![]() |
| Heidi Heitkamp, Mick Mulvaney |
Former Mercury Public Affairs staffers have launched Actum LLC, a bipartisan shop that opens with about 70 staffers in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington and London.
Kirill Goncharenko, founding partner of Mercury & managing partner at Actum, said the new firm is targeting clients looking for “large, meaningful and measurable outcomes at the intersection of politics, media, business and government.”
Actum is stocked with California political veterans such as Sen. Barbara Boxer, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nuñez.
It also has recruited politicos from beyond the Golden State.
Former North Dakota Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp is among the firm’s six co-chairs.
She’s joined by former South Carolina Republican Congressman and Trump White House alum Mick Mulvaney.
He served as director of the Office of Management & Budget, acting chief of staff and special envoy to Northern Ireland, a post that Mulvaney quit on Jan. 7 to protest the trashing of the US Capitol.


IPREX names Big Picture PR in San Francisco, Precision Strategies in Washington, D.C., and Tiny Mighty Communications in Nashville as its first Americas Partner Cohort... Highwire launches AcroAnswers, a proprietary AI visibility platform... Big Red Oak and Naer Communications, a Calgary-based firm, form a partnership providing integrated communications and marketing services to clean energy companies and organizations across Canada.
Matter launches its Review Visibility Management service to address a shift in how companies across verticals earn trust online... A Queens school is putting out the message about Sept. 12, 2001 when people came together to help, comfort, rebuild and unite... Directive expands its Directive Communications division, which will bring PR, organic social, influencer marketing and paid social together under one integrated organization.
Praytell expands its Influence Department—which unites media, creators and social under one team... LRJ PR & Communications and Canopy Brand Group form an alliance that the firms say will bridge the operational divide between high-end brand design and strategic public relations... Twin Minds Media, Hispanic market specialist, increases the scope of its services in an effort to help brands build deeper connections with audiences through culture, storytelling, media and experiences.
The People Platform, part of Stagwell's The Marketing Cloud, rebrands as Numetrix... Zapwater Communications has earned 17 finalist honors across two PR competitions: eight at the 68th Annual Golden Trumpet Awards, presented by the Publicity Club of Chicago, and nine at the 2026 PRSA Chicago Skyline Awards.. The Florida Public Relations Association presented 122 awards to individuals and teams from across the state at its 69th annual Golden Image and 3rd Annual Pinnacle Awards gala.
The Motion Agency acquires Vehr Communications, a Cincinnati-based strategic communications firm, effective Oct. 1... Lyceus Group, which specializes in financial services, is named a finalist for Public Relations Campaign at the 2026 ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Awards... IPSY, a curated beauty membership platform, launches IPSY Marketing Solutions, a full-funnel marketing and sales acceleration engine. 



