ADAM KLUGER PUBLIC RELATIONS

Celebrates Twenty Years of Excellence, Creativity & Integrity

Adam Kluger Public Relations: Over a decade of Big Bottom-Line Results

Adam Kluger recalls picking up garbage in Central Park with his classmates from Horace Mann School as part of a good citizenship project when he was about five years old. The endeavor became much more exciting for him when a TV cameraman started filming the group. He was eager to see himself on the evening news.

“I guess I should have realized then that I would either become a garbage man or work in TV,” he joked in a recent interview in which he talked about the 12 year odyssey of his Manhattan based public relations firm that bears his name (www.adamklugerpr.com) (also known as AKPR). He opened AKPR in November 2003.

Mr. Kluger had more than a decade of media experience before he took on the challenge of running a PR firm. After earning a liberal arts degree from Vassar College, he spent ten years as a writer and producer for CNN. He was also an independent and contract producer for a couple of years, working for major television stations, such as Fox5 , MSNBC and E! News. He revealed that his interest in public relations as a career came to him through a serendipitous encounter.

“A former classmate wrote a self-published book and asked me to help publicize it,” he explained. “I was able to get him 30 placements, including an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

That success led Mr. Kluger to begin his new career. After hosting a party with six bands at Planet Hollywood at Times Square to launch his new firm with the assistance of lighting guru, friend and future client, Bentley Meeker (www.bentleymeeker.com), he got down to business. He surrounded himself with talented leaders who he employs on a contract basis. “We have a rotating staff of about 15 people ranging from senior publicists to interns, depending on my current clients’ needs,” he said. “Our award-winning senior PR Team led by Mark Goldman and Robyn Stevens is among the best in the business–They are efficient, accountable, loyal and they somehow manage to make me look smart every day.” “They honor me daily with their friendship and trust and I am devoted to all of them as on-going strategic business partners.”

With his fluctuating staff, Mr. Kluger has provided multi-dimensional, individualized public relations services for more than 100 clients, averaging about five to 15 clients at a time. His services include a full range of solutions: traditional and social media placements, managing corporate reputation and strategic communications, event management, web design and search engine optimization, and media branding campaigns resulting in improved market share and big bottom-line results.

The motto then was "Excellence, Creativity & Integrity." Along the way, we have all been blessed to have developed trusted friendships and life-long relationships that we will always cherish. Here's an old article on AKPR written by New York Times reporter Diana Greenberg...so honored and grateful that all the folks mentioned in this interview are still dear friends and a big part of our inner circle. Thank you all so much!

-Adam Kluger

With a relatively small client base, AKPR is able to give each client maximum time and attention. “My fees are at the boutique PR firm level, but our results are on par or better than larger firms,” Mr. Kluger said. He credits his clients and several mentors for helping him to learn the “art and science” of public relations, as well as the ins and outs of running a small business. Mr. Kluger is thankful for many business mentors, including his client, Brian Drum, CEO of Drum Associates, an executive search firm (www.drumassociates.com), and Jay Levy, a business development advisor who was a recipient of Crain’s New York Business Top Five Entrepreneurs to Watch in New York. (www.uproot. com)

AKPR has provided services for a large variety of clients, from authors, top doctors and CEOs to small and medium-sized businesses. Mr. Kluger is particularly pleased to work with Brain Balance Achievement Centers, which offers a program to help children with ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, or Asperger’s syndrome to overcome behavioral and learning difficulties. The centers have grown in number from five to over 60 with Mr. Kluger’s help. “I am especially devoted to my clients who make the world a better place,” he said.

One of AKPR’s first clients, Subin Associates, LLP, a personal injury law firm (www.subinlaw.com), has stuck with AKPR through the years as the recipient of abundant media placements. “Adam Kluger Public Relations got us more press coverage in a week than my firm has gotten in 20 years,” said Herb Subin, Esq. He added that Mr. Kluger is a ”pleasure to work with, has great insight, and is a real gentleman.”

Bill Tush, who worked with Mr. Kluger at CNN but is now retired and works as a freelance entertainment journalist, also has been a client with AKPR since the firm’s beginning. “Adam keeps my name out there,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll do four of five media interviews in a row. We’re friends and sometimes I’ll call Adam on Sunday just to say hello, and he’ll start thinking of places to pitch.” PopCap, maker of video games, has been a “huge client” in terms of revenue. AKPR recently pulled out all the stops for the company, with a major broadcast tour, satellite radio tour, and celebrity Twitter campaign. (www.popcapgames.com)

Mr. Kluger defines success for his clients as “achieving their goals” – whether they are media placement, web design, branding, or any mix of PR objectives. He affirmed that the most important measure of success is getting big bottom-line results. He is more philosophical about his own success. He said, “It has been a challenge to keep the business going, especially during the recession.” He offered an analogy: “My team and I have been in the eye of the hurricane, but we’ve been in a lifeboat where everyone is equal, and we’ve discovered how to manage and get through the storms.” Kluger adds, “if it wasn’t for my family and good friends having my back during the tough times–I never would have made it this far or for this long.”

“One rule in our office is that we treat each other with kindness and respect,” Mr. Kluger said. He also allows his young internal staff to be independent and work the way they see fit. He joked, “Everyone is their own boss, and I’m their assistant.”

On a more serious note he said, “The secret to being a good leader is to be a good role model, to care about people, and to help them realize their potential and achieve their goals.” Lauren Shepland, who worked at AKPR as a publicist and office manager for about a year while she was a student at Sacred Heart University, said she has Mr. Kluger to thank for her landing a “fantastic job” at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, upon her graduation. “Working for Adam was a great experience,” she said. “I learned about the tools and work skills I needed for a PR position.”

Currently an event manager at a popular hotel, Karina Mkrtchian said she “learned everything about public relations from working at AKPR,” adding, “Adam would say, ‘I’m here to help you find and release your inner greatness.’ I always thought that sounded kind of cheesy, but I realized he was absolutely right. Adam helped me discover what I was good at and use it to the best of my abilities.”

That was also true for Bernadette Marciniak, who started working at AKPR as an intern when she was a student at Montclair State

University, eventually becoming a publicist handling social media, design work, and photography. She said Mr. Kluger noticed that she had artistic talent and helped her to develop it. She went on to work as a photographer for North Jersey Media Group, owner of the Bergen Record, but she still works for AKPR as a freelance photographer and publicist. “

“I’m really proud of all the members of our inner-circle over the past 12 years– Millenials may lack experience– but they are also tech-savvy super-stars, who are smart and tough. I like to be surrounded by young people who are unafraid to take risks, to develop new skills and offer a fresh perspective. That ethos has always been vital to who we are as a company.”

Mr. Kluger also gave some thought to his own job satisfaction. “Like journalists, public relations practitioners usually work on a deadline, and every day is different. You find structure out of chaos, and you tell a story, solve a problem. There is a feeling of pride in that. Then the next day is new again, and you’re challenged again, meeting new people, solving new problems.” “Ultimately, it’s my job to help people–and nothing beats that.” Mr. Kluger would not give any definite predictions about the future of his company, but he said, “I hope that if my sevenyear-old son Robbie reads this article in the future he will know I believe that my greatest accomplishment is being his Dad.”

Asked if he would like Robbie to choose public relations as a career, Mr. Kluger replied, “I want him to be happy, to do something worthwhile, and to share his talents and joy with the world. I want his motivation to be love. The reason anything is worth doing is because of love.”

To learn more visit: www.adamklugerpr.com

Adam Kluger PR – Public Relations Firm New York City