Another shake-up in the entertainment PR landscape has come to pass as the majority of employees of R&CPMK have joined Michael Nyman’s that houses PR, marketing, brand, data and event specialty firms.
ACC has partnered with R&CPMK chief Cindi Berger to create PMK Entertainment, a new entertainment PR brand with a nod to the companies’ roots under Pat Kingsley, the famed personal publicity maven who was an indie powerhouse with a roster of top stars in the 1980s and ’90s. R&CPMK more recently has handled corporate clients as well as stars.
The union with Berger’s operation marks a full circle moment for Nyman, ACC founder and CEO, who was previously chairman and CEO of R&CPMK after a long career that included his partnership in Bragman Nyman Cafarelli. He stepped down in 2018 to begin building a hand-picked portfolio of specialty labels with the goal of serving a wider range of client needs, from PR and marketing to brand deals and from data to live events.
LISTEN: Accelerate the Positive: Michael Nyman Builds a House of Specialty Marketing and Communications Firms (‘Strictly Business’ Podcast)
There was no acquisition per se. R&CPMK parent company Interpublic Group is in the midst of what is sure to be a complex merger and integration with fellow advertising giant Omnicom. It’s likely that R&CPMK wasn’t core enough to IPG’s earnings to warrant going through the merger process. So the chance to transition the bulk of the business to ACC was likely a welcome offramp for IPG. But it also reflects the general volatility in the entertainment PR landscape as no money changed hands.
ACC has taken on 77 R&CPMK staffers in total addition to a majority of that agency’s clients, per Nyman and Berger. Berger will be CEO of PMK Entertainment. That label will include a 35-person team, with R&C veteran Alan Nierob serving as president. Within IPG, meanwhile, the Rogers & Cowan label will endure as a PR firm serving entertainment and sports clients, the company said.
PMK Entertainment’s client roster includes Antoine Fuqua, Billy Bob Thorton, Billy Crystal, Billie Jean King, Casey Wasserman, CJ Entertainment, Denzel Washington, Donnie Yen, Eddie Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Jeff Daniels, Jeremy Renner, Jerry Bruckheimer, Judith Light, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Richard Gere, Rob Lowe, Sam Levinson, the Grammy Awards, Tribeca Festival, The Paley Center, the Rooftop at Pier 17, Edge and Vessel at Hudson Yards, Angel Studios, the X Games, and Colossal Biosciences, among others.
“When IPG was evaluating their portfolio, it was decided that this company wasn’t going to be the right fit,” Berger told Variety. “I called Michael Nyman about joining ACC. I presented it to IPG and they were supportive. Michael fully embraced it. He saw it as a great opportunity for the ACC network and its model of specialization.”
Nyman emphasized that PMK Entertainment’s size and scope of business in entertainment PR fills a void in the collection of capabilities that he’s been assembling since 2019.
“This is a unique situation and an incredible opportunity to bring in an incredible management team along with these clients. Most of R&CPMK will be absorbed into ACC business operations with everything residing in Manhattan and Century City,” Nyman told Variety.
In addition to the formation of PMK Entertainment, about 20 R&CPMK alums will join ACC’s in-house brand and marketing consulting firm Advisory. Another 22 staffers will join DKC, which focuses on brands and corporate clients in business-to-business communications as well as business-to-consumer messaging. ACC acquired DKC last year.
”These extraordinary companies fit seamlessly within DKC’s expansive and growing portfolio of lifestyle, media, technology, entertainment and sports brands,” said Sean Cassidy, CEO of DKC. “We have always admired the talent of the R&CPMK team and look forward to this exciting next chapter together.”
Nierob, a respected industry veteran, said the mix of disciplines within PMK Entertainment and the broader ACC group of firms should make all of the brands more valuable to clients.
“When Rogers & Cowan launched, they were the first company to house entertainment and corporate clients,” Nierob said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the next generation of brand marketing, public relations and entertainment. It’s an exciting opportunity for both our clients and our entire staff.”
With the addition of R&CPMK, the ACC group now has about 620 employees in total.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
