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| Brian Tierney |
Brian Communications is going ahead with this summer’s internship program by taking it online. The Philadelphia firm's Summer Seminar Series will meet on Wednesday afternoons every other week from June through August (six sessions). Students will also be able to network individually with members of Brian's team. Topics covered in the sessions will include media relations, event planning, social media strategy and integrated marketing. Upon completion of the program, interns will receive a resume review and career counseling. “While we may not physically be in the office, we still wanted to give students the same opportunities they would have gotten through our internship program,” said Brian Communications CEO Brian Tierney. “Our internship program has always attracted high-caliber talent, and we wanted to help these budding professionals hone their skills in a way that is consistent with our mentor-driven approach. It’s really about creating a space to learn.”
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| Jeff Flint |
FSB Core Strategies is announcing a name change and restructuring to the Core Strategic Group to reflect the company’s expansion and growth. The Core Strategic Group of companies now includes BadFish Media, c3 Public Strategies, Chariot Campaigns, The Core Management Company, FSB Public Affairs and KPA Strategies. FSB acquired Chariot Campaigns and KPA Strategies in the past month. FSB Public Affairs CEO Jeff Flint will serve as Core Strategic Group’s president and CEO. Flint will serve on the Core Strategic Group’s board of directors, along with longtime FSB Public Affairs partners Kristy Babb and Cherri Spriggs, who will serve as chief administrative/talent officer, and chief client service officer, respectively. Chariot Campaigns president Jamie Fisfis and FSB Pubic Affairs president Frank Rizzo will also join the Core Strategic Group board. The new holding company employs nearly 50 professionals operating out of offices in Anaheim, Sacramento and San Francisco, with additional offices to be announced in the coming weeks.
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Gatesman has launched “Ads for Lunch,” a weekly YouTube podcast series. The 15-minute podcast, which is released every Thursday at noon, covers how advertisers are re-tooling their work to meet the demands of today’s fast-changing landscape. The first two episodes look at how brands like Dove, Apple and Coors Light have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home orders. Future episodes will zero in on the likability, relatability and overall effectiveness of campaigns for top brands. “We’re excited to bring the unique perspectives of a diverse spectrum of professionals together to debate what’s hot in the market and why,” said Gatesman president Shannon Baker. The podcast is available here.
Precision Strategies, an integrated strategy and marketing agency with offices in Washington and New York, acquires Firehouse Strategies, a DC-based public affairs firm... AVENIR GLOBAL acquires London-based Thinks Insight & Strategy... Good Company, which bills itself as a “cultural engineering firm,” is launched by DJ Hardy, a veteran of Johannesburg-based communications consultancy arxna and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and Casey Stickles, who has worked at 5WPR, Rubenstein and MWW.
PSC (Princeton Strategic Communications) acquires Nonprofit Partners... CG Life launches 24/364, a cultural brand platform intended to drive awareness, connection and action aimed at keeping rare disease at the forefront of the health and social conversation... Interluxe Group, which focuses on brand experiences and in-person activations; Quinn, a strategic communications agency; and media and digital agency North & Warren are uniting under the Interluxe Group banner.
KITH, which provides corporate reputation and crisis preparation services, is now owned by CEO Stephanie Craig, who has been with the firm since 2021... The Marketing Cloud, a part of Stagwell, introduces several expansions to Agent Cloud, the platform it launched in October 2025 to simplify access to its AI tools and marketing assistants.... Notified launches its AI Press Release Optimizer.
V2 Communications launches its AI Visibility Solution and Earned Media at Scale, two service offerings designed to help companies increase visibility and credibility in generative search... The Public Relations Global Network brings on Greenough Communications as its Boston member agency... DBC is relaunching The DBC Industry Calendar as a free site to help communicators more easily discover relevant events and awards in the cluttered event landscape driven by the growth of webinars and online events. 
PAN releases new original research showing that a significant share of B2B citations surfaced by ChatGPT are inaccurate, misattributed or entirely fabricated, introducing a new credibility risk for brands... REQ, which has offices in DC and San Diego, opens in Phoenix... Notified introduces Market Intelligence, an addition to its all-in-one IR Hub, which gives IR teams a more streamlined way to prepare for earnings calls.
