Former BWR Publicists Launch Bicoastal Agency the Initiative Group

Hollywood sign ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Seven former BWR reps have teamed to launch the bicoastal entertainment, corporate, lifestyle and public relations firm called The Initiative Group. The new partners include Cindy Guagenti, Paulette Kam, Gary Mantoosh, Christina Papadopoulos, Lisa Perkins, Jamie Skinner and Alex Spieller, who are equal partners in the new venture.

Per today’s announcement, the firm “will honor the legacy of BWR while returning back to its roots as an innovative independent public relations company.” In addition to the aforementioned divisions, the company will include a digital arm focused on social media risk assessment diagnostics and reputation management.

Guagenti, Kam, Mantoosh, Papadopoulos, Perkins, Skinner and Spieller bring their entire client roster of more than 150 client stars from BWR, which was dissolved late last month when, on May 21, parent company Burson Cohn & Wolfe confirmed that it would be combining the BWR Public Relations brand into BCW Entertainment and, as a result, letting go of the majority of the staff. The release calls the split from BCW an amicable one.

A partial client list includes: Anthony Anderson, Kelsey Asbile, Connie Britton, Drew Carey, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Dan Fogler, Julia Fox, Regina Hall, Marcia Gay Harden, Garrett Hedlund, Danai Gurira, Connor Jessup, Anna Kendrick, Matt LeBlanc, Allen Leech, Melissa Leo, Mario Lopez, Aasif Mandvi, Joe Manganiello, Tatiana Maslany, Evan Mock, Bridget Moynahan, Kathryn Newton, Elizabeth Perkins, Adam Rodriguez, Mj Rodriguez, Glen Powell, Zoe Saldana, Adam Sandler, Jeremy Sisto, Alexandra Shipp, Maura Tierney and Bellamy Young. Corporate lifestyle clients include Beaches and Sandals Resorts, Gelson’s Markets, USA Cycling, Pair of Thieves and NALIP.

In a joint statement, they honored BWR’s original founders, Paul Baker, Larry Winokur and the late Nanci Ryder, by saying they “will always be profoundly grateful to them for showing us the way.”

July 1, 2020, 3:33 p.m.: Updated to include additional client names.