As we celebrate our 10^th anniversary, it’s rewarding to look back and see how far we’ve come. Our vision was to build a firm that would be extraordinarily client-centric, highly creative and a true advocate on behalf of the tech companies we serve. We also wanted a firm of people that felt more like a family than a business.

We wanted to be the first national PR firm that was 100% virtual. This was still five years before COVID so the concept was pretty much unheard of. But we saw how it would be the best way to accomplish our vision, for a variety of reasons:

• We needed to hire the very best people, which required reaching beyond just the Bay Area where tech talent was largely tapped out.
• We wanted to appeal to new moms – talented women who left successful careers at PR firms because they wanted to be close to their children.
• We wanted to put the best people for the assignment on each client team, which meant “a company without borders.” 
• We enjoyed working from home ourselves – especially leaving behind the bullpen settings that PR firms had become.

So, we became the pioneers of a full-service firm built to scale on a fully virtual model. It was not defined. And it was not easy. But it was wildly exciting, and it still is.

We had to figure out a million details of how to work — and play — together when we were all in different places. We were breaking the mold on all fronts, but for the most part, our clients loved that we were pushing the envelope in this way. 

We’ve won more client and business awards than any other agency of our size, and we’re often asked how we’ve been this successful. To a large extent, we believe it’s because we’ve stayed true to our original vision, which was based on what is important to us, what we believe we’re good at and how we intrinsically function as leaders.

Of course, our senior experience, skills and workaholic natures were essential. But really, the root of it has always been our pure love of what we do and of being movers and shakers, making things happen and supporting the pioneering products and paradigms that tech thrives on. And, of course, we thrive on being what we call “Politely Pushy.”

We’re more than 70 people spread across the U.S., but at the same time, we’re a closely knit group – among ourselves and our clients. Why is that so? 

Remember the Calvin Klein jeans ad when Brooke Shields said, “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins?” We’re kind of like that. To most people, virtual sounds like “far apart” and “remote.” But it’s exactly the opposite.

In the mornings, we move from our breakfast table to our laptops, and for the most part, as the day goes along, nothing comes between us and our colleagues and clients. We have no commutes. No waiting for booked conference rooms to empty. No not knowing people from our other offices since we’re all one team.

Parents can keep a close eye on their children as they work – not worrying about how school or daycare is going. And they have our blessings to go to daytime family doctor and school appointments and just make it up on their own time.

Our client-centric culture is also a key ingredient of our success. Our desire to do whatever it takes to super please the client is driven from the top down. That can sometimes eat into profits but has resulted in a large network of serial clients and a steady stream of word-of-mouth referrals that outweigh any isolated dollar hits.

Likewise, we’re fast to jump on upcoming trends and run with them. COVID was a great example. We were the first to write a framework for how COVID would change the work landscape – and how to not only function but also prosper.

• We broke down all the product and service areas that would be needed in this new environment.
• We proactively went after those who had the most to offer.
• We laid out the ways each client could become essential to COVID lifestyles, which fit right in with what media needed to produce relevant stories.
• And of course, we could help our clients offer info on how to succeed virtually – having already done that.

We have a formula that seems to work well, for which we’re very grateful because we love it. We love showing up for work every day, even more than the day we started, if that’s possible. 

We don’t need to drive to work – but we’re certainly driven.

• We are driven by client and new business opportunities – not next year’s numbers projections.
• We are driven by our “task is boss” type management where we put the client in the middle of the circle and each cluster around with our individual roles and responsibilities – not based on a hierarchy.
• We are driven by creative ideas – we absolutely love them – and are always trying to do things that haven’t been done.
• We are driven by the thrill of being partners with some of the most important companies in technology. They are the up-and-comers who will break the mold and be the giants of tomorrow – with our help!

We are in the most exciting and competitive industry in the world, where we are naturally driven to satisfy our own high curiosity and are always on a steep learning curve.

And we do it all from our comfy home workspace, surrounded by the people and pets we love. 

What’s not to like???

We’d like to close with a giant thanks to everyone who has helped us reach this important milestone. We pledge to continue to do all we can to make everyone as successful and as satisfied as we possibly can over the next 10 years!

With fondness and gratitude,

Curtis, Chris and Tom