Downtown L.A. public policy advocacy firm Englander Knabe & Allen has launched a subsidiary to focus on political campaigns in California.
EKA Campaigns will operate as an independent entity to focus mostly on ballot measures, but will also work with candidates and independent expenditure committees that pay for campaigns. EKA Campaigns is signing up clients for the 2012 election cycle, but declined to disclose them because the hopefuls have not officially announced that they’re running.
Chris Bryan, a Republican campaign consultant EKA hired to lead the venture, said he will help clients deal with the new redistricting lines and open primaries. He believes third-party candidates and innovative nonpartisan personalities will have better chances to win public office because of the new conditions.
Bryan plans to help clients through web-based and mobile fundraising, online town halls, and Internet advertising to publicize their message.
Bryan began his career as a field representative on Jeb Bush’s first gubernatorial election in Florida. He later worked as a regional political director for Meg Whitman’s California gubernatorial run.
Vegas to L.A.
R&R Partners, a Las Vegas-based ad agency, has opened an El Segundo office through an acquisition.
R&R purchased two small local agencies, Ballpark and Kaiser Marketing, and combined them to form an L.A.-area office. The company also hired Sean Hardwick, former account manager in the Orange County office of Draftfcb, to run the El Segundo operation.
Local clients of R&R include Boeing in Long Beach and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management in Malibu.
R&R combines advertising, public relations, government advocacy and research. Its best-known work is the “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” campaign for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
BizBash Anniversary
BizBash, a trade publication for the event planning industry, threw a big party to celebrate its 10th anniversary at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event attracted more than 1,400 people and 100 vendors.
The publication gave out awards for the best local events. Winners include the Emmy Awards Governors Ball, Fox’s party for the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour and “A Midsummer Night’s Gala” to recognize the retirement of USC President Steven Sample.
Speakers at the BizBash bash included Michael Vargo, director of corporate events at Walt Disney Co.; Hillary Harris, executive director of special events at Warner Bros. Entertainment Group; and BizBash President Richard Aaron.
Hot Wheels Stunt
Venice ad agency Mistress Creative has done some fast work on its campaign to reposition the Hot Wheels brand for client Mattel Inc. in El Segundo.
The campaign is based on research that showed young boys and new fathers were the only people that bought the toy cars. The message of TV commercials and events tries to promote collecting Hot Wheels as a hobby, especially among motor sports enthusiasts.
Mistress launched the campaign in May, timed with the Indianapolis 500 auto race. The day of the race, a pickup truck rolled down an orange ramp that looked like Hot Wheels track, then up and into the air before landing. The stunt set a record for truck flight at 332 feet.
A Mistress-directed TV commercial and YouTube videos will continue the campaign by showing a test facility where fictional life-size Hot Wheels are built and raced.
Agencies & Accounts
Miracle Mile ad agency Stun Creative has started a division called Buster Ink to focus on print, outdoor and digital ads. Michael Vamosy, formerly senior vice president of design at Fox Broadcasting, will lead the Buster Ink team. … Mercury Media, an infomercial and direct-response ad agency in Santa Monica, has hired Shayne Forrester as vice president of new business development. He will focus on short-form commercials, defined as two minutes or less. Prior to joining Mercury, Forrester was director of new business at direct-response agency Icon Media Direct in Van Nuys. … Luxe Hotels has selected Pollack PR Marketing Group in Century City as its main public relations agency. Pollack will handle media relations, website creation and trade show strategy for the hospitality chain. … Amy Levy Public Relations in West Los Angeles has added three clients to its roster: Sherman Infinity Rings, a jewelry collection; Jennifer Kushell, author of best-selling self-help business book “Career Doctor”; and Kimberly Greene, author of the “Pop Star” teen book series. Levy will handle media relations, trade and consumer advertising, and trade show presence for Sherman, and signings and speaking engagements for the authors…. Show business PR shop PMK-BNC has added two Hollywood executives to its management ranks. Nicole Perez-Krueger will serve as vice president in the talent department and Stacy Freeman-Weitz will become vice president of corporate communications. Both will work in the agency’s West Hollywood office. Perez-Krueger, a veteran with the agency, has clients who include Christina Aguilera, Lauren Conrad and Jewel. Freeman-Weitz formerly worked at Beverly Hills talent and literary agency UTA.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
