North 6th Agency Opening ‘Night Owl” Media Specialist Position in 2017
North 6th Agency (N6A), based in the SoHo area of NYC, is creating a 10 p.m. to morning shift to keep their PR and social media efforts going around the clock, and they’re making the transition smooth when the day shift people arrive. It’s a new concept for most PR offices, and they are presenting this as part of their forward-thinking service for clients, N6A has deemed 2016 the “Year of the Customer,” and this ‘Night Owl’ position comes from various experiments they’ve done to meet that ideal. During June they tried the round-the-clock approach using current staff and shifting hours as needed while creating a temporary dedicated overnight shift that worked until sunrise.
The person hired in 2017 to fill the position will monitor overseas news, international media, breaking news, and overnight social media monitoring and content.
James Walker Named New VP at Ruder Finn
Ruder Finn hired a new U.S. corporate-group VP of social engagement and digital content – James Walker. He’s charged with overseeing social engagement and digital content for corporations represented by Ruder Finn. With history in digital infrastructure development, paid media placement, community management, and digital analytics, he’s the perfect fit. Walker will report to executive VP Keith Hughes and work with their in-house digital affiliate RFI Studios.
Rubenstein PR Becomes Agent for World Series of Fighting
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) signed Rubenstein PR as their representative in their promoter work for mixed martial arts. The WSOF is based in Las Vegas and they broadcast live events for NBC Sports – mainly on their sister network, NBCSN. For the first time, the WSOF has an event scheduled at Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve.
The event is possible because New York recently lifted their long-time ban on MMA gatherings. The December 31 series will not, however, be the first such bout at the Garden. Instead, the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Garden precedes it in November, hosting 20,000 fans. The MMAWC owns the WSOF
Blanc & Otus Brings in Tony Hynes as New CEO
The San Francisco tech PR firm Blanc & Otus (B&O) just hired Tony Hynes as chief executive officer, noting his 20+ years working in the communications and PR industry and serving such well-known clients as Ericsson, IBM, SAP, and Hewlett-Packard. He’ll also add his expertise to the role of VP at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, an affiliate of B&O. Past PR firms Hynes has worked include WPP’s North of Nine Communications, Bite Communications, and Weber Shandwick.
Edelman Loses Alison Dunning to Carmichael Lynch
Carmichael Lynch Relate (CLR) (formerly known as Spong) just brought Alison Dunning to their roster as a client services director and senior partner. She began in the new position in mid-October, focusing on ideas, quality control, and leading the agency’s client relationship team. CLR has seen tremendous growth recently both in clients and staff, hiring 20 new people this year alone.
Dunning’s work history includes her most recent post in the New York office of Edelman where she worked for three years as a senior vice president of consumer marketing. She started at Edelman in 2007 working as a senior account supervisor. Other PR experience includes Waggener Edstrom (now WE Communications) and a stint as PR manager at Kohl’s.