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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."
Caster Communications is acquired by long-time agency leaders Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard... DiGennaro Communications launches The Authority Studio, a freestanding content strategy and production offering... The Brandman Agency, which specializes in luxury travel and lifestyle, rebrands as Brandman.
Public Inc., a social impact agency based in Toronto and New York, acquires Rocket Social Impact, an advisory firm that works with nonprofit and corporate social impact organizations... Ruder Finn launches “What’s Next: The Ruder Finn Podcast,” a new platform hosted by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden... Crowe PR joins United Partners Network, a network of independent PR agencies with members across more than 65 markets worldwide.
Ruder Finn launches rf.Voices, an integrated influence offering that brings together AI-powered influencer marketing, customer advocacy and paid amplification under one measurable framework... The Pollack Group is accepting applications through March 31 for The Big Red Grant, a $40,000 pro bono strategic PR and marketing engagement program awarded to a nonprofit organization ready for growth... D S Simon Media releases a report that says almost seven in ten producers (68 percent) are more interested in airing a story when they know it has been optimized for AI.
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.
