A shakeup in the PR world: Goodbye R&CPMK, hello PMK Entertainment.
CEO Cindi Berger will lead the newly launched PMK Entertainment, which has been established at Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC), the company announced on Tuesday. Berger will run PMK — described as a new firm focused on A-list talent, music, sports, premium content companies, corporate entertainment and crisis communications — as CEO and will report to ACC Founder and CEO Michael Nyman.
Under the new structure, incoming teams of personnel and clients will align across three areas within ACC, including PMK Entertainment, ACC Advisory and DKC.
Alan Nierob will serve as president of PMK Entertainment, and 77 former employees and the majority of clients from R&CPMK have chosen to join ACC’s network of agencies, the company said.
Meanwhile, IPG has sunset the R&CPMK name, but the agency will continue as Rogers & Cowan, described as “a modern and contemporary offering serving clients across entertainment and sports.” Certain parts of R&CPMK’s business that aren’t moving to PMK, including Talent & Influencers, have been moved into other areas of IPG’s portfolio.
Of the 77 employees joining the ACC umbrella, 35 will work at PMK Entertainment, whose clients include Antoine Fuqua, Billy Bob Thorton, Billy Crystal, Billie Jean King, Casey Wasserman, CJ Entertainment, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Jeff Daniels, Jeremy Renner, Jerry Bruckheimer, Judith Light, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Sam Levinson, The Grammy Awards, Tribeca Festival, The Paley Center, Angel Studios and more.
Advisory, ACC’s in-house marketing consultancy, will house 20 former R&CPMK employees from the brand side, while 22 executives will join DKC.
The transition of a portion of the agency’s leadership and staff to ACC and the new company was supported by IPG, which owned R&CPMK, ACC said.
The new setup at ACC came about as IPG was rolled into Omnicom Group, at which point it was clear that R&CPMK would not have a role in the new company, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. Berger reached out to Nyman, and PMK Entertainment was hatched.
“This is a full-circle moment that reflects the power of our model,” said Nyman in a statement. “I—and most of ACC’s executive leadership—came from PMK*BNC, and we are incredibly proud of what we accomplished together. As we integrate these talented professionals into ACC, we’ll leverage their entertainment and brand experience and evolve it into a strategic growth engine that approaches the talent business with a full-funnel discipline. The result: scaled impact, broader capabilities, and the reach of our integrated network.”
“I’m proud to be reuniting with Michael Nyman and ACC for our next chapter,” said Berger. “ACC’s innovative model empowers our team to do what we do best in an agile and collaborative environment, while positioning our clients prominently at the center of the cultural zeitgeist. With PMK Entertainment, we are giving a nod to our shared legacy while taking a future-forward approach to entertainment and marketing.”
“When Rogers & Cowan launched, they were the first company to house entertainment and corporate clients,” said Nierob. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the next generation of brand marketing, public relations and entertainment. It’s an exciting opportunity for both our clients and our entire staff.”
R&CPMK was created in 2019 when Rogers & Cowan and PMK*BNC merged.
The launch of PMK Entertainment under ACC comes after former Slate PR partner Ina Treciokas launched Ingenuity Group back in May, also at ACC.
