Rogers & Cowan PMK*BNC Executive Leadership: Cindi Berger, Chairman, Shirley Hughes, President, Brand Division, Mark Owens, CEO, Alan Nierob, Chairman, Entertainment Division.
Courtesy of Rogers & Cowan
Rogers & Cowan/PMK is the latest Hollywood firm to be hit with COVID-19-era layoffs.
The venerable publicity, integrated marketing and communications agency let go of 35 publicists — or about 10 percent of its staff — in offices from Los Angeles and New York to London. Staffers were informed Tuesday evening. Among those exiting the firm is veteran executive Heidi Schaeffer, who has repped big names like Jamie Lee Curtis, Sally Field, Rita Wilson, Maria Bello, Bonnie Hunt, Candice Bergen and Chevy Chase.
Chairman Cindi Berger confirmed the cuts to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday morning. “We had to make fiscally responsible moves to prepare for our future. The decisions were both heartbreaking and difficult,” she said.
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated many businesses in the entertainment industry and PR firms have not been immune. Shuttered events, lost retainer fees and postponed film and television rollouts have trickled down to the bottom lines of many of Hollywood’s top firms. Last week, it was announced that BWR, another long-standing PR firm, would be dissolved with some staffers making the move to parent company Burson Cohn & Wolfe.
Rogers & Cowan/PMK represents more than 500 prominent musicians, actors, producers, directors, content creators and athletes, including Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, Olivia Wilde, Jamie Foxx, Katy Perry, Glenn Close, Emma Thompson, Jerry Bruckheimer, John David Washington, Keanu Reeves, Kate Hudson, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kevin Costner and hundreds of others.
With divisions including strategy, brand communications, influencer and digital, experiential and sponsorships, marketing partnerships and integration for brands and Fortune 500 companies, the company maintains offices in L.A., New York, Nashville, Miami and London. R&C/PMK is part of the Octagon Sports and Entertainment Network.
