Fixer (person) explained

A fixer is someone who is assigned or contracted to solve problems for others. The term has different meanings in different contexts. In British usage, the term is neutral, referring to a person, such as a SPAD (political advisor), "who...gets things done".^[1] Use in American English implies that the methods used are of questionable morality and legality.^[2]

In organized crime, cleaners remove incriminating physical evidence, including the disposal of bodies or witnesses. In sports, the term describes someone who makes arrangements to manipulate or pre-arrange the outcome of a sporting contest. In journalism, a fixer is a local person who expedites the work of a foreign correspondent.

Facilitator

Fixers may primarily use legal means, such as lawsuits and payoffs, to accomplish their ends, or they may carry out unlawful activities. The White House Plumbers have been described as fixers for Richard Nixon; their methods included break-ins and burglary.^[3] Fixers who specialize in disposing of evidence or bodies are called "cleaners",^[4] like the character of Victor "The Cleaner" in the film La Femme Nikita, or the fictional Jonathan Quinn, subject of the Brett Battles novel The Cleaner.^[5]

In Britain, a fixer is a commercial consultant for business improvement, whereas in an American context a fixer is often an associate of a powerful person who carries out difficult, undercover, or stealth actions, or extricates a client out of personal or legal trouble.^[6] A fixer may freelance, like Judy Smith, a well-known American public relations "crisis consultant" whose career provided inspiration for the popular 2012 television series Scandal.^[7] More commonly a fixer works for a single employer, under a title such as "attorney" or "bodyguard", which does not typically describe the kinds of services that they provide.

In Philippine English, fixer has a deep negative meaning where it refers to individuals who help give government clients a preferential priority or speedy processing in an agency for a price. Some also practise illegal activities such as swindling and selling fake IDs unbeknownst to the client. Because of their work, fixers have connections with government employees in the office they loiter around and give cuts to their partners inside. Fixers are typically found outside buildings of government agencies, particularly around many Land Transportation Office field branches. Due to bribery and scamming, fixers are illegal under Philippine law and those caught are imprisoned for 6 years and fined up to 200,000 pesos.^{[8] [9]}

Sports match fixer

See main article: Match fixing. In sport, when a match fixer arranges a preordained outcome of a sporting or athletic contest, the motivation is often gambling, and the fixer is often employed by organized crime. In the Black Sox Scandal, for instance, Major League Baseball players became involved with a gambling syndicate and agreed to lose the 1919 World Series in exchange for payoffs.^[10] In another example, in 1975, Boston mobster Anthony "Fat Tony" Ciulla of the Winter Hill Gang was identified as the fixer who routinely bribed jockeys to throw horse races.^{[11] [12]} Other insiders may also be fixers, as in the case of veterinarian Mark Gerard, who, in September 1978, was convicted of fraud for "masterminding a horse-racing scandal that involved switching two thoroughbreds" so that he could cash in on a long-shot bet.

Journalism

In journalism, a fixer is someone, often a local journalist, hired by a correspondent or a media company to help arrange a story. Fixers will often act as translators and guides, and help to arrange local interviews that the correspondent would not otherwise have access to. They help collect information for the story and sometimes play a crucial role in the outcome.^[13] Fixers are rarely credited, and often put themselves in danger, especially in regimes where they might face consequences from an oppressive government for exposing iniquities the state may want to censor.^{[14] [15]}

These aides are often the prime risk mitigators within a journalist's team, making crucial decisions for the reporter. According to journalist Laurie Few, "You don't have time not to listen (to the fixer)", and anybody who disregards a fixer's advice "is going to step on a landmine, figurative or actual".^[16] Throughout the last 20 years, fixers have ranged from civilians to local journalists within the regions of conflict. They are rarely credited and paid menially, which has begun a conversation for the compensation rights of these individuals. According to statistics gathered from the Global Investigative Journalism Network, the base pay for a fixer's time ranged from US$50–400 per day.

A map based on publicly accessible research data shows a visual representation of data collected from various studies conducted on both fixers and their journalist counterparts from over 70 countries. Gathered from the Global Reporting Centre, the survey demographic map had 132 respondents from North America, 101 from Europe, 23 from South America, Africa and Eurasia, 63 from Asia and 9 from Australia.^[17]

In popular culture

Numerous films and several songs have been named The Fixer. As a genre, they illustrate the different meanings of the term. Most commonly, they refer to the kind of person who carries out illicit activities on behalf of someone else. For example, the 2008 British television series The Fixer is about "a renegade group acting outside the law to bring order to the spiraling criminal activity in the country".^[18]

• The 1986 film Wise Guys features Captain Lou Albano as Frankie "The Fixer" Acavano, an overweight, violent yet gluttonous psychopath who is tasked with tracking and killing the protagonists after ripping off their boss, Lou Castello, of a quarter of a million dollars in a fixed horse race.
• The 1993 film Point of No Return features Harvey Keitel as a cleaner who is called in to kill everyone and destroy the bodies after a mission goes awry.
• The 1994 film Pulp Fiction features Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolfe, a notorious fixer and cleaner, who helps the protagonists dispose of a corpse.^[19]
• The main antagonist of the 2000 novel Void Moon is a near-psychotic fixer who cleans and investigates a murder in his employer's casino.
• A BBC Two documentary features a fixer in the benign British sense – a consultant who helps to turn around failing businesses.^[20]
• The 2000 bro-Western thriller The Way of the Gun has James Caan as a fixer known as Joe Sarno, a "Bagman".
• The 2007 film Michael Clayton stars George Clooney as a fixer who works for a prestigious law firm and uses his connections and knowledge of legal loopholes to help his clients.^[21]
• In the ABC drama Scandal, the main character Olivia Pope (portrayed by Kerry Washington) was a fixer and head of Pope and Associates, a crisis management organization that fixed political scandals and cleaned up crimes. Kerry Washington's character, Olivia Pope, is partially based on former George H. W. Bush administration press aide Judy Smith, who serves as a co-executive producer.^[22]
• In the FX series Sons of Anarchy, author Stephen King portrays a cleaner by the name of "Bachman", a nod to King's pen name Richard Bachman, who is hired by Gemma Teller Morrow to dispose of her father's caretaker's body after her accidental death.^[23]
• The Netflix series House of Cards featured Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper, a fixer for politician Frank Underwood.^[24]
• In the AMC TV series Breaking Bad, the character Mike Ehrmantraut played by Jonathan Banks was the cleaner for Gustavo Fring's operations, later reprising the role in the series' prequel spinoff, Better Call Saul.^[25]
• The TV Series Suits features Harvey Specter (played by Gabriel Macht) as a New York's top lawyer for fixing clients' problems. It also features Steven Huntley as the fixer for Edward Darby in Season 3. Many other fixers are also prevalent across its nine seasons.
• The TV series Ray Donovan follows the eponymous character, played by Liev Schreiber, a LA-based fixer for celebrities. The character was inspired by a variety of Hollywood fixers such as Eddie Mannix and Fred Otash.^[26]
• The 2016 Coen brothers' film Hail, Caesar!, satirizes the American film industry of the 1950s, and is very loosely inspired by Eddie Mannix's career as a Hollywood studio executive and fixer.^{[27] [28]} In the film, actor Josh Brolin portrayed Mannix,^[29] who is shown scrambling to quietly resolve the kidnapping of an A-list leading man, while battling to keep multiple thinly fictionalized send-ups of real Hollywood scandals of the era out of the tabloids. Behind it all, however, Mannix depicted as a devout, if sinful and unconventional, Roman Catholic family man with two children and a doting homemaker wife named Connie Mannix (Alison Pill).
• The 2016 Romanian drama The Fixer and the 2009 documentary are each about journalistic fixers.^[30]
• The 2024 movie Wolfs is inspired from real life Hollywood Fixer Paul Barresi. The film stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan.

Notable fixers

Business

• Alex Polizzi^{[31] [32]}

Entertainment

• Eddie Mannix^{[33] [34]}
• Fred Otash^[35]
• Anthony Pellicano^[35]
• Howard Strickling^[35]

Journalism

• Acquitté Kisembe – Agence France-Presse in the Democratic Republic of Congo (missing since 2003)^[36]
• Almigdad Mojalli – Independent freelance fixer/journalist in Yemen (killed in action, 2016)
• Bakhtiyar Haddad – Iraqi fixer for French reporter Stephan Villeneuve (Both killed in action in Mosul, 2014)^[37]
• Zabihullah Tamanna – Translator for US National Public Radio in Afghanistan (killed in action, 2016)
• Ajmal Naqshbandi – Journalist/Fixer in Afghanistan. Killed by Taliban. (Killed in action, 2011)^[38]
• Sayed Agha - Driver/fixer in Afghanistan. Killed by Taliban. (Killed in action, 2011)

Organized crime

• Magaly Chaves "La Faraona" Ante^[39] (Sinaloa Cartel)
• Gabriel Zendejas Chavez^[40] (Mexican Mafia)
• Manoel Alves "Sasquati" da Silva^[41] (Primeiro Comando da Capital)
• Sidney Rogério "Lacraia" de Moraes^{[42] [43]} (Primeiro Comando da Capital)
• Sidney Korshak^[44] (Chicago Outfit)
• Arnold Rothstein^[45] (Jewish Mafia)
• Yoshio Kodama^[46] (Yakuza)
• Hisayuki Machii^[47] (Yakuza – Tosei-kai)
• Željko Raznatović Arkan (Serbian mafia)
• Milorad Ulemek (Serbian mafia – Zemun clan)
• John Francis "Johnny Cash" Morrissey^[48] (Irish Mafia – Kinahan crime family)
• Dámaso López "El Licenciado" Núñez^[49] (Sinaloa Cartel)
• Miguel "Z-40" Treviño Morales^[50] (Los Zetas Cartel)

Politics

• Lucius Cornelius Balbus^[51]
• Roy Cohn^[52]
• David Hart
• Konstantin Kilimnik^[53]
• Michael Cohen (lawyer)^[54]
• Michael Pocalyko^[55]
• Keith Schiller^[56]

Public relations

• Mike Sitrick^[57]
• Judy Smith^[58]

Religion

• Seán Patrick O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston^[59] (Catholic Church)
• Mike Rinder (Scientology Church)^[60]

See also

• Cleaner role in arts and entertainment
• Henchman
• Contract killing

Notes and References

1. Web site: Definition of 'fixer'. . December 14, 2018.
2. Web site: Definition of fixer in English. https://web.archive.org/web/20181003213621/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fixer. dead. October 3, 2018. . December 14, 2018.
3. News: Cohen Makes Nixon's Fixers Look Like Amateurs. Garment. Suzanne. April 13, 2018. Real Clear Politics. December 14, 2018.
4. Demery . Rod . Homicide Detective Fact Checks Crime Scenes from Breaking Bad to CSI . May 28, 2020 . . True Crime . 1 . 5 . February 12, 2023.
5. Book: Battles, Brett. The Cleaner. 2007. Random House. 978-0-440-24370-0.
6. Web site: fixer, noun. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. December 14, 2018.
7. News: Real 'fixer' behind 'Scandal' steps into spotlight. McDowell. Jeanne Dorin. April 24, 2012. Los Angeles Times. January 25, 2019 .
8. Web site: ABS-CBN News . ALAMIN: Parusa sa mga 'fixer' sa gobyerno . ABS-CBN . ABS-CBN News . 26 November 2024 . Filipino . 1 August 2019.
9. Web site: Radyo Pilipinas . Laban vs. fixers sa LTO, palalakasin ng pamahalaan . Radyo Pilipinas News . Philippine Broadcasting Service . Filipino . 1 June 2023.
10. Web site: The Black Sox Trial: An Account. Linder . Douglas. 2010. University of Missouri, Kansas City. December 22, 2018.
11. News: The Sport of Kings Is Full of Scum. Swenson. John. December 25, 2013. Vice. December 22, 2018.
12. https://www.nysun.com/new-york/greatest-race-fixer-of-them-all/7761/ "The Greatest Race-Fixer Of Them All"
13. Book: Arjomand, Noah Amir . Fixing Stories: Local Newsmaking and International Media in Turkey and Syria . Cambridge University Press . 2022 . 9781316518007.
14. News: 10 things journalists should know about fixers: Covering minorities. Clore. Kathlyn. February 4, 2009. European Journalism Centre. March 3, 2012. April 10, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180410072535/http://ejc.net/magazine/article/10_things_journalists_should_know_abouat_fixers_in_europe/. dead.
15. Web site: In Journalism, what is a fixer?. WiseGeek. August 20, 2014.
16. Web site: Fixing the Journalist-Fixer Relationship. Klein. Peter W.. Plaut. Shayna. November 16, 2017. Global Investigative Journalism Network. en-US. April 23, 2019.
17. Web site: Fixing the Journalist-Fixer Relationship. November 10, 2017. Global Reporting Centre. en-US. April 23, 2019.
18. Web site: The Fixer (2008). Kent Film Office. February 4, 2008 . December 14, 2018.
19. Web site: Szlasa . Justin . Being Winston Wolfe: 9 Reasons Why 'Pulp Fiction' is the Management Guide Every Indie Filmmaker Needs . March 21, 2012 . IndieWire.
20. News: Alex Polizzi: the Fixer, BBC Two, review. Cumming . Ed. January 31, 2012. The Daily Telegraph. December 22, 2018.
21. News: Dargis . Manohla . They Call Him the Fixer in a World That's a Mess . The New York Times . October 5, 2007 . July 29, 2021.
22. News: ABC bases 'Scandal' on D.C. insider Judy Smith. Tucker. Neely. Washington Post. March 30, 2012. May 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121125120409/http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/dc-insider-judy-smith-is-basis-for-abc-drama-scandal/2012/03/29/gIQAbT8JlS_story.html. November 25, 2012. live.
23. News: White . Jeanette . Stephen King's Sons of Anarchy Cameo Has a Surprising Link to His Novels . CBR.com. May 27, 2021 .
24. News: Stern . Marlow . 'House of Cards' Secret Weapon: Doug Stamper Tells All . The Daily Beast. March 12, 2015 .
25. Web site: Q&A – Jonathan Banks (Mike "The Cleaner") . Jeanine . Krzyzanowski . 2010 . .
26. Web site: Walker . Tim . The real-life Ray Donovans: Fixers behind Tinseltown's dark secrets . The Independent. July 16, 2013 .
27. Web site: Josh Brolin joins George Clooney for Coen brothers' Hail Caesar. Childs. Ben. June 10, 2014. theguardian.com. February 8, 2015.
28. Web site: George Clooney's Coen brothers comedy 'Hail, Caesar!' gets February 2016 release. Blake. Emily. October 29, 2014. ew.com. February 8, 2015.
29. Web site: Josh Brolin to star with George Clooney in Coen brothers' 'Hail, Caesar!'. Bahr. Lindsey. June 9, 2014. ew.com. February 8, 2015.
30. Web site: Catsoulis . Jeannette . Movie Review – 'Fixer – The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi' – Ian Olds Documents an Interpreter's Fate in Afghanistan. The New York Times . March 9, 2010 . September 29, 2011.
31. Web site: Alex Polizzi: The Fixer. BBC. June 23, 2020.
32. News: Hotel Inspector Alex Polizzi poached by BBC for new show. The Daily Telegraph. July 1, 2011. October 23, 2011 . London.
33. News: The Truth About the Tyrannical Hollywood Fixer Who Inspired 'Hail, Caesar!'. Newland. Christina. March 15, 2016. Vice.com. June 23, 2020.
34. Web site: Mickey Rooney's amazing sex life . Gaby . Wood . The Telegraph . April 7, 2014 . February 1, 2015.
35. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/the-real-life-ray-donovans-fixers-behind-tinseltowns-dark-secrets-8707532.html "The real-life Ray Donovans: Fixers behind Tinseltown's dark secrets", by Tim Walker, Independent, July 14, 2013.
36. Web site: The Fixers. Avenue. Committee to Protect Journalists 330 7th. York. 11th Floor New. cpj.org. en. April 23, 2019. Ny 10001.
37. News: Third journalist dies after Mosul blast. June 24, 2017. April 23, 2019. en-GB.
38. Lees. Caroline. September 1, 2016. Under the wires: Local "fixers", who help foreign correspondents on the ground, can face death threats and accusations of being spies after working for international media. Index on Censorship. en. 45. 3. 8–11. 10.1177/0306422016670328a. 0306-4220. free.
39. Web site: Colombia Captures Cocaine Fixer 'La Faraona'. InSight Crime. 2015-07-06. 2023-05-27.
40. Web site: Former Teacher Accused of Being Cartel Fixer. The Growling Wolverine. 2022-11-28. 2023-05-27.
41. Web site: Arrecadador de dinheiro do PCC é preso no interior. Folha de S.Paulo. 2003-10-25. 2023-07-15. pt-br.
42. Web site: ACUSADO DE ARRECADAR PARA QUADRILHA É PRESO EM SP. G1. 2006-12-13. 2023-07-15. pt-br.
43. Web site: Facção PCC banca 5 times de futebol amador de São Paulo. Gazeta Digital. 2006-12-15. 2023-07-15. pt-br.
44. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E7DF1F39F931A15752C0A960958260 "Sidney Korshak, 88, Dies; Fabled Fixer for the Chicago Mob"
45. News: The Fixer. Goldstein. Warren. November 9, 2003. The Washington Post. June 24, 2020.
46. News: C.I.A. Spent Millions to Support Japanese Right in 50's and 60's. The New York Times. October 9, 1994. Weiner. Tim.
47. Top 10 Real-Life Mob Bosses . Time. January 20, 2011. Romero. Frances.
48. Web site: Kinahan cartel dealt devastating blow as 'key' man Johnny Morrissey arrested in Costa del Sol. Sunday World. Gerard Couzens. 15 September 2022. 15 September 2022.
49. Web site: Ex-prison official details second career as El Chapo fixer. Toronto Star. 2019-01-22. 2023-05-27.
50. Web site: Mexico captures leader of brutal Zetas drug cartel. Reuters. 2013-07-15. 2023-07-15.
51. Book: Everitt . Anthony . Augustus The Life of Rome's First Emperor . 2007 . Random House . 9780812970586 . 59 . July 29, 2021.
52. News: A.O. . Scott . A.O. Scott . 'Where's My Roy Cohn?' Review: A Fixer's Progress . The New York Times . New York City . September 19, 2019 . November 4, 2019.
53. Web site: Russian charged with Trump's ex-campaign chief was key figure in pro-Russia strategy. CNBC. Associated Press. July 3, 2018. January 26, 2018.
54. News: Roston. Aram. May 8, 2019. Exclusive: Trump fixer Cohen says he helped Falwell handle racy photos. en. Reuters. July 9, 2021. May 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190508001034/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-falwell-exclusive-idUSKCN1SD2JG. live.
55. News: Zoledziowski . Anya . Marchman . Tim . March 16, 2023 . A Young Saudi Trans Woman Is Believed Dead After Being Lured From the US and Forced to Detransition . live . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317155535/https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg5ey4/eden-knight-believed-dead-after-forced-detransition-saudi-arabia . March 17, 2023 . March 18, 2023.
56. News: The Trump Super Fixer Who 'Knows Where All the Bodies Are Buried'. Briquelet. Kate. April 17, 2018. The Daily Beast. June 24, 2020.
57. News: Meet Michael Sitrick: The 'fixer' you call when your reputation is on the line | Financial Post. Financial Post . October 19, 2013. Greenwood . John .
58. Web site: Judy Smith, real-life 'fixer' behind 'Scandal,' steps into spotlight . Los Angeles Times . April 24, 2012 . December 15, 2012.
59. Web site: The Atlantic: Why Does the Catholic Church Keep Failing on Sexual Abuse?. The Atlantic. 2023-01-28.
60. Web site: Former Scientology Senior Executive: 'Will Smith Is Not A Scientologist'. The Daily Beast. 2023-01-28.