SAN FRANCISCO — August 17, 2023 – Bospar, the “politely pushy” PR and marketing firm that puts tech companies on the map, today announced that Curtis Sparrer, a principal and co-founder of Bospar, was named to the class of 2023 PRNEWS People of the Year in the agency CEOs category. Along with Sparrer, the impressive roster of category honorees includes Amy Binder, CEO and founder of RF|Binder; Andrew Freeman, CEO and founder of af&co; and James Wright, global chairman, Havas PR Global Collective and group CEO, Havas Creative ANZ
The PRNEWS People of the Year Awards showcases the innovative and inspiring professionals making a quantifiable impact on their organization and the communications industry at large.
These illustrative professionals – movers, shakers, doers and leaders shaping the future of the PR industry – are recognized in a range of categories, including agency CEOs, agency innovators, brand reputation mavens, chief communicators, crisis managers, CSR trailblazers, DEI champions, media relations titans and public affairs leaders.
Honorees will be celebrated at the Platinum & People Awards Gala on October 18, 2023 at The Lighthouse in New York City.
“I am honored and grateful to PRNEWS, Bospar clients and employees to receive this recognition in a highly talented community of PR, media and business professionals,” said Sparrer. “I congratulate all recipients of the PRNews People of the Year Awards for their inspiration and leadership in a dynamic industry focusing on bringing the most important developments, issues and commentary to light.”
In 2015, Sparrer combined his professional and personal passions to launch Bospar. Bospar would not only be a tech PR agency; it would also stand up for human rights for the LGBTQIA+ community, women and communities of color.
Under Sparrer’s stewardship, Bospar also took action on important national issues. When Texas announced its restrictive abortion ban, Sparrer took a risk, being the first to offer his Texas staff a $10,000 relocation package. Using his news experience, he made the potential relocation of six employees a story that captured the attention of media outlets worldwide. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, he offered to cover medical costs for his colleagues if a procedure was outlawed in their state. His activism attracted coverage in many news outlets, including The New York Times, CNBC, CNN and Fox News.
Sparrer also works extensively in the Bay Area and national PR community. As president of the San Francisco Press Club, Sparrer rallied the organization to sponsor a panel covering the impact of AI in the newsroom — one of the most pressing issues of our time. “AI + Journalism=?” was hosted at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus and moderated by Bloomberg reporter Rachel Metz. Steve Clayton, Microsoft’s VP of public affairs, joined the panel alongside Bay Area journalists from VentureBeat, MarketWatch, CNET, WIRED, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and the SF Examiner. Over 100 journalists attended the event.
So far this year, Bospar won nearly 20 awards for its outstanding work, including five North American SABRE Awards and seven PRovoke SABRE innovation awards. Also, this year, Bospar is the only PR agency on Fortune’s America’s Most Innovative Companies list and is on the Financial Times list of Americas’ Fastest-Growing Companies 2023.
