LOS ANGELES: Hill & Knowlton has quietly built its Los Angeles office at the expense of the Financial Relations Board/ BSMG Worldwide, hiring away a fifth senior-level executive from the firm last week.
LOS ANGELES: Hill & Knowlton has quietly built its Los Angeles
office at the expense of the Financial Relations Board/ BSMG Worldwide,
hiring away a fifth senior-level executive from the firm last week.
Michaelle Burstin, an FRB VP and media relations managing director, has
joined H&K, a move which caps the agency’s months-long drive to build a
strong team with financial, technology and media relations
expertise.
The wholesale exodus from FRB began when Fiona Ross left to head H&K’s
LA financial practice as senior managing director last January (PRWeek,
February 1). She was followed in April by Eileen Morcos, now H&K’s
financial relations managing director. Senior account supervisor Geri
Weinfield and SAE Stacy Roughan joined the firm during the summer.
FRB executives declined comment on the personnel defections.
Alan Elias, H&K’s senior MD for media relations in Los Angeles and
Irvine, said the hirings were part of a plan designed to take advantage
of the big influx of dot-com companies to Southern California.
’They’re moving here because of the high real estate costs and general
cost of living in Silicon Valley,’ Elias said. ’As a result, we’re
seeing many start-ups taking advantage of the price breaks they can get
by building a business in Los Angeles. Of course, this means a lot of
opportunity for PR firms in the region.’
Elias touted Burstin as a key part of the puzzle. ’With Michaelle, we
can now offer high-end consulting on chat rooms, the role of the web
site and using the Net as a vehicle for distribution and marketing.’
Burstin, who was with FRB for two years, previously worked with the US
Trade Representative as a director, managing President Clinton’s trade
advisory committees.
