Spark Public Relations (also referred to as Spark) is a public relations and marketing communications agency headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in New York City.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public Relations and Marketing Communications |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Donna (Sokolsky) Burke and Chris Hempel |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA, USA |
Number of employees | 70+ |
| Website | [1] |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
History edit
Spark Public Relations was founded in 1999 by Donna Sokolsky Burke and Chris Hempel,[2] who started the firm after working at Netscape.[3][4] Its early clients were Silicon Valley start-ups and former Netscape colleagues.[2][5] The firm signed one-year contracts to help with startup launches and IPOs, in exchange for equity in the company. It supported VA Linux's IPO in December 1999.[2][5]
In 2006, Alan Soucy was named CEO, and the managing partner duties were split between Soucy and Burke.[6] In 2007, the firm founded SPR Europe, a London-based affiliate for the European market.[7] An office was opened in South Africa in 2008[8] and in New York in 2012.[9]
Recognition edit
In 2016, co-founder Donna Sokolsky Burke was named one of the Top Women in PR by PR News.[10]
In 2020, SparkPR was recognized by Forbes as one of the nation's top PR agencies for 2021. In total, 200 out of 7,000 PR agencies were named to the list.[11]
References edit
- ^ Tannahill, Jason. "Spark PR: A Tech Public Relations Agency". Everything PR. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ a b c Boutin, P. (November, 1999), "Lack of Flacks", WIRED Magazine, Vol. 7, Issue 11. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ "Mike Homer dies at 50; a former vice president of Netscape". Los Angeles Times. 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
- ^ "Spark PR: A Technology Public Relations Agency - PR News". everything-pr.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
- ^ a b Clarkson, B. (March 14, 2001). "P.R. agents to startups: Keep quiet!". Computerworld. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Spark PR: A Technology Public Relations Agency - PR News". everything-pr.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
- ^ "SparkPR Expands to London". PRWeek. July 30, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
- ^ Shah, Aarti. "Sparkpr opens South Africa office, adds clients". PRWeek. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ Krietsch, Beth (April 26, 2012). "SparkPR opens New York office". PRWeek. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- ^ "Celebrate the 2017 Top Women in PR honorees Jan. 24 in NYC!". PR News. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ^ "Sparkpr Named to Forbes List of America's Best PR Agencies 2021". AP NEWS. 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2021-12-01.