Derris & Company: The PR Company That Does No PR Or Branding
Derris & Company was founded in 2013 by Jesse Derris and is based in New York City but also has an office in San Francisco. They are a full-service public relations and communications agency that focuses on strong branding and more. On their website, they say, “We are defined by our dual-pronged approach: first, we help clients shape their message, and then we help them communicate to both consumer and business press. We are industry and stage agnostic, and only work with people, companies, and causes that we believe in.”
Derris & Company Leadership and Clients
Jesse Derris founded the company and just in case you wanted to know, he brings his dog with him into the office most days. One journalist, who likes to work with Jesse, said: “He’s respectful of my time and gives me personalized pitches.”
Jesse married Jordana Kier not that long ago. Jordana is the founder and owner of LOLA, a company that makes and sells all natural feminine products. Jesse also seems to be popular with media contacts as an expert in branding, so there are several interviews about that topic with him.
Clients represented by Derris & Company include several celebrities, fast-growing disruptive companies that are beginning to make their mark – in great part because of the work done by Derris & Company. Some of the clients they represent include Harry’s, Warby Parker, Demi Lovato, lululemon, Everlane, and Reformation.
Derris & Company Perks and Problems
Free lunch on Thursdays and diverse client base. Top-notch perks and benefits program. Some people on Glass Door mentioned there being some problems with clickishness, drama, and other workers looking for problems even when making positive comments.
Getting a Job at Derris & Company
Jobs there can be working in fashion and lifestyle, writing, media, and PR. Employees, including interns, may participate in proposal meetings, product launches, shoots, and events. The work includes tracking and stocking their sample inventory, follow-up calls, working on press materials and media lists, monitoring media, archiving articles, and various types of online and print research.
Interns at Derris & Company are there for college credit without a paycheck. They have about 50 employees most of the time. Check out the current openings at http://derris.com/jobs/.
Miscellaneous
When they work with new companies and startups, they often will accept a small portion of ownership in the company in lieu of some of their fee. But earlier this year, they went one step farther to help raise funds to invest in a startup called Amity Supply … $10 million was raised by them for that purpose.
Derris & Company is known for representing many tech companies and yet don’t seem to hold a lot of real estate in social media tech items. They have an Instagram account, but it is private and shows no posts. Instead, Jesse Derris has an Instagram account posting his personal life pictures.
The company website is minimalist in the extreme. The Home page only has the name of the company and two other options … “About” and “Jobs.” Both of those continue the pattern. The About page has one paragraph about the company and then the contact information. The Jobs page lists current jobs they want to fill (mainly internships currently) and the contact information. That is the extent of their company website.
