Knoodle, the leading Phoenix-based advertising, public relations and digital agency, is starting off 2014 with the acquisition of Kluger Media Group, a national communications and crisis management firm, founded by PR veteran Barry Kluger, it was announced today by Rosaria Cain, CEO and Managing Partner of knoodle.
Kluger will join knoodle as Managing Director, knoodle PR, on January 6, 2014. He has been a leading corporate communications and public relations executives for many years, serving in the roles of, among others, Senior Vice President, Communications, MTV Networks; Senior Vice President, Prodigy; and Managing Director, Communications, USA Networks.
In addition, knoodle has added five new clients to its roster: Presidential Pools, MoneyRadio/1510AM, Ashley Furniture, Cypress HomeCare Solutions and The Chinese Lantern and Folk Festival at Fountain Hills.
“We are excited to have an executive of Barry’s background be the one to spearhead our growth in the public relations/communications sector,” Cain said. “His skills in managing messages and strategies for some of the world’s most recognizable global brands make him the ideal executive to join our firm and expand our outreach on behalf of our clients.”
“When I moved to Arizona from New York 14 years ago, I was excited to see an amazingly high level of creativity and strategic thinking in the advertising and public relations community,” Kluger said. “This opportunity to join knoodle reflects our mutual respect for out-of-the-box thinking and it is exciting at this point in my career, to work with a group of dedicated and exceedingly smart people with whom we share the same dreams and visions.”
Cain added: “The addition of these five new clients indicate the vibrancy and growth of the advertising arena, as well as our agency’s track record in securing new business across a myriad of industries. We are excited that these two new expansion announcements will steer this agency to greater things in the years ahead.”
Kluger began Kluger Media Group in New York in 1998 and over the years, has represented a diverse client roster covering the media, healthcare, legal, retail, solar, security, real estate, technology and financial industries. His client roster has included MedHelp, Freedom Debt Relief, ShopNBC, NBC Internet (MSNBC), Motor Trend Network, Federated Direct, ProxyMed, Wall Street Transcript, CondeNast, The Tucson Film Festival and The Sedona Jazzfest, to name a few. Prior to starting his form in 1998 in New York, he was Senior Vice President, Communications for Prodigy Internet as well as Prodigy China, Prodigy Mexico and Africa OnLine. From 1985-1995, he was Senor Vice President, Communications for MTV Networks and its channels, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, as well as MTV Europe. He also served as Chairman of The Governor’s Film and Television Commission from 2005-2009, Co-Chair of the Scottsdale Mayor’s Television Commission and is Board Chairman of The MISS Foundation, a global nonprofit.
Glenn Swain, knoodle’s current director of public relations, will remain a consultant to the agency, with emphasis on speechwriting, book and business editorial writing and similar creative efforts and projects. Swain has been associated with the firm since 2003.
