 Kirt Webster |
Nashville’s Webster Public Relations has revamped as Westby Public Relations as Kirt Webster takes time off to fight a sexual harassment charge lodged by a former music client.
Webster dismissed the charges as “egregious and untrue allegations.”
Austin Rick, who performed under the name Austin Cody, claimed via an Oct. 27 Facebook post that he was sexually assaulted by Webster in 2008 and offered publicity opportunities and magazine columns in exchange for sexual acts.
“The point of my message is, selfishly, in the hope that getting it out of my own head and to you and a few industry folks finally, will help me reach some kind of relief/peace of mind in knowing that people know the truth about what was really happening,” he wrote.
Jeremy Westby, who was senior VP at Webster, takes command of the renamed shop that has been hit with client defections since news of the harassment broke. Those clients include headliners such as Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Jr., Kenny G, Oak Ridge Boys, Cyndi Lauper and Tanya Tucker.
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Edelman is laying off 330 people (5.3 percent of its workforce) to cope with an anticipated eight percent shortfall in 2024 US revenues, and client demand for one-stop shopping for speciality services.
