The ABCs of Prosek
Joshua Clarkson, Emily Roy, Kelly Whalen, Matthew Luongo, Sarah Levine, Jonathan Marino, Samantha Norquist, Kristina Corso, Erica Warfield, Joe Scannell, Jackie Schofield, Spencer Tait
In celebration of this April’s Financial Literacy Month, we asked our colleagues to share some of their best insights on some classic Prosek ABCs covering a few of the industries and clients we serve.
A – Asset Management: The portfolio managers, chief investment officers and other executives that work at our asset management clients are the people making the calls and setting the investment strategies that dictate how the markets move every day. We work with them to help reach retail investors, intermediaries, and large institutions with their views on investment opportunities, market commentary, and how they are driving returns for their clients - whether that’s through print, online or broadcast media, big name conferences like Milken or Bloomberg Invest, or targeted social and paid media strategies. – Sarah Levine, Associate Vice President
C – Consumer Finance: Our banking, wealth management and financial advisor clients offer the very best advice and guidance for individuals and their families to manage their finances. With varying financial goals from homeownership to retirement, and challenges with navigating changing market dynamics and curveballs that may come along the way, these experts can help anyone take the right steps to feel confident and prepared when it comes to money. And as a bonus, the PR people who represent them get access to world-class financial advice we can use in our own lives! – Kelly Whalen, Vice President
C – Crypto: With so much volatility, mistrust and confusion in the crypto, web3 and blockchain ecosystem, our clients need an advisor that specializes in building trust in an emerging space. Our financial services DNA uniquely positions us to help bridge the gap between Traditional Finance ("TradFi") and Decentralized Finance ("DeFi"). We partner with some of the leading innovators in this space to help them develop corporate narratives, navigate the media landscape and communicate through digital channels, both old and new, like Twitter, Discord and Telegram. From product announcements, to keynote speaking opportunities at conferences (and everything in between), we believe in the transformative power of blockchain technology and bring the full power of Prosek's integrated marketing and communications capabilities to every assignment. – Joe Scannell, MD, Head of Crypto & Web3
E – ETFs: Within the asset management space, many of our clients offer products in the form of Exchange Traded Funds (or “ETFs”). Our job often involves promoting the launch of a new fund and generating buzz for the product amongst financial intermediaries. But the real trick is continuing to promote the ETF post-launch by identifying where the fund can fit in with the current news cycle. Banking sector volatility got you down? Try a low-volatility ETF. Looking to hedge against inflation? Try a TIPS or real estate ETF. – Erica Warfield, Associate Vice President
F – Fintech: Fewer industries have had more buzz over the past decade, but what does it all mean for communications professionals? At Prosek, we start by narrowing in on what type of fintech a client actually is, and who they ultimately sell into. While a B2B data startup, a retail trading platform and a publicly traded payments company could all fall under the category of "fintech," they might have absolutely nothing else in common. From there, we develop relationships and secure coverage across technology and traditional financial media to ensure that our clients lead the pack as thought leaders, while still reaching the key decision makers at more established institutions. – Matthew Luongo, Senior Vice President
I – Insurance: Insurance might seem dry or boring at first, but when you dig in, it has many facets, and touches aspects of the everyday life of the consumer that they may not even realize. Insurance is more than healthcare premiums, it’s a lifeline for small business, a better understanding of the human and financial cost of natural disasters, and part of broader risk management strategies for some of the biggest and most important businesses in the world. Our job is to find those gem stories that humanize what can be perceived as a technical industry and help executives at legacy companies figure out how to tell their stories in a modern way across paid, owned and earned channels. – Kristina Corso, Associate Vice President
I – Investment Banking: Working with clients in the investment banking space requires some creativity, as we’re often talking about transactions (like M&A and fundraising) they’re involved in, but not the focus of. Outside of promoting deal flow, we help our clients in investment banking gain visibility amongst their key audiences by participating in media interviews on trending topics that impact their client base (e.g., a client focused on the tech sector may participate in an interview with a publication like The Information) as well as thought leadership and targeted conference participation. – Emily Roy, Vice President
O – OCIO: Outsourced chief investment offices (OCIOs) primarily serve institutions such as nonprofits (endowments, foundations), pensions (public, corporate), family offices and ultra high net worth individuals, and large organizations in the healthcare and insurance spaces. OCIOs and similar firms, such as investment consultants and institutional investment management firms like banks and private wealth businesses, are responsible for managing portfolio construction and asset allocation with the goal of achieving outsized returns that can be put towards furthering their clients’ (individual institution’s) missions. Our primary role as communicators on behalf of OCIOs is to educate the decision makers and influencers in the nonprofit executive and board industries about the opportunities and benefits of outsourcing investments, and the opportunities across alternative asset classes to find best in class ideas that will drive investment returns and results for their clients. – Sam Norquist, Senior Vice President
P – Private Credit: This asset class spans a broad range of strategies from distressed to asset backed to direct lending, and our work for clients is usually primarily focused on raising awareness with investors, including both institutions and mass affluent retail/advisors, with a secondary focus of supporting deal flow in clients’ areas of focus. Some of the key moments we usually seize to do this are fund closes, financings/deals, new hires or strategy launches, as well as opportunities to comment on trends in the space. The space is of interest to top tier publications, especially Bloomberg News, as well as a range of specialist trade publications such as PDI. Important to remember – if your client is talking about bonds, they are probably not private credit investors, if they are talking about syndicated loans and CLOs, it’s kind of a borderline thing, but most people think of that as liquid or traded credit (private credit is by definition illiquid)! – Josh Clarkson, Managing Director
P – Private Equity: We help our private equity clients attract three things: capital, deals and talent. Working with some of the world’s largest and most established players to first-time funds, and those in between, we develop and execute bespoke communications and marketing strategies to help firms stand out in a crowded market by raising their profiles and highlighting their differentiators. In addition to promoting natural news – such as new investments, exits and fund closes – we illuminate their investment experience, sector expertise and value creation capabilities through a mix of earned, owned and paid media and thought leadership activities. – Jackie Schofield, Vice President
U – Unboxed Communications: Unboxed Communications operates within Prosek Partners as a specialized financial and corporate public relations boutique focusing on emerging and established investment managers and public and private financial institutions, with strong pedigrees and track records that look to develop messaging, narrative and communications programs. We work with investors to secure media placements, conference and award opportunities, strategy counsel and social and digital options, among other services. – Jon Marino, Vice President
W – Wealth Management: Some of our clients cater specifically to ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals, and subsequently focus on matters that go far beyond investment strategy. This might include managing their entire estate, helping with charitable donations, and/or preparing tax strategies for an efficient transfer of wealth to the next generation. We help these clients by packaging up their niche and often highly technical money management expertise and counseling them on how to get it all in front of this ultra-wealthy target audience in creative ways. – Spencer Tait, Associate Vice President