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VVK PR + Creative launches in Detroit. Peter Van Dyke, who was most recently CEO of Van Dyke Horn, will serve as the CEO of the new firm. Lambert took a minority stake in Van Dyke Horn last month following Van Dyke’s resignation from the firm. Working alongside Van Dyke will be Michael Sherman, who will serve as VVK partner and executive vice president of production, and Jamie Kaye Walters, who will serve as partner and COO. Sherman and Kaye Walters started up video production company Velocity Cow in 2008. The company is opening with a nearly 15-person team providing integrated communication services to a portfolio of more than 20 clients. As part of its launch, the firm is starting up the VVK Fellowship, which will foster a diverse talent pipeline for the agency and industry.
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Vested Ventures, the investment arm of Vested Communications, invests in financial planning software platform Anasova and Qoins, a financial services platform for automated debt management and repayment. Anasova intends to use the funding to advance and promote its free financial planning tools. Anasova primarily distributes their plans as a white-label solution to enable companies, employee benefits programs, and other groups to provide financial planning as a benefit to their users, employees and members. Qoins will use the investment to help them scale their platform and create additional functionalities that fulfill the organization’s mission of providing underrepresented communities with education and tools to pay off debt and plan for long-term financial goals. Other recent investments made by Vested Ventures include U-Nest, 51 Labs and the Museum of American Finance.
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JDA Worldwide, which works with consumer brands, non-profit organizations and growth companies, acquires The KAIROS Company, a Glendale, CA-based public relations and strategic communications firm. Johnnie Moore, who founded The KAIROS Company in 2015, will become president of JDA Worldwide as part of the combining of the two companies. JDA Worldwide also plans to expand its client services in Washington, D.C., Nashville, Los Angeles and internationally. “The KAIROS team brings additional international experience to bolster our global impact,” said Phil Daniels, chief performance officer of JDA’s parent company Prolific. “Combining forces with The KAIROS Company meets a key need of JDA to expand our communications practice."
PKPR, a New York-based boutique shop, launches a book publicity division focused on nonfiction authors... Palantir Technologies and Stagwell form a partnership to create an AI-driven platform for marketers... The Conference Board is presenting a Nov. 18-19 event at the Brooklyn Marriott that will look at the priorities, challenges and opportunities facing AI decision-makers today.
Gregory FCA is marking its 35th anniversary with a comprehensive rebrand... Madden Media, a Tucson-based agency, teams with Denver-based Karsh Hagan... Jasper, an AI content automation platform, launches Jasper Grid, an interface that allows marketing teams to create and orchestrate content across a range of channels, audiences and regions.
Sommerfield Communications, a corporate, financial, and crisis shop that was acquired by Allison Worldwide in early 2021, re-launches as an independently owned firm... D S Simon Media launches a broadcast media tour designed to enhance Generative Engine Optimization... The Public Relations Society of America’s ICON 2025 Conference brought together close to 2,100 in DC from Oct. 28-30.
CorpBridge Advisors is launched by Bob Christie (Brunswick and Alibaba Group veteran) and Russ Rubino (Nasdaq and Intercontinental Exchange/NYSE alum)... Golin marked its 30th anniversary in Miami with an Oct. 23 gathering that celebrated its new outpost in Coral Gables... The Notability Company debuted at the PRSA annual ICON Conference in Washington.
Padilla launches Padilla GEO 3D, a service that aims to improve generative AI search results for brands and organizations... Bader Rutter, a Milwaukee-based B2B marketing agency, unveils the Chef Advisory Network, an initiative designed to bring the voice of the kitchen into food company boardrooms... Dilenschneider Group founder and principal Robert Dilenschneider’s new book, Respect: How to Change the World One Interaction at a Time, was released on Oct. 28 by Wiley... Blue Highway Advisory and Blue Highway Global, founded by former Mercury Public Affairs managing director Ian McCaleb in 2022, rebrands.
