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rbb Communications acquires UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations, a San Francisco-based firm specializing in B2B technology and financial services. UPRAISE president Tim Johnson has been named to rbb’s leadership team and becomes an equity partner. UPRAISE will continue to operate under its own brand, with no staff changes reported. Financial terms were not disclosed. UPRAISE has a 20-year history of supporting companies in sectors including artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, data storage and servers, enterprise software, telecommunications and more. “The acquisition of UPRAISE brings technology PR expertise into our portfolio and UPRAISE clients will benefit from our creative services, digital/social and influencer skills,” said rbb CEO Christine Barney.
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Gregory FCA partners with AI strategists Melior to develop CrisisCalm, an AI-powered platform built to provide communicators with real-time, end-to-end crisis communications planning, messaging and deliverables. CrisisCalm generates a comprehensive crisis response playbook tailored to any situation. The platform’s AI engine delivers company-specific, audience-ready messaging and materials in real time. The agency says that a key differentiator of CrisisCalm is its ability to be trained in advance, allowing it to learn a company’s products, mission, tone, stakeholder relationships and communications protocols—resulting in responses that are authentic, aligned and on-brand even under intense pressure. “This is communications-specific AI built for the boardroom, the newsroom, and every room. With CrisisCalm, communicators become indispensable. They no longer have to chase the response, they shape it,” said EVP, strategic communications and growth Heather Crowell, who helped train the model and developed its interface.
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| Drew Herdener |
The LAGRANT Foundation appoints Drew Herdener, SVP for Amazon’s communications and corporate responsibility organization, to its board of directors. Herdener previously served as a host committee member for TLF’s 26th and 27th scholarship program in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Herdener also oversees Amazon’s community impact team, which aims to address issues in areas such as education, food security, affordable housing, and disaster relief, and leads its sustainability efforts. The LAGRANT Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase representation in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations by providing scholarships, career opportunities, professional development workshops and mentorship opportunities to undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students from historically underrepresented communities. “He has already made an impact these past two years as a host committee member, and I look forward to partnering with Drew,” said TLF chairman and CEO Kim L. Hunter.
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.
