CHARLESTON, SC: Bold Communications Group will merge with North Carolina firm Pearson DeBoer Creative Solutions, effective January 1, 2013.
With the merger, Bold's staff will grow from four to six and add Pearson DeBoer's office in Salisbury, NC. Pearson DeBoer, which opened last April, will be dissolved.
Co-founder and partner Matthew DeBoer will leave the firm, while fellow co-founder and partner Patrick Pearson will become VP and GM of Bold. Pearson DeBoer creative director Jonathan Weaver will also join Bold and use the same title.
The combined firm will offer expanded services including PR, social media, event management, video production, graphic design, advertising, and web development. Bold, which was founded in 2012 by Doug Coupe in Charleston, SC, has focused primarily on PR, while Pearson DeBoer offered integrated communications and marketing services, Pearson said.
Bold previously relied on freelancers for video production, but the merger will give the agency in-house video-production capabilities.
“The merged capabilities are so complementary. [Bold] had some things that [Pearson DeBoer] needed to grow, and we had things they needed. It has already opened doors for us,” Pearson said.
The agency will look to hire staffers in both offices during the first quarter of 2013, Pearson said.
“In coming years, we may look for similar like-minded firms with complementary skills for more potential mergers or acquisitions,” he added.
Bold's client work spans industries including education, transportation, home building and design, lifestyle, entertainment, healthcare, financial services, municipalities, and retail. Pearson DeBoer's largest client is in the real estate industry, and the firm also works with government entities such as the city of Greensboro, NC.
