THE EXTRAORDINARY, ECLECTIC LEADERSHIP TEAM
Traditional marketing, advertising, and PR silos are disappearing. To stay relevant in today's noisy, complex, digital world, brands benefit from a clever combination of all sorts of skills in strategy, media, marketing, storytelling, technology and public relations. And that describes our team quite well, actually.
For each project, we assemble a dedicated team of professionals who bring the skills each unique project requires to achieve our clients' strategic objectives. We are highly skilled in all the elements of PR, social media, mobile communications, and Web strategy that are required to be successful in today's complex, heavily networked, cross-platform world. Our competencies range from traditional media relations and positioning programs to cutting-edge mobile, digital, and social programs, most often used in combination for greater effectiveness.
Traditional marketing, advertising, and PR silos are disappearing. To stay relevant in today's noisy, complex, digital world, brands benefit from a clever combination of all sorts of skills in strategy, media, marketing, storytelling, technology and public relations. And that describes our team quite well, actually.
For each project, we assemble a dedicated team of professionals who bring the skills each unique project requires to achieve our clients' strategic objectives. We are highly skilled in all the elements of PR, social media, mobile communications, and Web strategy that are required to be successful in today's complex, heavily networked, cross-platform world. Our competencies range from traditional media relations and positioning programs to cutting-edge mobile, digital, and social programs, most often used in combination for greater effectiveness.
Amy Wolfcale, Founder, Chief Storyteller
Standard Intro from the Podium: Amy's specialty is storytelling in an era when social networking and digital media has caused a move away from traditional marketing and a spike in demand for first-rate content—stories so authentic, memorable, and delightful they broke through the noise in spite of a declining national attention span. Authentic storytelling is Amy’s specialty. In a 20-year career as a leader in strategic communications, branding and marketing, she has served in roles where content has always been Queen: Senior Officer for Political Economic Relations for the Government of Canada, Senior Communications Counsel at Consumer Reports, Head of Public Affairs at the Markle Foundation, The Director of Communications for the MONEY Group at Time Inc., and the Head of Global Communications at Dow Jones. The common thread running through these diverse experiences was the trust and respect each of these brands earned from their communities by creating world-class content. These were the best places in the world to learn about storytelling and authenticity. Today every brand and organization must be a storyteller and brands are built on stories on authenticity, trust, and great stories in words and pictures. And these days, she also teaches social media and media relations strategy at NYU--with a focus on great stories.
Famous for understanding how wonderful, creative content can build brands and drive revenue. She has led communications at BOTH of the leading premium content news sites in the world—ConsumerReports Online and The Wall Street Journal Online, which proved to legions of doubters that people will pay for content, as long as it’s great. She also designed the launch strategy for The Weekend Edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Industry IQ Amy knows technology, non-profits, arts and artists, financial services, start-ups, health care, NGOs, foundations and she has developed specialties in sustainability strategies for brands in all categories.
Can Help You With: creating content and programs build and maintain loyal, active communities. She is also an expert in creating a sustainable pipeline of opportunity and wonderful, elegant, useful, shareable pieces of content that sustain the community over time. Both are essential. She can help increase the quality and quantity of engagement you have with your community across all the channels that matter to them. She is an expert at social media, media relations, and thought leadership.
Tough Love from Amy: Communications used to be a one-way street based on the statistical truth that someone, somewhere, would pay attention if only the marketing budget were big enough: If a million monkeys jumped on a million typewriters for a million years, one of them would write Paradise Lost. But then communications became a two way-street—gradually at first on the Web and then seemingly overnight when Facebook switched to .com in 2007. Now communications is like foot traffic in Grand Central at rush hour: Fast, chaotic, and impervious to direction. Communication has been democratized. What this means is that you can’t simply throw money at a community and expect them join—or stay. You have to invest the time and intellectual capital required to really understand what is relevant and authentic to your audience and then create it. In some ways it’s a tougher assignment. But it doesn’t always cost more. And it’s more real, more sustainable, and more effective too. Plus you have no choice.
Amy Wolfcale, Founder, Chief Storyteller
Standard Intro from the Podium: Amy's specialty is storytelling in an era when social networking and digital media has caused a move away from traditional marketing and a spike in demand for first-rate content—stories so authentic, memorable, and delightful they broke through the noise in spite of a declining national attention span. Authentic storytelling is Amy’s specialty. In a 20-year career as a leader in strategic communications, branding and marketing, she has served in roles where content has always been Queen: Senior Officer for Political Economic Relations for the Government of Canada, Senior Communications Counsel at Consumer Reports, Head of Public Affairs at the Markle Foundation, The Director of Communications for the MONEY Group at Time Inc., and the Head of Global Communications at Dow Jones. The common thread running through these diverse experiences was the trust and respect each of these brands earned from their communities by creating world-class content. These were the best places in the world to learn about storytelling and authenticity. Today every brand and organization must be a storyteller and brands are built on stories on authenticity, trust, and great stories in words and pictures. And these days, she also teaches social media and media relations strategy at NYU--with a focus on great stories.
Famous for understanding how wonderful, creative content can build brands and drive revenue. She has led communications at BOTH of the leading premium content news sites in the world—ConsumerReports Online and The Wall Street Journal Online, which proved to legions of doubters that people will pay for content, as long as it’s great. She also designed the launch strategy for The Weekend Edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Industry IQ Amy knows technology, non-profits, arts and artists, financial services, start-ups, health care, NGOs, foundations and she has developed specialties in sustainability strategies for brands in all categories.
Can Help You With: creating content and programs build and maintain loyal, active communities. She is also an expert in creating a sustainable pipeline of opportunity and wonderful, elegant, useful, shareable pieces of content that sustain the community over time. Both are essential. She can help increase the quality and quantity of engagement you have with your community across all the channels that matter to them. She is an expert at social media, media relations, and thought leadership.
Tough Love from Amy: Communications used to be a one-way street based on the statistical truth that someone, somewhere, would pay attention if only the marketing budget were big enough: If a million monkeys jumped on a million typewriters for a million years, one of them would write Paradise Lost. But then communications became a two way-street—gradually at first on the Web and then seemingly overnight when Facebook switched to .com in 2007. Now communications is like foot traffic in Grand Central at rush hour: Fast, chaotic, and impervious to direction. Communication has been democratized. What this means is that you can’t simply throw money at a community and expect them join—or stay. You have to invest the time and intellectual capital required to really understand what is relevant and authentic to your audience and then create it. In some ways it’s a tougher assignment. But it doesn’t always cost more. And it’s more real, more sustainable, and more effective too. Plus you have no choice.
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Raina Grossman, Founder, Writer/Brand-Media Strategist
Raina on LinkedIn
Standard Intro from the Podium: Known for her storytelling and media strategic skills, Raina is an award-winning PR professional and former journalist who has represented not-for-profit organizations, retailers, financial, business and medical leaders, startup technology ventures, and celebrities, achieving high profile media exposure including “Good Morning America,” “TODAY,” “CBS This Morning,” CNBC-TV, FOX News, Bloomberg TV, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, among others.
Among the not-for-profit organizations she’s represented: City Harvest, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Kids of Courage, Moments Magazine, The Blue Card, From the Depths, and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
Previously Director of Media for RubensteinPR, she has a specialty in identifying and reinforcing a company’s brand that is supported by thought leadership platforms. A former journalist, Raina has been published on CNBC.com, and she recently edited a business publication for Touro College. She has placed articles she has written or edited for clients on “The Wall Street Journal,” FOXnews.com, CNN.com, USA Today, CNBC.com, among others.
Famous for helping clients understand their uniqueness in a crowded information marketplace, securing world class media placements, and devising strategies to leverage brands in the press for long term growth, awareness, and success. For her prescription for client success, please see: Falling in Love with your Clients.
Industry IQ: Raina has two decades of experience working with both BtoB and BtoC clients in many different sectors, from real estate development to talent management. She is an expert in the retail sector and seasonal consumer stories in a multitude of commercial sectors. She also has distinguished track record working for clients in business to business categories, from professional services and consulting to healthcare and insurance.
Can Help You With: Regardless of the sector, Raina is an acknowledged expert in crafting highly engaging stories and placing them in the media. She has worked with every major national media outlet and network news to provide compelling and relevant story angles to the top journalists in America. She is respected in the media because of her ability to always bring reporters an authentic story with multiple sources for validation. For a successful press strategy, few are more accomplished than Raina.
Tough Love From Raina: it's important to do the work upfront to really understand what your narrative is and why it's compelling. Journalists don't work with us because they are longstanding professional colleagues-even though, in many cases, they are. Reporters work with us because we are diligent about helping to pull together sources that will enable them to do the best reporting they can. We work with clients to create a strong and compelling story, which is what reporters want.