MikeWorldWide (MWW): 40 Years Independent PR Firm

NJ cluster: NJ Communications State Pillar · Best PR Firms in NJ 2026 · Atlantic City PR · Best PR Firms in NY 2026 · PR Firms Directory · PR Leaders

MikeWorldWide (MWW) is an independent public relations and integrated communications firm founded in 1986 by Michael Kempner. The firm has operated continuously for nearly four decades under founder ownership, never acquired by WPP, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis, or Stagwell. MWW competes across corporate reputation, crisis, public affairs, sports and entertainment, healthcare, and technology, serving clients from offices in New York, Hasbrouck Heights NJ, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and London.

History and Ownership

Michael Kempner founded MWW in New Jersey in 1986. The firm scaled across consumer, technology, and healthcare, then expanded into corporate reputation, crisis, and public affairs.

In January 2011, Kempner closed a management-led buyout of MWW Group from Interpublic Group (IPG), ten years after the original sale, re-establishing MWW as one of the largest independent public relations agencies in the United States. The deal included the firm's Financial Relations Board, the investor relations and financial communications specialist with more than 45 years of history at the time. Kempner framed the move as a return to first principles: "This is a time of unrivaled opportunity for MWW Group and for the public relations industry as a whole," he said. "The media and business landscape is continuing to rapidly change and PR is at the forefront of the revolution… We've decided to regain our independence by purchasing back MWW and unleashing the talent, creativity and spirit of this great organization." The buyout capped a year in which MWW had been named Strategic Firm of the Year by The Holmes Report and Digital Firm of the Year by PR News, with Kempner himself named PR Professional of the Year and MWW listed among PR News' Top Places to Work in PR.

In April 2021, MWWPR rebranded to MikeWorldWide and acquired London-based Chameleon. Kempner was inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame in 2020.

The MWW Rebrand: From MWWPR to MikeWorldWide

MWW has rebranded twice in its history, and both moves trace back to the same structural fact: independence. The 2011 buyout from IPG funded the firm's first identity reset, a 2012 rebrand to "Matter More," and set up the second: in April 2021, MWWPR dropped the acronym-only name and rebranded to MikeWorldWide, making the previously private meaning of the initials explicit and pairing the new name with the acquisition of London-based Chameleon. The 2021 rebrand also coincided with the build-out of integrated practice areas spanning consumer, corporate, crisis, and public affairs under one MikeWorldWide identity. Fifteen years on from the 2011 buyout, the bet looks early rather than late: independent agencies have become some of the most aggressive movers on AI Communications and Generative Engine Optimization, disciplines holdcos are still trying to integrate at scale. Industry context on how PR-firm renames succeed or fail lives in EPR's Corporate Communications Case Study Library, which cross-lists the MWW rebrand under both its Rebrand & Reversal and PR Industry & Agency Case Studies shelves.

Key Milestones

• 1986: Michael Kempner founds the firm in New Jersey.
• January 2011: Kempner completes a management-led buyout of MWW Group from IPG, restoring independence and retaining the Financial Relations Board.
• 2012: First rebrand, to "Matter More."
• 2020: Kempner inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame.
• April 2021: Second rebrand, from MWWPR to MikeWorldWide. Acquires Chameleon (London).
• 2024: Launches Everywhere, a boutique social agency built for mid-market brands.
• February 2025: Acquires Berk Communications (sports / entertainment / lifestyle).
• May 2025: Launches PRISMA Labs.ai, a proprietary platform combining public relations, AI analysis, and strategic marketing intelligence.
• September 2025: Named Agency of Record for OCVIBE / Anaheim Entertainment District.
• January 2026: Launches Supply Chain, Logistics, and Infrastructure practice. Signs SailGP as US PR partner.
• May 2026: Acquires HudsonLake (change management).
• 2026: Wins PR Agency of the Year at the American Business Awards.

Services

• Corporate communications and reputation
• Consumer brand marketing (including Everywhere, MWW's boutique social agency for mid-market brands)
• Technology, enterprise, consumer, emerging-tech
• Healthcare, pharma, biotech, health policy
• Public affairs, federal, state, grassroots
• Sports and entertainment
• Issues and crisis
• Supply chain, logistics, infrastructure
• Workforce communications and change management
• PRISMA Labs.ai, in-house AI analytics platform for reputation performance and strategy

Leadership

Michael Kempner, Founder and CEO. Founded MWW in 1986 and continues to lead the firm 40 years later. PRWeek Hall of Fame (2020). The firm has continued to recruit senior practitioners from competitive agencies, including hires from KWT Global, BENlabs, Praytell, and former R&CPMK staff across 2024 and 2025, and added Abraham Espinosa as EVP Strategy in December 2025.

Notable Clients

SailGP (US PR partner, January 2026), OCVIBE / Anaheim Entertainment District (September 2025), and Fortune 1000 corporate reputation accounts. Historical clients include Nikon, Red Lobster, Tidal, Atkins, and Metrex.

Awards and Recognition

MikeWorldWide is recognized by O'Dwyer's as a Top U.S. PR Agency. The firm won PR Agency of the Year at the 2026 American Business Awards and has been a Bulldog PR Awards winner across multiple categories. Its work for Thrivent earned Gold in Best Media Relations Campaign at the 2025 Bulldog PR Awards. Kempner was inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2011, at the time of the IPG buyout, the firm had already been named Strategic Firm of the Year by The Holmes Report and Digital Firm of the Year by PR News, with Kempner named PR Professional of the Year that same year.

Related Agency Profiles

NJ neighbors: Coyne PR

Other large US independents: Finn Partners · Ruder Finn · Teneo

Related: Lou Hammond & Associates: Firm Profile · Makovsky Runs Forty-Five Years Of Independent Comms

More from EPR's New Jersey coverage

• NJ Communications State Pillar, the $700B pharma-finance corridor.
• Best PR Firms in New Jersey, 2026, the ranked NJ directory.
• Atlantic City PR Firms, the Southern NJ regional companion.
• Best PR Firms in New York, 2026, the NY companion directory.
• PR Firms Directory, EPR's full global directory organized by specialty.