A movie might come from Hollywood, a play from London, a pop smash from Seoul. But let’s face it; much of the PR around them still bursts forth from the Big Apple. With N.Y. as its center in mind, here are our choices for 2018’s most notable PR firms in entertainment and media. For more on the nine agencies that top this list, check them out on our main PR Power 50.
Subscribe to Observer’s Daily Newsletter
Speaking of that, definitely spend some time with the PR Power 50, our yearly effort (which takes, pretty much, the entire year to put together) honoring the 50 PR firms that we feel have made the biggest, most exciting moves over the course of 2018.
The Lede Company
Just six months after defecting from 42West, the three power publicists behind The Lede Company have built a megawatt client list including Rihanna, Lady Gaga, pharrell, The Skimm and PepsiCo. The firm’s launch is one of the year’s major success stories—and one of the most talked-about industry developments of 2018. Read more about The Lede Company in this year’s PR Power 50, in which the firm took home our No. 2 overall ranking.
DKC
DKC’s explosive growth story this year covers all the bases—including account wins like BMW, Etsy, Skullcandy, Bloomberg, Boar’s Head, and Pinterest—while the firm’s ever-broadening business base includes a wide swath of entertainment and media clients, including theater through its O&M division. Read more about DKC in this year’s PR Power 50
PMK-BNC
“Cultural relevance” is PMK-BMC’s mantra, and that wasn’t hyperbole in 2018, with clients including five #1 debut pop albums, a dozen #1 singles, a half-dozen top- grossing concert tours, and a quintet of Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame acts. The firm also works with heavyweight brands like American Express Platinum and Soundcloud, along with nonprofits like the Human Rights Campaign. Read more about PMK-BNC in this year’s PR Power 50
Sunshine Sachs
Tech and business clients may have propelled Sunshine Sachs this year, but its usual raft of huge names in entertainment include Roku, and the Golden Globes and Grammys remain stalwart clients. Read more about Sunshine Sachs in this year’s PR Power 50
42West
42West ended the year on a high note, with triumphant press for Season Two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—and a faux-Carnegie Deli pop-up inspired by the show. Along with heaps of film and television clients, Leslee Dart’s firm also worked with the Women’s March and March for Our Lives, along with other cause-related endeavors. Read more about 42 West in this year’s PR Power 50
Polk and Company
For a dark-horse musical to win a Tony Award is a big deal, and Matt Polk’s firm helped make that happen for The Band’s Visit with a brilliant marketing campaign. Polk and Company’s stellar year also included applause-worthy clients like The Prom, Apologia, The Lifespan of a Fact, and Network. Read more about Polk and Company in this year’s PR Power 50
High10 Media
High10’s bread and butter has been media clients like The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, Telemundo, NatGeo Channel, Starz, and other blue-chip brands. After a year that saw expansion into LA and Nashville, founder Lisa Dallos is also broadening business to service tech, healthcare, financial services, and more. . Read more about High10 in this year’s PR Power 50
Boneau/Bryan-Brown
It’s hugely impressive that Boneau/Bryan-Brown reps mega-Broadway productions like King Kong, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, SpongeBob Squarepants, andMean Girls, but its 25-year relationship with the Atlantic Theatre Company also deserves an ovation. Read more about Boneau/Bryan-Brown in this year’s PR Power 50
Nasty Little Man
Just give a listen to Nasty Little Man’s clients: Thom Yorke, LCD Soundsystem, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, U2. And founder Steve Martin will always be able to boast that the Beastie Boys named an album after the phone greeting at his firm. Read more about Nasty Little Man in this year’s PR Power 50
Press Shop PR
Leah Paulos’ tiny firm keeps punching way above its weight, giving books and authors— many with political orientations—a global spotlight. This year’s hits included Jason Stanley’s How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, Amanda Marcotte’s Troll Nation, and Brian VandeMark’s Road to Disaster.
ShoreFire Media
2018 was a record year for venerable ShoreFire, whose longtime clients include Mount Rushmore-ready artists Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Elvis Costello, along with whippersnappers like Kesha, Citizen Cope and Odesza. The Brooklyn-rooted firm opened an L.A. office this year, but did its home borough proud by promoting the Brooklyn Museum’s iteration of “David Bowie Is.” ShoreFire also continues to rep players on the business side of music, including ASCAP and Downtown Music Publishing.
8VA Music Consultancy
One of the planet’s few PR firms specializing in classical music, 8VA deserves an ovation for mellifluous work on clients like Lang Lang, The Cliburn, organist Cameron Carpenter, Anne Akiko Meyers, more. Bonus fact to make you smarter: 8VA also means a “musical notation used to instruct the musician to play the note an octave higher than written.”
The Peggy Siegal Company
Peggy Siegal’s as much of a legend as the stars whose movies she markets. The Hollywood Reporter runs entire stories on her Valentine’s Day cards (Atomic Blonde was the 2018 theme), NY Mag gushes over her beauty routine, and the NYT praises her parties. Maybe because of things like this: for her 70th birthday, she published her own guide to NYC plastic surgeons.
The Press Room
They only launched in October—so why is The Press Room here? Check out its current clients list: ubiquitous Elaine May vehicle The Waverly Gallery, Steinem bio-play Gloria: A Life, The Wooster Group, Shakespeare’s Globe, and The Book of Mormon. Formerly with Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Press Room’s co-founder is Jim Byk (more recently, he toiled alongside Press Room co-founder Shane Marshall Brown at Sam Rudy’s Broadway shop). If this is what they’ve built in three months, we can’t wait for act two in 2019.
