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| Andrew Bates |
Wolfpack Strategies, a DC-based strategic communications firm, is launched by Andrew Bates, who most recently served as senior deputy press secretary in the Biden White House. Bates was also director of rapid response for Biden’s 2020 campaign, and a staffer on the Clinton and Obama campaigns. Bates told Axios that his firm will offer crisis communications, press relations, strategic messaging and reputation management, with the aim of helping clients simplify complex subjects and avoid and defuse political issues. “He combines endless determination and dedication with a deep set of government and campaign experiences that make him well positioned to take on any public affairs challenge," said former White House communications director Ben LaBolt.
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Cornerstone Government Affairs, a bipartisan government relations, public affairs and consulting firm, opens a Nevada office—broadening its reach to 15 states, along with its DC office. Combined with its presence in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the Nevada office places Cornerstone in each of the first four states in the presidential nominating process. The expansion into Nevada is being spearheaded by Jason Frierson, who was most recently US Attorney for the District of Nevada, and Alisa Nave-Worth, who comes to Cornerstone after running her own firm, Alisa Nave-Worth Consulting. Both Frierson and Nave-Worth will serve as principal and counsel in the new office. Accompanying them on the Nevada team is Stephanie Balistere, who ran campaign compliance, client communications and logistics at Alisa Nave-Worth Consulting.
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ONAR, a marketing and business solutions network, launches ONAR Labs, a tech incubator. ONAR Labs will focus on developing and commercializing proprietary marketing technology solutions that have been tested across ONAR's network of agencies. The incubator’s first product to be released in Cortex, an AI-powered marketing intelligence platform that has been powering the company's agency network, and will become available to companies via subscription. . "What began as an internal tool that drove exceptional results for our clients is now evolving into a commercial platform that will help enterprises remove marketing uncertainty and drive measurable growth through AI-powered intelligence," said ONAR CEO Claude Zdanow.
The Communications Group, a Little Rock-based shop releases its first Public Affairs Marketing Trends Report... The Worldcom Public Relations Group votes Paris-based firm SEITOSEI•ACTIFIN into its global partnership... PRNEWS, a European PR-tech firm, relocates its U.S. headquarters to downtown Miami.
af&co., a San Francisco-based hospitality marketing and PR agency founded by Andrew Freeman, is marking its 20th anniversary... Notified launches Syndicated Articles... Crosby Marketing Communications selects four students from Anne Arundel Community College for its marketing scholars program.
KCSA Strategic Communications launches the KCSA AI Lab, which will develop proprietary AI systems to expand what strategic communications can achieve for PR and IR clients... Clipbook, a vertical AI platform for strategic communications and public affairs, closes a $3.3 million seed round co-led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures and Carpenter Capital... VizSense, a Boston-based AI influencer marketing agency, teams up with holographic storytelling company Geminai, to launch what they say is the next frontier in brand experiences: interactive holograms powered by AI.
Ways Marketing Solutions, a Saudi Arabia-based marketing and communications group, teams with H&K alum James Drewer and Cake founder Mike Mathieson, to launch Ways Global Communications with HQs in London and Riyadh... UNICEPTA, a media intelligence provider within Stagwell’s The Marketing Cloud, launches an integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot... MAD Global CEO Mike DuHaime has been named to New Jersey Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition team.
Ogilvy launches CultureCurrent, a social-first earned media offering that integrates cutting-edge technology with human cultural intuition to listen, identify, activate and amplify brand stories.... Forward Global, a risk and reputation management advisory firm, opens in Abu Dhabi... Lyons Broadcast PR marks its 20th anniversary with the introduction of new virtual production technology, enhanced media outreach tools, and integrated broadcast-digital strategies.
