Brownstein Group: Philadelphia Independent Agency Profile

Originally published June 2018. Updated October 14, 2026.

What is Brownstein Group?

Brownstein Group is a Philadelphia independent agency network founded in 1964 by Berny Brownstein, with Born and Raised, Red Thread PR and Nucleus Digital among its agencies. It offers brand strategy, advertising, public relations and digital services, and calls itself one of the longest-running independent agencies in the United States.

How did Brownstein Group start?

Berny Brownstein started the agency in 1964 from his home, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, to bring Madison Avenue creativity to Philadelphia. His son Marc Brownstein joined in 1989, persuaded his father to rename it the Brownstein Group, and steered it from local retail clients to regional and national accounts. EPR's earlier profile spelled the founder's name Benny and dated Marc's arrival to 1990.

The firm opened Fingerprint Interactive in 1999, which Marc Brownstein described as the first digital marketing agency in Philadelphia.

Who leads Brownstein Group?

Marc Brownstein is president and CEO. In a succession plan reported by the Philadelphia Business Journal, the agency named Erin Allsman, a senior vice president of public relations and social media who joined in 2007, as its first managing director and the heir apparent, the first non-family member in that role. The agency was to stay family owned but eventually move away from family leadership.

What is Born and Raised and how is the network organized?

In October 2025 Brownstein Group relaunched its advertising agency as Born and Raised, as part of what it calls a house of brands strategy, Business Wire reported. The network now includes Born and Raised, Red Thread PR, Nucleus Digital and Poster Child.

Red Thread PR launched in 2022 as an independent specialty PR agency under managing director Emanuel, a 15-year veteran of the group, per a Business Wire release. At that time the network was listed as Brownstein, Red Thread PR, Nucleus Digital and Studio215.

Which clients and awards does Brownstein Group list?

The agency's Philadelphia Ad Club listing names IKEA USA, Comcast Xfinity, DuPont Sorona, TruGreen, The GIANT Company, ACI Speedpay, NJM Insurance Group and Saint-Gobain North America, and says Brownstein was Ad Age's 2018 Small Agency of the Year and a 2019 PRNEWS Small Public Relations Firm of the Year finalist. EPR's earlier profile also listed eBay, ESPN and Western Union and a 2014 Ad Age Best Place to Work, which are not re-confirmed here.

How does Brownstein Group compare with other Philadelphia PR firms?

Brownstein is an advertising-led network with a PR arm, whereas firms such as Buchanan PR and Maven Communications are PR-first. See EPR's Philadelphia PR firms list and the PR agency profiles directory.

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Related: Philadelphia PR firms · PR agency profiles directory · Buchanan PR · Maven Communications