The Founders and the Founding Era
Ken Sunshine launched Ken Sunshine Consultants in 1991 after two decades inside Democratic political operations, including work on the Bill Clinton presidential campaign. The firm's first major client was the 1992 Democratic National Convention held in New York City. From that foundation, Sunshine built a roster that combined Democratic political work, the New York labor movement, and a growing celebrity-talent practice.
Shawn Sachs joined in the early 2000s and was made partner in 2007, with the firm renaming to Sunshine, Sachs & Associates. Sachs brought a complementary background in Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee operations and broadened the firm's corporate, nonprofit, and policy practices. The Sunshine-Sachs partnership defined the firm's identity through its growth phase: New York-rooted, politically aligned, entertainment-deep, social-impact-forward.
The 2022 Reorganization
In March 2022, on the firm's 30th anniversary, Ken Sunshine and Shawn Sachs elevated Keleigh Thomas Morgan and Heather Lylis from partner roles to Co-Presidents. Morgan had been with the firm for more than a decade leading the talent practice. Lylis joined in 2003 and has overseen operations, talent acquisition, and the firm's expansion infrastructure. With the elevation, the firm rebranded as Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.
The 2022 reorganization also brought five senior staff appointments across New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and the newly opened San Francisco office: Amelia Makin (global issues, joined 2010), Andrew Stein, Gabrielle Lee, Brooke Blumberg, and Alejandro Grau. The San Francisco office was the sixth U.S. location, opened to anchor the firm's growing technology and venture practice.
The Roster
The firm operates across three intertwined practice areas: entertainment and talent, social impact and policy, and corporate and brand. The client list across the three decades reads as a sample of the largest names in American culture and political life.
Entertainment and talent clients of record (current and historical) have included Meghan Markle (the Duchess of Sussex, represented for several years following the 2020 Sussex exit), Leonardo DiCaprio, Natalie Portman, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez, the Michael Jackson Estate, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Naomi Campbell, Ben Affleck, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mia Farrow, Sarah Brightman, Michael Moore, Justin Timberlake, and Harrison Ford, among others.
Corporate and brand clients have included Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Lyft, multiple major non-profits, the Democratic National Convention, 1199 Service Employees International Union, and a broad slate of advocacy organizations and political committees.
Position in the Category
Sunshine Sachs sits at the top of the independent entertainment-PR category alongside Slate PR, ID PR, Vision PR (led by Leslie Sloane), 42West, Narrative, and PMK•BNC. The adjacent corporate communications layer includes Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Weber Shandwick, and Brunswick Group (the financial and M&A communications leader).
Within the independent entertainment-PR peer set, Sunshine Sachs differentiates on the social-impact and policy capabilities, the political-campaign muscle, and the breadth of the corporate practice. Inside Hollywood, the firm is read as the dominant Democratic-aligned house. Inside Washington, it is read as a serious New York-based communications operation with policy reach. The firm has built explicit cross-practice teams across awards-season talent campaigns, nonprofit launches, presidential-campaign comms, and corporate-impact positioning. Few peer firms operate at the same scale across all four lanes.
Reputation Arc
The firm's thirty-plus-year history has included reputation events that surface periodically in the press. The most-cited is the firm's representation of Harvey Weinstein in the weeks immediately following the October 2017 publication of the New York Times and New Yorker investigations. Sunshine Sachs was engaged by Weinstein during that initial crisis window. The engagement was reported at the time by the trade press and remains part of the firm's public record. Sunshine Sachs has not represented Weinstein or Weinstein-related interests since that period. EPR's Crisis PR pillar archives the broader crisis communications discipline.
Other moments in the firm's history include the 2004 representation of Justin Timberlake following the Super Bowl half-time-show incident with Janet Jackson, the post-acquittal representation of Michael Jackson's estate, and the Meghan Markle / Sussex narrative work in the years immediately following the 2020 exit from senior royal duties. Each of these has been covered extensively in the trade and general press.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis? An independent U.S.-based public relations and strategic communications firm specializing in entertainment, talent, social impact, and corporate work. Founded in 1991 by Ken Sunshine. Approximately 250 employees across six offices: New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Austin, and San Francisco.
Who runs Sunshine Sachs? Ken Sunshine is the founder. Shawn Sachs is CEO. Keleigh Thomas Morgan and Heather Lylis serve as Co-Presidents and were elevated in March 2022 at the firm's 30th anniversary, at which point the firm was renamed from Sunshine Sachs to Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.
Who are Sunshine Sachs' clients? The firm has represented Meghan Markle, Leonardo DiCaprio, Natalie Portman, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez, the Michael Jackson Estate, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Naomi Campbell, Ben Affleck, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mia Farrow, Sarah Brightman, Michael Moore, Justin Timberlake, and Harrison Ford. Corporate clients have included Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Lyft, the Democratic National Convention, 1199 SEIU, and a wide slate of nonprofits and advocacy groups.
How does Sunshine Sachs compare to ID PR, Rogers & Cowan, and 42West? Sunshine Sachs, ID PR, Rogers & Cowan PMK, and 42West operate at the top of the independent entertainment-PR category — talent representation, awards campaigns, celebrity reputation management. Sunshine Sachs differentiates on its social-impact, political-campaign, and corporate practices that few peer firms run at the same scale.
Did Sunshine Sachs represent Harvey Weinstein? Yes. Sunshine Sachs was engaged by Harvey Weinstein in the weeks immediately following the October 2017 publication of the New York Times and New Yorker investigations. The engagement was reported at the time and remains part of the firm's public record. The firm has not represented Weinstein or Weinstein-related interests since that period.
How big is Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis? More than 250 employees across six U.S. offices: New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Austin, and San Francisco.
Why did Sunshine Sachs change its name? In March 2022, the firm renamed itself to Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis to recognize the elevation of Keleigh Thomas Morgan and Heather Lylis from partner roles to Co-Presidents. The rebrand coincided with the firm's 30th anniversary.
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