The biggest public relations firms based in Orange County combined to employ 416 staffers as of July, a 7.5% year-over-year increase.
Thirteen of the 37 companies on this week’s Business Journal list added workers in the past 12 months, 15 kept their number of employees steady, and six cut jobs. Employee counts for another three firms are Business Journal estimates.
n The Brand AMP retained the No. 1 spot in the rankings, which are based on employee counts. It hired six employees since the firm’s split from Roswell, Ga.-based Leader Enterprises Inc. in January 2013. The hires accounted for a 25% increase, and the firm now has 30 workers at its headquarters in Seal Beach.
“We’ve stayed consistent with a model where we add staff as we add business, so we’ve been fortunate enough to land some significant number of new accounts since last year,” said Marc Altieri, who cofounded the firm with former Leader colleagues Todd Brooks and Charley Fitzwilliam. “In 2013, we came on board with [Qualcomm Technologies Inc.], an obviously significant piece of business for us. And that’s something we’ve been able to maintain into this year.”
The agency also added a number of clients, including the National Hot Rod Association, VOXX International Corp. and Gimbal Inc. It expanded services for others, such as El Segundo-based DirecTV, to include social media management.
“We’ve always believed that social media resides under” the PR umbrella, Altieri said. “There is often a debate. People think, ‘No, it’s its own thing; no, it’s marketing.’ We think it’s a pure form of PR. With PR, you’re communicating messaging to consumers through the media. In social media, you’re just taking the media, the middle man, out of it, and now you’re communicating the messaging directly to the consumer.”
HKA
n Hilary Kaye, president of HKA Inc. Marketing Communications in Tustin, encountered a similar debate at a recent PR-related event, where one of her peers said she switched to social media from PR.
“I was amazed that this woman would draw this distinction as if we are in different industries,” Kaye said. “Everything is so integrated these days … and then leveraged for the maximum effect.”
HKA moved up three places to No. 7 on the list with the addition of one employee to its 13-member staff.
n Echo Media Group in Tustin held even from last year with 15 employees, dropping one spot to No. 6.
“2014 brought in some exciting new clients for Echo Media Group, including Baldwin Hardware, NovaWurks and Concordia University,” said Kim Sherman, the agency’s founder and managing principal. “Our clients look to us to handle everything from traditional media relations, to social media campaigns, event management and marketing communications.”
n Newport Beach-based Brower, Miller & Cole leaped 12 spots to No. 9. It hired four employees—a 50% year-over-year increase in its staffing levels—which adds up to a total of 12.
‘“In the last year, [we] added a number of new clients in Orange County, San Diego and Los Angeles, including Passco Companies, Lone Oak Fund, Pivotal Capital Group, Ryman Arts, MG Properties Group and Summit Funding Group,” among others, Judith Brower Fancher, the firm’s chief executive, said in an email. “Based on this rapid increase in business, we have opened a second location in Century City.”
n Bluetone Marketing & Public Relations in Ladera Ranch hired an account executive, copywriter and business development specialist. The agency now has 12 employees—a 33% increase in staff from a year ago— and was tied for No. 9 on the list.
“We just renewed (our contract) for another 12-month period from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment for Beforeplay.org, an initiative to reduce unintended pregnancy throughout the state,” said Jonathan Abramson, the firm’s president and founder. “We are getting a lot of Bay-area tech startups and crowdfunding campaigns since we were highlighted on some national case studies for our work on the I-Hear Medical campaign, which led to $300,000 in funding for a unique hearing aid.
n Irvine-based Morgan Marketing & Public Relations hired two employees since last year and moved up four spots to share the No. 9 spot with Bluetone, Brower and three other agencies.
The agency, which specializes in the restaurant, luxury and retail industries, expanded its client roster with national brands, including Del Taco, Hawaiian Host, Juice It Up!, and Two Madres Mexican Kitchen. It was also contracted to plan and implement large-scale projects for Black Angus Steakhouse and BRIO Tuscan Grille, which recently opened at the Irvine Spectrum Center.
n Bolt Public Relations in Irvine also hired two staffers, for a total of 12 employees; Frank Wilson & Associates in San Juan Capistrano held steady at 12; and Corona-based Gold PR, a newcomer to the list that conducts most of its business in Orange County, also had 12 workers, up two from a year ago.
