Lisa Gabor
Lisa Gabor

BPCM has launched a cannabis division. The division will be focused on advising and educating brands about how to position their products, as well as offering such BPCM core services as multi-faceted communication strategies, event management, celebrity and influencer engagement and digital services. It is led by Lisa Gabor, one of the founding editors of InStyle, who covered beauty, style and travel for the magazine before becoming editor of its digital division, Instyle.com. “The new cannabis division is dedicated to championing brands, products and people with purpose—as BPCM’s existing client roster does—and helping them to define their brand, promote sustainability and sync with today’s cultural ideals,” said BPCM co-founders Carrie Phillips and Vanessa von Bismarck.

Widmeyer Finzel
Scott Widmeyer (left) and Ben Finzel

RENEWPR, a Washington, DC-based energy and environmental communications consulting firm, and a member of The Change Agencies, a national network of independently-owned public relations firms focused on inclusive marketing to multicultural and LGBTQ communities, celebrated its fifth anniversary at a Jan. 23 event. RENEWPR was founded by Ben Finzel, who held executive posts at Edelman and FleishmanHillard in addition to serving as communications director at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The honorary host committee for the event included Scott Widmeyer, founding managing partner and chief strategy officer/Washington at Finn Partners.

LLYC

Communications consultancy LLYC has acquired Barcelona-based tech public affairs firm Diplolicy. Terms of the acquisition were not publicly disclosed. Diplolicy, which was founded in 2016, specializes in public affairs, institutional relations and competitive intelligence. As part of the deal, Diplolicy cofounder and general manager Roger Montañola will join LLYC as senior director of public affairs in Barcelona. Executives Ignasi Belda and Xavier Salvatella will become senior advisors in the firm and will be based in Catalonia, Spain. Madrid-based LLYC, which staffs more 600 communications pros across Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the U.S., specializes in public affairs, financial communications, crisis and reputation management, media and investor relations.

Prana

Celebrity Concepts founder Wendy Zipes Hunter has partnered with S. Cornell PR founder Suzie Cornell to launch Prana PR, a full-service public relations and talent booking agency, according to a report on deadline.com. Their current client roster includes include Los Angeles-based digital entertainment agency Loud Media, digital cancer care information site SurvivorNet, CNET and several films set to premiere at the 2020 Sundance and Tribeca film festivals. Before starting up Celebrity Concepts, Zipes headed the magazine department at Central Talent Booking and served as entertainment editor at Redbook. Cornell has worked with agencies including 42West, Strategy PR, Hill & Knowlton and Big Time PR theatrical releases, VOD and digital, web series and personal clients.