JConnelly: New York Financial PR Firm and Agency Profile

JConnelly is a New York integrated communications and digital media agency founded in March 2003 by Jennifer Connelly as JCPR and rebranded as JConnelly in March 2016. Connelly is founder and co-CEO alongside co-founder Carol Graumann, James (Jaime) Doyle is president, and its AdvisorPR division, acquired in January 2021, focuses on wealth-management PR. Wealth Solutions Report has named JConnelly to its IMAGE 5 list of top wealth management agency storytellers.

Originally published July 2016. Updated November 2, 2026.

In this profile

1. What are the key facts about JConnelly?
2. Who founded and leads JConnelly?
3. What is JConnelly's history?
4. What is AdvisorPR?
5. What does JConnelly do?
6. Which clients has JConnelly worked with?
7. What recognition has JConnelly received?
8. What is the latest JConnelly news?
9. How does JConnelly compare with other financial PR firms?

Who founded and leads JConnelly?

Jennifer Connelly founded the agency in 2003 and is founder and co-CEO. Leaders magazine says she appeared on PR News' Top Women in PR list five times and was named one of NJBIZ's 50 Best Women in Business. A December 22, 2023 PR Newswire release announced that Doyle was promoted to president and Graumann returned as co-CEO, and said Doyle had been instrumental in growing the financial services and fintech divisions. At the time of the AdvisorPR deal, Ray Hennessey was president and CEO and Connelly's title was executive committee chair and artist-in-chief, per NJBIZ.

Person	Role	Source
Jennifer Connelly	Founder and co-CEO	PR Newswire; O'Dwyer's
Carol Graumann	Co-founder; co-CEO since December 2023	PR Newswire
James (Jaime) Doyle	President since December 2023	PR Newswire
Jami Schlicher	Chief strategy officer since October 2024; joined the agency fifteen years earlier	PR Newswire, October 8, 2024
Mathew Murchison	Chief financial officer	O'Dwyer's
Alana Kohl	Executive vice president; founder of AdvisorPR	NJBIZ; O'Dwyer's

The Schlicher release quotes Connelly saying she had worked with Schlicher for fifteen years. Schlicher had served as managing director, overseeing strategy and management for high-profile clients and crisis engagements, before taking the chief strategy role to spearhead innovation and mentor client service teams. A later release quotes Doyle saying nearly 30 percent of staff had been with the agency over a decade.

What is JConnelly's history?

O'Dwyer's reported on March 7, 2016 that JCPR rebranded as JConnelly, its first rebrand since 2003. Leaders magazine says the agency was voted a Best Place to Work every year since 2011 and that Forbes named it to its 2021 America's Best PR Agencies list. Yespress says the Bulldog PR Awards named it 2016 Financial Agency of the Year and gave it a 2017 mid-size agency bronze and a 2021 Most Innovative Agency bronze. The agency marked its 20th anniversary in 2023.

Date	Event	Source
March 2003	Founded as JCPR	Yespress
March 7, 2016	JCPR rebrands as JConnelly	O'Dwyer's
January 28, 2021	Acquires AdvisorPR	PR Newswire; NJBIZ
December 22, 2023	20th anniversary; Doyle named president and Graumann returns as co-CEO	PR Newswire
October 8, 2024	Jami Schlicher promoted to chief strategy officer	PR Newswire
August 5, 2025	Named to Wealth Solutions Report's IMAGE 5 top wealth management agency storytellers	Wealth Solutions Report
May 2026	Named again to the fourth annual IMAGE 5 list	Wealth Solutions Report

Leaders magazine dated the AdvisorPR deal to 2020, while PR Newswire and NJBIZ give January 2021, so the 2021 date is used here.

What is AdvisorPR?

NJBIZ reported that AdvisorPR, a boutique PR and marketing company for wealth management firms, founded in 2005 and based in Las Vegas, would operate as a division of JConnelly's financial practice group under founder Alana Kohl. JConnelly's January 28, 2021 announcement described AdvisorPR as helping clients grow their businesses through packaged, turnkey PR programs. Hennessey said the acquisition would augment strong organic growth. O'Dwyer's lists Kohl as an executive vice president of JConnelly.

What does JConnelly do?

O'Dwyer's lists media relations, brand marketing and communications, corporate communications, corporate reputation, digital and social strategy, experiential marketing, video, events, book launch campaigns, crisis management and content creation. The firm's boilerplate adds a specialized division addressing complex issues and unique situations.

• Financial services and wealth-management PR, including through AdvisorPR
• Corporate communications and reputation
• Crisis and issues management
• Digital, social, video and content creation
• Executive and personal brand programs, including book launches

EPR's financial PR guide and what a financial PR firm does explain the discipline, and the financial services PR section covers the sector. JConnelly does not publish a rate card, per Yespress.

Which clients has JConnelly worked with?

Client	Category	Source
BetaNXT, Betterment, Envestnet	Wealth technology and platforms	O'Dwyer's; Wealth Solutions Report
Creative Planning, Fiduciary Trust International, CAZ Investments	Wealth management	O'Dwyer's
DoubleLine, Kayne Anderson Rudnick, Virtus Investment Partners, Pictet Group	Asset management	O'Dwyer's
CIM Group, Elevation Point	Real estate and investment	O'Dwyer's
Clare Locke, TeamSnap	Law and technology	O'Dwyer's

These are clients reported by O'Dwyer's and trade press, not a current roster, so confirm references with the agency.

What recognition has JConnelly received?

Year	Recognition	Source
2025 and 2026	Wealth Solutions Report IMAGE 5: top wealth management agency storytellers	Wealth Solutions Report
2023	Wealth Solutions Report IMAGE 10: top 10 wealth management marketing and communications agencies	Wealth Solutions Report
2021	Forbes and Statista America's Best PR Agencies; Bulldog PR Awards Most Innovative Agency bronze	Leaders magazine; Yespress
2017	Bulldog PR Awards mid-size agency bronze	Yespress
2016	Bulldog PR Awards Financial Agency of the Year	Yespress
Since 2011	Best Places to Work, per the firm's boilerplate	PR Newswire

What is the latest JConnelly news?

Date	News	Source
May 2026	Named again to Wealth Solutions Report's IMAGE 5 list, with Envestnet's corporate communications leader praising the agency's strategic counsel	Wealth Solutions Report
August 5, 2025	Named to the 2025 IMAGE 5 list of top wealth management agency storytellers	Wealth Solutions Report
October 8, 2024	Jami Schlicher promoted to chief strategy officer	PR Newswire
December 22, 2023	Doyle appointed president; Graumann rejoins as co-CEO during the 20th anniversary	PR Newswire

EPR updates this table when JConnelly announces a client win, promotion or award.

How does JConnelly compare with other financial PR firms?

JConnelly is an independent, mid-sized firm with a stronger focus on wealth management and advisers than large deal-driven firms. Compare it with Stanton, Prosek Partners and Vested. EPR's New York PR firms page covers the market.

Firm	Focus	EPR profile
Stanton	Financial and corporate communications	Stanton
Prosek Partners	Financial services PR	Prosek Partners
Vested	Financial communications	Vested

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