Jody Frisch, a longtime communications executive who worked for decades in Hollywood and Washington, D.C., died Aug. 21 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer. She was 68.
Throughout her career, Frisch worked for such organizations as the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. From 2006 through 2009 at WGA, a period that encompassed the guild’s 100-day strike in late 2007 through mid-February 2008, she served as director of public policy and government affairs. She worked for the guild in D.C. and L.A. She later moved on to SAG-AFTRA as a strategic communications and public affairs executive in 2015.
A Los Angeles Native, Frisch grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduating from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys in 1973. She went to Washington, D.C., where she gained experience understanding the ins and outs of politics and the legislative process. Over her long career, Frisch was known for executing media campaigns, crisis and reputation management initiatives and public policy advocacy efforts.
Early on, she also worked for theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh to publicize the stage productions of “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon.” She worked for Craig Anderson Productions in the 1990s and she was the longtime personal representative for “Family Ties” star Meredith Baxter Birney in the 1980s and ’90s.
During her time in D.C., Frisch also worked for Planned Parenthood, the BGR Group, the National Foreign Trade Council, among others. She served as national director of public affairs for the American Humane Association.
Outside of her professional life, Frisch was an animal lover and advocate for women’s rights. A memorial service is being planned.
