All The Worst Humans

How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons and Politicians

Phil Elwood

• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781805462224
• eBook ISBN: 9781805462248
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

A New York Times Notable Book
A New York Times Editors' Choice
A New York Post Best Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Biography/Memoir 'Hilarious and harrowing, and hard to put down' Christopher Buckley, author of Thank You for Smoking 'Might be a career-destroying book... highly enjoyable' Daily Telegraph 'A spin doctor to the rich and corrupt spills his secrets... starts with the crack of a Jack Reacher thriller' The New York Times The man who used to pull the strings of the global media is now pulling back the curtain: a bridge-burning, riotous confession by a top PR operative who exposes the secrets of the $129-billion industry that controls so much of what we see and hear in the media. After nearly two decades in the PR business, Phil Elwood wants to come clean, by exposing the dark underbelly of the very industry that's made him so successful. The first step is revealing exactly what he's been up to for the past twenty years - and it isn't pretty. From helping win the Qatar World Cup bid, to a four-day Las Vegas bacchanal with a dictator's son, and helping to land a Middle Eastern dictator's wife a glowing profile in Vogue at the same time the Arab Spring broke out, Elwood reveals all his slippery tricks for seducing journalists in order to create chaos and cover for politicians, dictators and spies. But as Phil moved up the ranks, he felt worse and worse about the sleaziness of it all - and his role in it - until he received a shocking wake-up call from the FBI. This risky game nearly cost Phil his life and his freedom. Seeing the light, he has decided to tell the full truth about who is the worst human. _____ 'A rollicking, unexpectedly affecting story... It's going to be one of the big, buzzy Beltway books of the year.' Politico 'Phil Elwood has written a book about his Washington life that's part therapy, part cautionary tale? and quite funny... What makes Elwood's story stand out from the typical Washington read is that his personal demons are so intertwined with his professional choices... Elwood's prose is zippy, even Sorkin-esque, and he relishes dark humor.' The Washington Post 'If Hunter S. Thompson billed clients by the hour, it would look like All The Worst Humans by Phil Elwood. The pacing and storytelling propel the book's epic sweep across the darkside of DC and global hotspots. Even the most experienced in PR will learn things they did not know, and Elwood's gripping personal story is an unexpected and wild ride.' Bill McCarren, former Executive Director, National Press Club 'A lively, often hilarious, blood-chilling tale.' Sam Kashner, Air Mail 'A redemption story about becoming a better human, a story Elwood tells with vulnerability, heart, and brutal honesty.' James Kirchick, New York Times bestselling author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington 'An exhilarating ride through the underbelly of global power structures.' Ben Smith, author of Traffic and editor in chief of Semafor 'I raced through this book and was gripped by every page.' Sophie Heawood

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Author’s Note
• Prologue
• Chapter 1: Of Marble and Giants
• Chapter 2: Everyone Deserves Representation
• Chapter 3: The Doctor and Las Vegas
• Chapter 4: No Fingerprints
• Chapter 5: Thanks, Michelle
• Chapter 6: The Government v. the Internet
• Chapter 7: The Internet v. the Government
• Chapter 8: Goodluck, Phil
• Chapter 9: Influence Games
• Chapter 10: Target or Source
• Chapter 11: Deadline
• Chapter 12: Fix You
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author