Hollywood veteran Bumble Ward and philanthropy professional Tracy Bechtold have launched Hive Collective, a new company that plans to take a fresh approach to communication.
Sitting at the intersection of entertainment and philanthropy in Los Angeles, the firm will offer a full complement of communication services including strategic messaging, media relations, and social and digital media outreach to forward-thinking entertainment companies, creators and projects, as well as local and national non-profits and social causes.
Formerly executive VP of publicity at 20th Century Fox, Ward wanted to forge a new kind of paradigm in communications that emphasizes message and story in every medium, with a particular focus on social media. She also ran her own PR firm Bumble Ward & Associates , which boasted several A-list filmmakers as clients.
A longtime PR exec with Burson/Marsteller and Bender/Helper, Bechtold previously served as executive director of Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. She brings a deep knowledge of fundraising and philanthropy to Hive Collective, and originally partnered with Ward to represent Megan Chernin’s LA Fund for Public Education.
“The profound shift in the way consumers inform themselves requires new communication methods and technology. Hive Collective will fill this need combining our tried-and-true narrative expertise with innovative social media thinking to service both the creative community and important social causes, especially where they intersect,” said Bechtold.
“Blogging and social media have been my passion for years, and combining those with traditional media relations to tell interesting, powerful and meaningful stories for clients will be the backbone of this firm,” said Ward. “Tracy and I are thrilled to be starting a new agency and hopefully offering something fresh and dynamic to what is already out there.”
Hive Collective has just opened the doors to its new West Los Angeles offices.
