Susan Senk obit

Susan Senk, Veteran Film Publicist, Dies at 75

She worked at Vestron Pictures, where she handled campaigns for ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and for Columbia TriStar before launching her own firm. 

She was not on the list.

Susan Senk, an entertainment publicist and marketing executive who worked for Vestron Pictures and Columbia TriStar, has died. She was 75.

Senk died Saturday in Manhattan, a publicist announced. She lived for 17 ½ years after receiving a heart transplant.

Senk, who attended the University of Maryland and Boston University, began her career in the music industry before transitioning to film publicity.

She was part of the original start-up team at Vestron Video in Stamford, Connecticut, before she moved to London as vp creative services for Vestron International. There, she oversaw the company’s expansion into overseas markets and directed international marketing for its video releases.

She returned to the U.S. as vp publicity and promotion at Vestron Pictures to develop release and awards campaigns for its theatrical titles. Those included Dirty Dancing (1987), which became the highest-grossing independent film of its time when it grossed $213 million worldwide and won the Oscar for best original song for “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”

Senk went on to serve as vp international publicity and promotion for Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International in Los Angeles and work as a unit publicist on Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) before opening Susan Senk PR in New York City in 1996.

For the past decade, she was an international festival consultant for Sony Pictures International Releasing, and she helped launch and promote more than 400 film campaigns during her career.

She was a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a former member of the Recording Academy.

Survivors include her business partner and sister, Linda; her brother-in-law, Scott; and her dog, OP. Those wishing to honor her memory can donate to the Camp Sloane YMCA Susan Senk Memorial Fund.