, former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Al B. Sure, Mark Gastineau, Tommy DeVito, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Bruce Mosler, Stew Leonard, Jr., Assembly members Rebecca Seawright, Al Taylor, and Monique Chandler-Waterman, philanthropists Ken and Maria Fishel, philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, the FDNY and NYPD, WABC's Frank Morano & Rita Cosby, and friends from the New York Post and Schneps Media, where he does a column for Dan’s Papers—“the list goes on and on.”