Chairman and CEO, Dan Klores Communications; managing director and president, Dan Klores; president, Rubenstein Associates, Inc.; senior executive vice-president, Rubenstein: president, Ken Sunshine Consultants

The men on top of New York's prime public-relations firms play crucial, largely offstage roles in practically every public skirmish in this town, deciding vicious municipal battles (what was the stadium face-off but a PR fight?) and celebrity duels (Nick vs. Jessica! Howard vs. CBS!).

Both the Rubensteins and Klores's shop are caught between generations: Howard Rubenstein, 74, is handing the firm to his son Steven, 36; Klores has left the day-to-day running of his eponymous agency to make films, and Cassidy has not so quietly expanded Klores's roster by 25 percent.

Sunshine, the Hollywood man in the city, has been called "the Madonna of PR" that is, the king of reinvention. Respected for keeping huge clients- Leo DiCaprio, Justin Timberlake-out of trashy media, Sunshine's credited with making stars change their behavior so the tabs won't find them.