PARSIPPANY, NJ: Coyne has teamed up with former White House communications director Kevin Sullivan and his eponymous firm, with the aim of strengthening its corporate offering.
Through the partnership, which is not an acquisition or merger, Sullivan serves as a senior consultant for Coyne, working with clients on strategy and issues management and helping to grow the corporate communications practice. He reports to CEO Tom Coyne.
Kevin Sullivan Communications, founded in 2009, still exists, and Sullivan will continue to do his own consulting work apart from Coyne. KSC staffers consist of freelancers and contractors, some of whom may help with projects for Coyne clients, Sullivan said.
KSC works with a mix of corporate clients, such as Univision, and sports and entertainment brands including the NFL.
Sullivan remains based in the Tampa Bay area but will make several trips to New York and New Jersey each month.
He said the affiliation with Coyne was appealing because of the firm’s "entrepreneurial, fun spirit."
"I love being part of a team," Sullivan said. "That was always my favorite part of my work, whether it was at NBCUniversal, the [Dallas] Mavericks, or the White House."
Coyne, who related bringing on Sullivan to "drafting LeBron James" of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, said the corporate comms veteran will be a great resource for clients and staffers.
"[Sullivan] provides an amazing dimension to us of real-life experience, and it’s a big opportunity for our clients to tap into a new list of services," said Coyne.
Prior to launching his own agency in 2009, Sullivan served as the White House communications director for more than two years. Before that, he worked for the US Department of Education as assistant secretary of communications and outreach.
Sullivan also previously served as corporate communications SVP at NBCUniversal, VP of communications at NBC Sports, and communications VP for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
