Fashion
Karla Otto
Fashion is a way of life for former model Ms. Otto, whose business is rooted in Milan but now spans the global style market, with clients including Céline, Valextra, Rochas, Stuart Weitzman and Lacoste.
My Young Auntie
The ace in the hole for this smart food/fashion-focused firm—think Hermès, Vivienne Westwood, Fat Radish—is part-ownership of Neuehouse, the artsy, ultra-elite shared workspace near Madison Square Park.
HL Group
Blue-chip luxury-PR firm—Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta—that’s snagged big brands like Mattel and Crate & Barrel.
MAO PR
Cognoscenti-friendly firm with Susanne Bartsch, Jason Wu and Zaldy on roster.
Purple PR
European firm came to NYC a few years ago and now occupies a quiet niche, offering a diverse clientele including Moncler, John Varvatos, Ian Schrager and Laura Mercier.
Travel
JPR
J, which reps more than a dozen Ritz-Carlton properties, had a strong year, with a new L.A. office and digital offshoot 7th and Wit.
DCI
Travel behemoth with destination clients everywhere.
Hawkins International PR
Solid agency with blue-chip hospitality clients like Sofitel and Montage Hotels & Resorts.
Laura Davidson PR
Hardworking firm whose destination clients include Residence Inn and Atlantis resorts in the Bahamas.
The Brandman Agency
Aggressive but not obnoxious, Brandman’s growing globally, and fast.
Food & Restaurants
Hall PR
Steven Hall’s compact firm is bringing Japanese brands to the U.S. market, such as pastry shop Harbs and omasake spot Sushi Ginza Onodera, and even opened a Tokyo office.
Bullfrog + Baum
Jennifer Baum’s firm has officially transcended its restaurant PR roots, with big new clients like Omni Hotels and LDV Hospitality.
Zaria PR
If it feels like you’re reading about Breads Bakery on a daily basis, blame (or thank) this young firm with its Jewishy client base.
First Press
First Press’ “we don’t pitch” ethos would be annoying if it wasn’t so effective.
Tech
Derris & Company
Founder Jesse Derris reps heavyweight firms like Oscar, Warby Parker, Related Companies and lululemon.
Crenshaw Communications
Tech vet Dorothy Crenshaw had a big year, with a bunch of blue-chip wins—think WeTransfer, AOL Platforms, appFigures…and Pabst Brewing.
Peppercomm
Peppercomm’s “where ROI meets F.U.N.” schtick can get a bit twee, but it’s hard to argue with $20 million in billings.
Brew Media Relations
Brooke Hammerling continues wooing and winning giants (Samsung, WordPress) and startups (Splice, Seedling).
Sparkpr
Been there, done that, seen it all since launching in 1999. Still going strong for clients like Skype and nvidia.
Hotwire
NYC office is strong piece of global network, with clients like Rakuten, GoPro and McAfee.
Real Estate
Quinn
This agency brings serious creative edge to work for such NYC real estate clients as Glenwood, Brodsky, Lefrak, Time Equities and Jamestown.
Geto & de Milly
Plugged-in agency with activist roots and clients like The New York Times building and Frank Gehry’s Spruce St. tower.
Zlokower
Solid, 30-plus-year-old agency with client roster spanning brokerage/developer/property management.
HWPR
Its real estate roster includes clients like Douglas Elliman Development Marketing and Related.
Great Ink
Clients include CBRE, RFR Realty and Mack Real Estate, and it has a presence in Long Island and Connecticut, too.
Relevance New York
The firm stays true to its name by making sure its New York clients (including YOTEL, Fendi Chateau and Robert A.M. Stern) get relevant exposure everywhere from Architectural Digest to the New York Post.
Beauty
Lippe Taylor
The firm specializes in marketing to women (Revlon, Elizabeth Arden) and then translates that expertise into campaigns for brands like Botox, Cetaphil and Drugstore.com.
NIKE Communications
Clarins, Art of Shaving and a portfolio of spas top the roster of this venerable luxury PR outfit.
Pierce Mattie
The agency’s relentless approach has helped its up-and-coming New York beauty clients get exposure in The New York Times, Vogue and Elle.
RED PR
Social-smart agency with insidery clients like Ouidad and Morgan Taylor Lacquer.
DNA
Hard Candy, Eylure, SinfulColors Professional and other serious consumer/pro beauty brands.
Health Care
Chandler Chicco Agency
Though it’s part of the inVentiv Health group now, Chandler Chicco still deserves a shout out for keeping nearly every big pharma name, from Allergan to Merck to Sanofi.
GCI Health
Having Mets legend Ron Darling market an oncology drug is just one way this firm puts its mantra “Let’s Do Something Different” into practice.
InVentiv Health
Any agency that has marketed 60 percent of all FDA-approved drugs over the last 5 years is definitely doing something right.
Centron
Promising to find “the truth” of brands is a tall order when hawking nose spray and bronchitis meds, but Centron has carved a comfortable niche.
Cooney Waters Unlimited
Despite the website’s
Arts and Culture
Sam Rudy Media Relations
Maybe Hamilton would have become a global sensation regardless, but Sam Rudy’s firm milked the show for all it’s worth.
Fitz & Co
Representing cultural institutions like CalArts, and heavyweight art fairs like Art Basel, the Fitz team knows which new artists are worth watching, and which pieces are worth buying.
Sutton PR
The firm lends its juice to many contemporary art museums—and presumably can help those clients get covered, since it reps ARTnews, too.
Polk & Company
NYC’s Roundabout Theatre Company, along with buzzy shows like The Color Purple and Misery, rely on these theater PR pros to keep the curtains up.
Blake Zidell & Associates
Discipline-spanning agency whose cool, high-low clients include St. Ann’s Warehouse, Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company and StoryCorps.
