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| Tim Bell |
The weaponization of communications and the rise of the notorious British PR firm and its leader Tim “The Fixer” Bell, is the subject of the “Influence” documentary that was a finalist in the grand jury prize category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.
Bell Pottinger imploded in September 2017 after it fomented racial tensions in South Africa in support of its beleaguered former president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family.
The firm also was the “go-to” firm for the Bush II administration’s selling of the Iraq war. It hauled in $500M from 2004 to 2011 for its work on behalf of the Pentagon, CIA and National Security Council.
Bell rose to power after serving as the image-maker of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Influence directors Diana Neille and Richard Poplak have made the film free to watch for people living in the UK and South Africa “to help arm citizens with the information they need to better understand the industry, according to the documentary’s website.
Americans may buy/rent the firm on the Apple, Google and YouTube platforms or through providers Comcast, Verizon Fios and Dish.
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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