 Amy Venhuizen |
Spurrier Group has created a media intelligence specialty team as part of a general restructuring of the firm. The focus of the new team will be on gaining a deep knowledge of each available media channel and then sharing that intelligence internally with clients as well as creative agencies that the firm partners with. “This team is no longer burdened by the details and demands of client servicing,” said Spurrier Group founder and CEO Donna Spurrier. “Now the are able to specialize and be more forward-thinking about media intelligence.” The agency has hired three new staffers to be part of the team: senior project manager/account director Amy Venhuizen, who was previously owner and president of V Media Services; senior media buyer Sarah Knapp, who comes to Spurrier from Elephant Insurance, where she was also senior media buyer; and operations manager Kristina Williams, who was previously operations manager at Goodwill Industries.
 Emma Gielata |
Matter Communications has opened an office in Pittsburgh, the agency’s sixth U.S. location. The expansion into Pittsburgh is intended to make the agency more accessible to brands in the area’s tech scene. Matter Pittsburgh will be led by newly appointed account director and Pittsburgh native Emma (Walter) Gielata, who comes to the firm from computer software company First Insight, where she was marketing manager. Before that, she was at Matter for five years. “Pittsburgh is in the midst of an economic renaissance with up-and-coming companies focusing on artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedical devices,” said Scott Signore, CEO of Matter. Matter’s other offices are in Boston and Newburyport, MA; Providence, RI; Boulder, CO and Portland, OR.
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Digital communications company Investis has rebranded to Investis Digital, following its acquisition and integration of ZOG Digital. Investis Digital’s new brand platform has been rolled out across its redesigned global website, and its expanded suite of services is being utilized for agency clients including Ascential, ASOS, Fruit of the Loom, Rolls-Royce, WWE and Wyndham. By layering the performance marketing expertise of ZOG Digital over its technology solutions and strength in communications, the combined company says it is now uniquely positioned to meet and exceed the needs of marketers, investor relations practitioners and corporate communicators.
DJE Holdings, parent of Edelman and Zeno, launches RUTH as an independent shop named after Ruth Edelman, mental health advocate, wife and longtime business partner of Dan Edelman.
New York City PR firms make up the largest slice of O'Dwyer's 147 firm overall ranking with 33 of 40 in the New York/New Jersey area either calling Manhattan their home or having a presence there.
Subject Matter+Kivvit, which joined forces in May, has rebranded as Avoq, an integrated shop with more than 200 professionals in Washington, New York, Asbury Park (NJ), Miami and Chicago.
While PR pros stationed at in-house comms. teams and those working for agencies share many of the same objectives, they also have markedly different top priorities, according to a recent report.
Edelman is cutting 240 employees or about four percent of its workforce to cope with the cooling down of the PR sector, according to a memo from CEO Richard Edelman.
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