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Company: The Hayes Initiative, New York, NY
Company Description: The Hayes Initiative (THI), recently recognized for “Best in Public Affairs” with an honorable mention at the PR Week Awards, is a certified LGBTQ-owned and operated public affairs firm that helps organizations, C-suite leaders, and candidates focus on the issues that will advance their mission and better position them in the broader political, business, entertainment, or philanthropic landscape.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Public Relations Agency of the Year
 Nomination Title: The Hayes Initiative
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated agency since January 1 2020, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated agency: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 185 words used.
Following Anthony Hayes’ work for Secretary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Anthony started The Hayes Initiative (THI) in 2017 with himself as the sole staffer and with one contract managing media and logistics for a nationwide bus tour to stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. From there, THI has rapidly grown with a simple idea – build a nimble communications firm that brings top-tier white-glove service to every client. That vision has now taken us to six working professionals on full-time staff and key strategic partnerships. Based in New York City, our full-service public affairs firm cuts across three specialty areas: communications, government relations, and stakeholder management. We have an understanding of how large-scale initiatives, projects, and announcements often have a media overlay along with a government and community relations component alongside stakeholders to manage. With each client, THI wants to understand their entire business so that we can provide holistic advice and an approach that focuses not only on messaging and press wins but also on how elected officials, the community, and other key stakeholders are impacted and how they are likely to respond.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the agency's achievements since the beginning of 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 196 words used.
We organically grew our seven-figure revenue through client referrals, expanding current scopes of work, and supporting current events, all of which increased our revenue by 62% last year, and this year, even amidst the continued pandemic, we are expected to grow our revenue by 40%. All of our growth over the past year has been through new business and we are proud of our continued year-over-year growth, which includes growth throughout the height of the pandemic in 2020, in terms of clients and revenue. As a result of this growth, we now work with over 35 organizations regularly in the US and beyond, including government agencies, global philanthropies, museums, professional sports teams, national nonprofit organizations, tech companies, mayoral campaigns, and presidential campaigns. During the entry period, we were very proud to work with a diverse array of clients and projects including, but not limited to, the launch of the largest government funded Excluded Workers Fund in the nation, the campaign of the first Afro-Latina candidate for Mayor of New York City, the 20th anniversary commemoration of the September 11th attacks, and the global launch of a feminist archive with the United States’ largest public library system.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the agency's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 210 words used.
THI’s work with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum included managing and providing onsite support for top-tier, high-profile, long media interviews that include multiple components such as b-roll filming, on-site interviews, producing background for producers and reporters, and coordinating walk and talks; serving as an advisor across the museum on internal and external communications, content production, public relations, messaging, and event logistics; daily stakeholder updates to a large group of internal and external stakeholders; and supporting the shaping of stories.
In early 2021, THI was selected to provide communications, stakeholder outreach, and project management support and counsel to the New York State Department of Labor, the state agency tasked with implementing the Excluded Workers Fund, which is the largest of its kind in the country. In advance of the program’s launch on August 1, 2021, THI played a key role in developing a consistent and inclusive narrative; establishing a multilingual outreach strategy ensuring all application materials were available in 13 languages; crafting messaging for a grants program for community-based organizations to help applicants apply for the fund; creating content such as a style guide, fact sheet, social media toolkit, and video scripts; and providing counsel on opinion pieces, statements, ads for subways, buses, radio stations, newspapers, and social media.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
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