Rubenstein PR: Richard Rubenstein's Independent NYC Boutique

Rubenstein Public Relations (RPR) is the independent New York PR firm founded by Richard Rubenstein in 2005. Twenty years independent. One of the larger boutique firms in NYC focused on real estate, financial services, luxury consumer, and corporate PR. Distinct from the legacy Rubenstein firm founded by his father, Howard Rubenstein.

Overview

Rubenstein Public Relations (RPR) is an independent New York City communications agency led by Richard Rubenstein, President. The firm operates across brand messaging, media relations, reputation management, crisis communications, thought leadership positioning, and digital marketing for clients in real estate and hospitality, financial services, technology, luxury and consumer brands, beauty and wellness, entertainment, education, healthcare, social impact, and nonprofit organizations.

RPR is a separate firm from Rubenstein (formerly Rubenstein Associates / Rubenstein Communications), the legacy firm founded by Howard Rubenstein in 1954 and now led by Steven Rubenstein. The two firms share Rubenstein family heritage but operate independently with separate clients, leadership, and editorial direction. See the legacy Rubenstein firm profile and the Howard Rubenstein legacy piece.

History

Richard Rubenstein founded RPR in 2005 after separating from his father's firm. He built the operation around a boutique service model, senior practitioner involvement on every account, direct principal access for clients, and the operating tempo that boutique firms can deliver but holding-company agencies typically cannot.

The firm has grown to approximately 30–50 staff over two decades and operates as one of the larger boutique independent PR firms in New York focused on real estate and corporate PR for mid-market clients. The independence has been sustained through a market period in which most independent firms of comparable size were acquired by holding companies or absorbed into larger independent platforms.

The Rubenstein name is one of the firm's most significant assets. The recognition the name carries in New York real estate and corporate circles, built over six decades of Howard Rubenstein's work at the original firm, gives RPR a brand position that comparable boutique firms have to build from scratch. RPR has navigated the shared-name dynamic with the legacy Rubenstein firm through clear positioning differentiation and a distinct boutique service mix.

Leadership: Richard Rubenstein

Richard Rubenstein serves as President and CEO. He is a third-generation communications strategist. He has been recognized on multiple industry power lists, including PoliticsNY and amNY Metro's Power Players in Public Relations and Lobbying (2023). The firm's senior team includes practice-area leads across real estate, professional services, consumer, and financial services. Leadership posture: principal-led, senior-practitioner-anchored, with long-tenured account team continuity.

Practice Areas

• Real estate and hospitality, the foundational specialization since founding. New York real estate PR is a distinctive sub-discipline requiring sustained relationships and accumulated expertise across commercial and residential developers, hotel operators, and the broader real estate ecosystem. Two decades of continuous practice across multiple New York real estate market cycles.
• Financial services and asset management, corporate PR for mid-market financial firms, asset managers, and adjacent capital markets clients.
• Technology, software, fintech, consumer technology, and emerging consumer brands.
• Luxury and consumer brands, food, beverage, wellness, and luxury consumer accounts.
• Beauty and wellness, the broader beauty industry communications discipline.
• Entertainment, entertainment PR for film, talent, and adjacent media properties.
• Education, healthcare, social impact, and nonprofit, institutional and mission-driven client work.

Notable Clients and Milestones

• 2011: Named agency of record for Tofutti Brands; real estate portfolio expansion with Century Properties and CanCan Casino Resort & Spa.
• 2013: Real estate practice expansion with Ideal Properties Group, HAP Investments, and Rutherford Place.
• 2021: Named to Forbes' America's Best PR Agencies list.
• 2023: Richard Rubenstein named to PoliticsNY and amNY Metro's Power Players in Public Relations and Lobbying list.
• 2024: Named to Newsweek's inaugural America's Best PR Agencies list, in partnership with Statista.
• February 2025: Named agency of record for Chapter, a technology-driven home renovation company operating across NYC, the Hamptons, Miami, New Jersey, Westchester, and Connecticut.
• March 2025: Named agency of record for The Giant Company, an experiential attraction company building what it describes as the world's tallest moving statue.
• November 2025: Named Best Public Relations and Communications Business of 2025, United States at the Corporate America Today Annual Awards.

2019 litigation history

In February 2019, RPR filed three lawsuits against former clients for unpaid invoices on services rendered between 2014 and 2017, a documented example of the agency-side collection actions that surface rarely in public filings but reflect a standard non-payment dispute pattern across the agency landscape.

• Astro Gallery of Gems: RPR sought an unpaid account balance of $44,000 plus 18% per annum interest accruing from November 16, 2017, under a media and public relations agreement with a 15-day overdue trigger for the late fee. The summons was dated February 7, 2019.
• Lifestory Health LLC: Owned by Anna Nicole Schuch, the client contracted with RPR in June 2017 and accrued $25,000 in monthly invoices through September 2017. RPR terminated the agreement that September and sought the $25,000 outstanding plus $8,333.33 in attorney fees.
• Cohen Braffits Estates Development LLC: A New York real estate development client contracted with RPR for $27,571.11 in services from June 2014 through January 2015, with 18% per annum interest accruing from June 16, 2015. RPR sought damages plus attorney and court fees.

The litigation predates the firm's recent run of industry recognition and does not appear to have affected RPR's standing: the firm has since been named to Newsweek's and Forbes' America's Best PR Agencies lists and added major accounts including Chapter and The Giant Company in 2025.

Recognition

• Newsweek's inaugural America's Best PR Agencies list, 2024.
• Forbes' America's Best PR Agencies list, 2021.
• Corporate America Today Best PR and Communications Business of 2025, United States.
• Richard Rubenstein, PoliticsNY and amNY Metro Power Players in Public Relations and Lobbying, 2023.

Industry Position in 2026

RPR in 2026 operates as one of the larger independent boutique PR firms in New York and one of the most established firms specifically focused on real estate and corporate PR for mid-market clients. The 2025 to 2026 New York commercial real estate environment, affected by remote-work-driven office demand changes, the broader New York economic environment, and the federal interest-rate trajectory, has been one of the more challenging real estate PR environments in recent decades. RPR's practice has operated through it with the accumulated expertise the firm has built over twenty years in the sector.

The AI Communications era is reshaping how real estate and corporate PR is researched, produced, and measured. AI-engine citation in real estate market commentary, in developer profile research, and in commercial real estate transaction news is increasingly significant. The firms that invest in AI Communications discipline will compound advantages over the firms that do not.

Related Agency Profiles

The legacy Rubenstein firm: Rubenstein, the Howard Rubenstein-founded firm now led by Steven Rubenstein.

The Howard Rubenstein legacy piece: Howard Rubenstein and the Rubenstein Public Relations Dynasty, Howard's six-decade arc, the civic-institutional model, the New York client roster.

NYC peers: Edelman · HUNTER · ZENO Group · DKC · The Berman Group · Anat Gerstein Inc.

Real estate and hospitality peers: Quinn · Hawkins International · Relevance International · HL Group · Murphy O'Brien

Luxury and lifestyle peers: The Krupp Group · Tractenberg & Co · DeVries Global · Kaplow Communications

Financial PR peers: Top Financial PR Firms in 2026 · ICR · Prosek Partners

Adjacent EPR coverage: PR Agency Profiles Directory · PR Leaders Directory