 John Ek |
John Ek, a top lobbyist in Los Angeles, has joined Mercury, which is part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group, as co-chairman.
His firm, Ek, Sunkin & Bai, ranks on top of the Los Angeles Business Journal’s roster of top lobbying firms in the city.
Fellow Mercury co-chairman & ex-L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called Ed a “standout" in the L.A. lobbying scene.
“This addition brings not only immense talent, but also proven leadership having led some of the biggest efforts in the city and state,” Villaraigosa said in a statement.
Prior to launching his firm, Ek was federal lobbyist for Southern California Rapid Transit, aide to Congressman Glenn Anderson while he chaired the Public Works and Transportation Committee, and lobbyist for the Air Transport Assn.
Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company banned by Defense Secretary Hegseth, has hired Ballard Partners for DC representation.
The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development enrolls Venable for government relations services.
Coinbase has hired Checkmate Government Relations, which has close ties to the Trump administration, to handle matters related to digital assets as the Senate works on the Clarity Act.
Peter Thiel-backed Palantir Technologies has added Democratic firm Ferox Strategies to its DC lobbying line-up to handle data analytics and technology issues.
Former congressmen Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Jeff Denham (R-CA) have signed on to handle the “new” TikTok on issues related to internet technology and learning-enabled platforms.
