Fred Muir, former chairman of the Southern California region for PR powerhouse Burson-Marsteller, has joined political consulting agency Rose & Kindel.
Muir, a former journalist with the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, will head the agency’s downtown L.A. office. He will also serve as the local representative for Grayling, the corporate parent of Rose & Kindel.
“It was a really good opportunity, and on a personal level I enjoy public affairs work,” he told the Business Journal.
The strategy behind the hire is to merge Muir’s skills in media relations with R&K’s expertise in lobbying and litigation communications.
As for his role as London-based Grayling’s point man, his mission is to raise the company’s profile in Los Angeles. Grayling is the second largest independent PR company in the world after Edelman, but it’s virtually unknown in California.
Before his stint at Burson-Marsteller, Muir ran a Beverly Hills-based public affairs consultancy named Fred Muir & Associates.
Agency Drops Names
Roddan Paolucci Roddan, a public relations firm specializing in upscale real estate and hotels, has changed its name to Paolucci Communication Arts. The change recognizes the retirement of two principals and the sale of the majority of the company’s stock to employee-owners.
The agency, based in Palos Verdes Estates, was founded in 1989 by Brooks Roddan, who later brought in his wife, Le Ann, and Mike Paolucci as partners. For the last several years, the Roddans continued as owners but Paolucci ran the boutique shop.
“While it is my name on the door, there is a talented and elite group here who make up the soul of the company,” Paolucci said in a statement.
Long Beach Goes Social
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center has hired marketing firm Kreisler Group to boost event attendance in 2010.
Long Beach-based Kreisler specializes in social media marketing for business groups and service firms. For the convention center account, the agency plans to produce original online advertising and social networking campaigns for each performance, trade show and sporting event held at the oceanfront facility.
“Every event has a specific audience that can be actively engaged through multiple online platforms,” Leslie Perryman, the Kreisler executive in charge of the account, said in a statement.
Clean Knockout
Levine Communications Office in West Hollywood has signed a heavyweight client: George Foreman.
The ex-boxing star will tap into Levine’s media relations skills for a soon-to-launch line of eco-friendly cleaning products. Levine has already fielded calls from TV stations, radio shows and other media, said agency executive Shannon Donnelly.
The deal, negotiated by Foreman manager Henry Holmes, only covers the cleaning goods, not Foreman’s cooking gear, acting career, ministerial activities or other projects.
The George Foreman Cleaning Solutions line will include kitchen, bath, grill, carpet and laundry stain removers. According to Levine, the products are so green even the bottle, trigger spray and label are 100 percent recyclable.
Agencies & Accounts
Public Relations Society of America – Los Angeles Chapter has scheduled its “State of the State of PR” event Jan. 27. Frank Mottek, business commentator on KNX-AM (1070), will moderate a panel of local experts. … Amy Levy Public Relations in West Los Angeles has signed two new clients: AegisLiving, a chain of retirement homes based in Redmond, Wash., and Dimples of Cedarhurst, a gift store on Long Island, N.Y. … Ground Zero advertising in Del Rey has launched a new campaign of testimonial ads for L.A.-based Mercury Insurance. The TV spots and Internet video ads show how Mercury helped customers during an accident or other unfortunate moment. KSL Media in Encino is handling media placement. … The McCann Erickson office on Miracle Mile will manage the account of Group Health Cooperative, a non-profit health system in Washington and Idaho. TM Advertising in Seattle, the client’s longtime agency, will continue to work on the account under McCann Erickson’s supervision. The arrangement allows Group Health to continue working with the TM team while drawing from McCann’s interactive expertise, said Sharon Thomson, executive director of advertising at Group Health. … Beverly Hills-based Blaine Group will manage media relations for author Seena Sharp, whose new book, “Competitive Intelligence Advantage,” was published by John Wiley & Sons in October. Blaine’s media outreach will focus on radio and print outlets. … Matrix Consultants is the new agency of record for Morinaga, the top-selling soft candy in Japan. Matrix, an agency founded in Tokyo and now based in downtown Los Angeles, will focus on developing a digital strategy for the confectioner.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
