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“Bullpen Strategy Group has promoted Elizabeth Gibson and Jay Boyd to senior directors in the communications practice, Ali Hiestand to senior director and Garrett Scocos to senior associate in the research practice and Beth Hitchcock and Andrew Muchnick to senior directors in the media monitoring practice.”

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WASHINGTON, DC – Strategic advisory firm Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) announced promotions in its Washington, D.C., and London offices.

“At Bullpen Strategy Group, we are committed to helping our team develop new skills and grow professionally,” said Joe Pounder, CEO of BSG. “These well-earned promotions are the result of hard work and consistently notching wins for clients. I’m excited to see everyone advance and continue to accomplish great things.”

In the London office, Rhiannon Glover is now a Senior Director in the Media Monitoring practice, where she will oversee UK-based monitoring.

In the DC office, Elizabeth Gibson and Jay Boyd are now Senior Directors in the Communications practice. Ali Hiestand is now a Senior Director and Garrett Scocos is a Senior Associate in the Research practice. Beth Hitchcock and Andrew Muchnick are now Senior Directors in the Media Monitoring practice.

BSG is actively recruiting for positions in DC and London. More information is available here.

Martin, formerly deputy executive director of America Rising PAC, recently joined Bullpen Strategy Group as vice president of communications. When he’s not working on corporate and advocacy clients, you might find the Florida native cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning or his adopted home team, the Washington Capitals.

Starting out: “I wasn’t really interested in politics until college,” Martin said. In his junior year at the University of South Florida, he took a class on media and politics. “It was about how the media interacts with elected officials.” It covered ad making, direct mail and an internship with a campaign of your choice. Martin sought his with the 2012 Mitt Romney presidential campaign. “I walked into a field office,” he recalled, and began volunteering — making phone calls, knocking on doors. “And before I knew it, they offered me a job on the campaign.” He took six months off of college to work as a volunteer coordinator for the Romney campaign before heading back to campus. “There was something about the energy, the feeling of being on a team.”

Most unforgettable campaign moment: “Hearing a candidate I worked for reading remarks that I prepared for them for the first time during a campaign rally was just a thrilling experience,” he said. “It’s so humbling to feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. And to see your hard work pay off and see the words you’ve written down, communicated to voters.”

Biggest campaign regret: “The first couple of years in my career, there were a couple of really incredible job opportunities in D.C. and other states. But I stayed in Florida, and I do regret not leaving my comfort zone sooner to explore these opportunities,” he said. “But I think it worked out in the end. I just wish I had taken that leap of faith sooner and packed up my car and moved across the country, which I ended up doing in 2014. I moved to Wisconsin to work on a gubernatorial campaign.”

Unconventional wisdom: Grassroots audiences are “starving” for good political content to share with their social networks, Martin said, but “a lot of campaigns and issues advocacy groups and even corporations just don’t have the systems in place to push out that content on a daily basis.” They’re missing opportunities to identify “viral moments” to use in their fundraising or advocacy messaging, he adds. “The need for really compelling digital content is something that kind of goes by the wayside when everything else is going on.”

Announces New Partner, Promotions and Team Members

WASHINGTON, DC – Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) today announced two promotions, including a new partner, and eight new hires, adding depth to its communications, research and media monitoring practices. BSG is a public affairs and strategic advisory firm that has grown to more than 40 employees with offices in Washington, DC, London and Dallas.

Christian Hertenstein has been promoted from Managing Director to Partner. He has been with BSG since its founding. Christian has deep public relations experience including time at Publicis’s MSL Group and Florida’s Wragg & Casas. He has counseled diplomatic missions, corporations, foundations and associations facing an array of regulatory and litigation issues. 

Michael Ahrens was promoted to Senior Vice President. He joined the firm in 2021 after over a decade of advising some of the nation’s top political and business leaders. Michael served as Communications Director for the Republican National Committee and as a campaign aide to U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, and the Republican Governors Association. He also worked as a legislative aide to Sen. Roy Blunt and on the production teams at CBS News and Fox News.

“At Bullpen, we’re continuing to see our roster grow,” said CEO Joe Pounder. “I am excited to add Christian Hertenstein as a partner and to see our team advance and expand. We’re proud of our deep bench that brings results and drives value for clients every day.”

In addition, Chris Martin has joined BSG as Vice President in the communications practice. Chris previously served as the Deputy Executive Director of America Rising PAC, where he oversaw the organization’s earned media, rapid response, and political advocacy efforts. Prior to that, Chris worked on Capitol Hill as the Director of Rapid Response for the House Republican Conference, served as a Regional Press Secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee and Communications Director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

Sara Willi is now a graphic designer for BSG, having previously worked as a website support manager for more than 200 clients at a full-service marketing agency. She brings a diverse background of design fields, which include graphic, web, user experience and user interaction design. 

Giancarlo Payamps comes to the research practice as a Senior Associate from a public affairs firm where he monitored trade and regulatory issues. Garrett Scocos also joined the research practice as an Associate where he conducts in-depth research and analysis for a wide variety of clients in multiple industries including finance, healthcare, and government. 

In the media monitoring practice, Kuljeet Singh, George Basile, and Jack Lubbock have joined as associates. Multilingual in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, Kuljeet joins BSG from a global nonprofit where he focused on nuclear nonproliferation. George brings nearly a decade of experience from campaigns, legislative offices, nonprofits and the private sector. Based in London, Jack provides strategic monitoring and analysis services for clients with a focus on the crypto and energy industries. 

“Jay Boyd is joining Bullpen Strategy Group as director in the strategic communications practice. He previously was a manager at FP1 Strategies.”

Also seen in POLITICO Influence.

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Adds Seven New Hires, Promotes Eight Firmwide In Last Five Months

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) is excited to announce the expansion of its strategic communications, analysis, and media monitoring practices with new hires and promotions, including the addition of Michael Ahrens as Vice President. Firmwide, BSG recently added seven new hires and promoted eight team members. It has offices in Washington, London, and Dallas.

“Nearly two years ago, we launched Bullpen Strategy Group to provide clients with insights-driven strategies,” said BSG CEO Joe Pounder. “Today, we have grown to nearly three dozen strong, stretching from London to Washington to Dallas. This means we are better positioned than ever to help our clients meet their challenges, grow, and manage risk.”

“We believe that great communication starts with great research and monitoring, and at Bullpen, all of those teams are growing,” said BSG Partner Brian Rogers. “Our new lineup, alongside our existing team, is already hard at work racking up wins for clients.”

Michael Ahrens joins BSG in the strategic communications practice. Ahrens has more than 12 years of experience in strategic communications, research, and crisis management. He has advised some of the nation’s top political and business leaders, fought on the front lines of high-profile political and policy campaigns, as well as behind the scenes in the media, philanthropic and financial sectors. Most recently, Ahrens served as Communications Director for the Republican National Committee. His previous campaign experience includes roles for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican Governors Association, and Gov. Mitt Romney. He also worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to Sen. Roy Blunt and in New York on the production teams at CBS News and Fox News.

Elizabeth Gibson joins BSG as Director in the strategic communications practice. Gibson brings extensive writing and strategic communications experience to BSG from her time in the U.S. Senate, where she spent nearly five years working for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, as well as serving as Speechwriter and Press Secretary for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Gibson most recently served as speechwriter to U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware.

Jay Boyd joins BSG as Director in the strategic communications practice. Jay joins BSG from FP1 where he was spent three years aiding dozens of winning clients and overseeing successful production of advertisements nationwide. Jay also worked in political media as a producer for Laura Ingraham and an associate at Fox News.

Olivia Perez-Cubas and Michael Zona have both been promoted to Senior Vice President in the strategic communications practice.

In the research and analysis practice, Joe Chaudoin has been promoted to Senior Vice President, and will lead a team that includes new additions Tom Mulkeen, who joins BSG as Senior Director, and Evan Allison, as a Senior Associate.

Other recent promotions include Pelham Groom, based in the London office, to Managing Director of Global Technology and Monitoring Operations. On the monitoring team, Beth Hitchcock and Andrew Muchnick are now Directors and Thomas Dee is a Senior Associate.

Rounding out the firm’s expansion is the addition of Erica Guyton, as Chief People Officer, bringing more than a decade of experience spearheading organizational development, growth, expansion, and improvement across diverse corporate platforms. Jessi Powell joins BSG as Senior Financial Operations Analyst. Full stack engineer Wesley Roberts has been promoted to Vice President at Bullpen Technology Group.

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From POLITICO Playbook: 

Elizabeth Gibson is now a director at Bullpen Strategy Group. She previously was a speechwriter for Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.).

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By Andrew Muchnick | Senior Associate

Less than 24 hours after President Biden formally introduced his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, the enormous size and scope of the package has driven stakeholders across the economy to seek out lobbying services to ensure their priorities are addressed in the final legislation.

POLITICOreported that a top DC lobbying firm is even turning potential clients away, with one senior lobbyist quoted saying, “look at the plan…shouldn’t everyone be lobbying this bill?”

Let me back up and ask a different question:

Shouldn’t you know exactly what is going on, when it happens?

In these early days, and at this point, these early hours of this months-long fight, the very definition of “infrastructure” is still up for debate, all while interest groups and activists across the political spectrum are drawing their battle lines.

With so much up in the air, so early on, now is the time to start listening and watching, so when the moment is right, you can act quickly and decisively knowing you have all of the information at your disposal.

No matter what your priorities are, Bullpen Strategy Group’s media monitoring experts will be your eyes and ears across the media landscape and bring you the most important parts of the discussion when you need it, and with the hyper-dynamic nature of this debate, you need it as it happens. With 24-hour monitoring capability across international time zones, Bullpen’s monitoring team is perfectly positioned to sift through the noise and provide insights that traditional, automated services simply cannot provide.

Pair your monitoring operation with a bespoke research agenda and communications plan, and you have yourself a surefire way to end up with a seat at the table instead of being on the menu.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BULLPEN’S MEDIA MONITORING SERVICE

By Vaughn Jennings | BSG Senior Vice President

President Biden is expected to lay out the parameters of a massive and ambitious infrastructure package, undoubtedly setting the stage for his next legislative priority on Capitol Hill. Washington should be on notice that the infrastructure debate has arrived, the Administration is gearing up for a fight and now is the time to get ready.

The path to what some view as a generational investment faces stiff opposition. There will be many twists, turns, and pitfalls that at times make passage look momentarily doubtful. But don’t start writing the new “infrastructure week” jokes just yet.

President Biden is making it clear his Administration intends to put significant political capital behind its infrastructure push. Congressional leaders are lining up behind a legislative package that is likely to both showcase shovel-ready projects and spark partisan fights over pay-fors and tax hikes. Key players on the hill are already pledging to use whatever means necessary — from regular order to reconciliation — to move their priorities across the finish line.

In today’s political environment, success is a well-orchestrated public affairs campaign. Whether your goals center around funding a specific project, raising your profile on a key issue or beating back a solution in search of a problem, here are a few ways you can be ready to put points on the board.

Stay on top of the debate: The most important preparation any organization can make is to ensure your decision makers are seeing the news you need to see in real-time. Around-the-clock traditional and social media monitoring on all aspects of the debate will arm your team with the insights needed to develop, refine and execute an effective public affairs campaign.

Create Content that Educates and Engages Stakeholders: Define your issue, before someone else defines it for you. It’s an easier lift to fend off tax hikes, or other harmful provisions, before they show up in bill text. Proactive content development is fundamental to ensuring your priorities stand out among the chorus of competing interests, building allies of substance and echo chambers, putting out fires and activating your employees when their voices need to be heard.

Stay Off the Menu: Infrastructure is more than just roads and bridges; the debate spans nearly every sector across our economy from travel and tourism to green energy, education and much more. Such aspirational priorities can carry a hefty price tag, and these projects aren’t going to pay for themselves. As the debate evolves, so too can your need to quickly and effectively engage. Remember, sometimes going to the table proactively is the best way to stay off the menu.

Seize the Opportunity: Be the early bird. Conversations are already underway that will shape the debate and influence the substance and timing of legislative action. Any high-profile push is an opportunity to advance your priorities or protect your interests. Be flexible, aggressive and strategic in your planning so your organization is prepared to welcome the debate and engage from a position of strength.

Infrastructure is a marathon, not a sprint. A sustained legislative drumbeat expected to continue into the fall only reinforces the need to start early, get your content ready and stay ahead of the debate.

From POLITICO Playbook:

— Michael Ahrens is joining Bullpen Strategy Group as a VP in its strategic comms and public affairs advisory practice. He most recently was comms director for the RNC, and is a Marco Rubio campaign alum.

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