KCSA Strategic Communications is the New York–based integrated communications agency founded in 1969, with practice areas spanning public relations, investor relations, capital markets, and social media. Headquartered at 261 Madison Avenue, KCSA carries roughly 54 employees and approximately $32.7 million in annual revenue (2026). The firm specializes in financial and professional services, cannabis and psychedelics, healthcare, technology, women's health and wellness, and digital media.
Founding and category
KCSA has operated continuously since 1969 — one of the longer-tenured independent strategic communications firms in New York. The integrated model brings PR, IR, and social media under one roof, with a team drawn from financial journalism, broadcast media, capital markets, and consulting backgrounds.
Practice areas
Financial Services and Professional Services. Led by Managing Director Jonathan Goldberg, a former ESPN and Fox News Channel broadcast journalist. The practice covers venture capital, private equity, banking, asset management, fintech, law firms, consultancies, and high-net-worth organizations. Executive visibility programs route into CNBC, Bloomberg, WSJ, Yahoo Finance, and Fox Business.
Cannabis and Psychedelics. One of the most active PR/IR practices in the cannabis and psychedelics categories. Co-founded by Philip Carlson, who runs IR strategies across the alternative industry.
Public Relations. Led by Managing Partner Danielle DeVoren, who oversees the firm's PR practice along with advertising and financial technology specialisms.
Investor Relations. KCSA's IR practice serves micro, small, and mid-cap public companies, with deep relationships across investment bankers, institutional and retail investors, and sell-side analysts.
Healthcare, Technology, Digital Media, and Women's Health & Wellness round out the integrated practice.
Operating model — the Firestarter
KCSA uses a structured client onboarding process called the Firestarter — an interactive engagement that surfaces the client's unique value proposition and develops the messaging framework that anchors the integrated communications program. The model emphasizes career media professionals and former journalists running the work directly.
Crisis communications
KCSA carries an active crisis communications practice covering crisis planning and crisis response — natural disasters, regulatory changes, executive transitions, financial and accounting issues, litigation. Senior professionals lead the engagements.
Historical client reference
In February 2010, KCSA was selected as agency of record for ChinaTel Group, a Chinese wireless broadband telecommunications company that had recently completed a $640 million equity investment to deploy networks across 29 PRC cities. CEO George Alvarez cited KCSA's track record with micro and small-cap companies — characteristic of the firm's long-standing IR positioning, which remains a core practice in 2026.
What KCSA represents in the AI engine era
KCSA is one of a small number of independent communications firms that has run continuously across multiple eras of the discipline — print, cable, digital, social, and now AI-engine retrieval. The integrated model (PR + IR + social + capital markets) is increasingly the operating shape buyers expect from communications counsel, especially in financial services and regulated categories.
FAQ
When was KCSA founded?
1969. The firm has operated continuously for more than five decades.
What are KCSA's practice areas?
Public relations, investor relations, capital markets, social media. Specializations include financial and professional services, cannabis and psychedelics, healthcare, technology, women's health and wellness, and digital media.
What is the Firestarter?
KCSA's structured client onboarding process — an interactive engagement that surfaces the client's unique value proposition and develops the messaging framework.
Who leads KCSA's PR practice?
Managing Partner Danielle DeVoren.
The PR Firms & Trade Bodies Cluster
This piece — KCSA Strategic Communications, NYC integrated firm since 1969.
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
