Sitrick And Company focuses on corporate, financial, transactional and crisis communications. The firm’s experience within those areas is both broad and deep, ranging from corporate bankruptcies to Academy Award campaigns. Sitrick And Company is best known for its work in high profile, bet-your-company/bet-your-life situations. Whether helping a client with an IPO, a merger or a criminal indictment, we work to ensure all of our client’s key constituents are covered. This can include such groups as the media (digital and traditional), employees, the investment community, customers, suppliers and government officials.
Whether it’s The New York Times calling us “The City’s Most Prominent Crisis Management Firm,” or Fortune calling our chairman “The Winston Wolf of Public Relations,” comparing him to the fictional “fixer” in the film “Pulp Fiction,” the results Sitrick has achieved for its clients have been the subject of numerous newspaper, magazine and television stories.
More importantly, the results Sitrick achieves for its clients is the reason advisors and clients with whom the firm has previously worked refer us to new clients and why Sitrick has historically been the first choice for companies and individuals facing reputational damage or in some cases freedom-threatening or life or death situations. Our practice is literally worldwide, in the United States, throughout Europe, Russia, Asia and the Middle East.
As mentioned on the About page of our website, crisis management matters with which we have been involved span the spectrum. They include reputation management, mergers and acquisitions, data breaches, financial restatements and litigation support of all kinds: intellectual property matters, allegations of stock manipulation, wrongful termination, claims involving contract disputes, allegations of fraud and fraudulent inducement, wrongful death claims, allegations of illegal drug use and a variety of other white-collar crimes, criminal and civil cases against companies and their executives for such things as price fixing, insurance fraud, options backdating and antitrust violations, race and gender discrimination, sexual harassment, racism and even rape. We have done extensive work combating short sellers, handling product recalls, extremely sensitive environmental matters, racketeering cases, executive departures either through termination or otherwise, professional, college and high school sports issues, family disputes, and high-profile divorces.
With a team of communications professionals who can draw upon decades of senior-level corporate experience, Sitrick And Company has helped hundreds of companies — large and small, publicly traded and privately held — draft press releases, review and edit SEC filings, develop or refocus their corporate images, draw notice to accomplishments that were not getting the attention they deserved, and recover from disappointing news. By working with the client to develop clearly defined objectives, Sitrick executives practice a genuinely strategic brand of public relations in which long-term goals are never sacrificed for the sake of short-term gains.
Sitrick And Company has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, and proxy contests — both friendly and hostile, on offense and defense, LBOs, and IPOs. In addition to providing strategic counsel, we provide message development, communications materials for all key audiences, the creation and maintenance of websites and the development and implementation of social media strategy. Where the firm is perhaps best recognized for its expertise in this area is in its development and implementation of media strategy. Just two examples: in a defense against a hostile takeover, the firm’s media strategy resulted in the pursuer dropping its bid within 48 hours; in an offensive position, the media strategy we developed resulted in the target capitulating in about the same amount of time. On friendly transactions, communications is critical in ensuring an effective integration process. We have extensive experience in helping our clients achieve the desired result there too.
Our firm has extensive experience in corporate governance, both advising clients and through our chairman serving as head of a corporate governance committee on a publicly-traded board. At a time when “transparency” is an inescapable buzz word and concern over corporate governance has moved from obscure MBA seminars to the front pages of the nation’s newspapers, Sitrick And Company’s is well-qualified to provide advice and counsel and develop and execute effective communication strategies related to a wide range of corporate governance issues.
Sitrick And Company has represented a wide variety of clients in anti-trust cases. The firm represents companies seeking to persuade regulators to allow them to pursue mergers and acquisitions and companies that want to block combinations by their competitors. In each case, the firm works closely with its clients and their legal counsel to develop forceful arguments that resonate with their stakeholders.
Sitrick And Company has represented hundreds of clients involved in high-stakes intellectual property litigation in Federal and State courts, often with parallel proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trade Office and the International Trade Commission. Its assignments often involve translating complex high-technology patent language into persuasive positions that allow the media, shareholders and legislators to understand the enormous consequences of individual patent decisions. Strategy it has developed has resulted in numerous situations where defendants have settled cases within days after the lawsuit was filed and media stories hit the web and the papers.
There is a very simple reason why some companies’ stocks perform well even in a bear market: investors understand where the companies are headed, and they want to be a part of their future. Sitrick And Company combines traditional Investor Relations activities with access to the media and the ability to get a client’s story told. The firm does this by helping clients formulate a clear and concise message — and then working to make sure that message is reported in timely, well-positioned stories in major media outlets.
In addition to its media expertise, Sitrick And Company provides all of the “standard” Investor Relations services — drafting and disseminating press releases, planning and organizing road shows, providing market intelligence, and preparing annual reports and other presentation materials to reach all financial audiences, including brokers, fund managers, analysts, and private investors.
Given the specialized nature of its practice, Sitrick’s Investor Relations activities frequently complement other strategic communications assignments the firm may undertake for a client. Sitrick’s Investor Relations professionals create comprehensive programs for clients emerging from Chapter 11 to cultivate an informed and supportive market for their new common stock. The firm also conducts in-depth market perception surveys for clients that are weathering a crisis in order to assess how investment professionals perceive the situation. On that basis, Sitrick then develops key messages that address leading issues and concerns.
Reputation Management is one of the areas that Sitrick And Company is best known for, whether in launching a company, defending a company or individual against attack or restoring and rebuilding a reputation. The results are not just theoretical. They have translated in significant increases in the market capitalization of companies – in the billions in some cases – and the resurrection of careers. We have also helped to create positive images for relatively unknown individuals and companies.
Clients benefit from our other high-profile work. Because we are gatekeepers to some of the biggest news stories in the country, we enjoy critical access to the media — a vital component in the success of any reputation management or crisis communications program. Our highly trained and experienced digital communications practice uses state of the art methods of search engine optimization (SEO); data-driven intelligence and analytics; search result remediation and online reputation management to build, restore, and maintain the online reputation of our clients.
Choosing the right professionals for a corporate restructuring—whether in or out of court—and can make the difference between success and liquidation. Your entire team: lawyers, financial advisors, investment bankers and communications professionals, must be both experienced and accomplished. This is not an area for beginners or on-the-job-training.
Sitrick And Company has the largest, most experienced and accomplished restructuring practice in the strategic communications industry. Since the firm’s founding in 1989, Sitrick executives have served as strategic communications counsel in more than 300 Chapter 11 reorganizations — including some of the nation’s largest and most complex — and nearly half as many out-of-court restructurings.
The firm’s Chapter 11 experience encompasses virtually every industry and nearly every imaginable situation, from asbestos liabilities to the largest municipal bankruptcy in history (Orange County, California). Its expertise includes developing and implementing strategy to deal with all key constituents including the media, employees, vendors, customers, unions, creditors and shareholders.
Properly handling strategic communications for a restructuring involves a great deal more than just preparation of documents and communiqués, though of course that is an important element. As critical, if not more critical, is sufficiently understanding the nuances of the process and the challenges so that you can quickly react to and come up with a solution to a problem, whether it is dealing with an employee morale issue, a customer, vendor or creditor crisis or getting to the right editor to correct or stop a story. Equally important is having a sufficient knowledge of the process so that you can work closely with the other professionals in developing and implementing actions to bring about a successful conclusion to the process.
The importance of the media in this process, both digital and traditional, is often underestimated. The way a restructuring is reported – from the filing to the emergence and each step along the way can make an enormous difference in the outcome. A company can tell its constituents that everything is fine, but if the next day a major national newspaper publishes an article stating that the Company is headed for liquidation – true or not—the effect could be devastating. In our firm’s 21 years of handling cases in this area, we have seen something as simple as a mishandled inquiry from a major newspaper cause a vendor stampede which resulted in the liquidation of a company. Sitrick’s expertise and track record in this area, like all other areas of our restructuring practice is nationally recognized as best in class.
Because the restructuring process requires the close involvement of many constituents, it is impossible to control every aspect from start to finish. The restructuring process, by its very nature, has a number of twists and turns along the way. That is why it is critical that a company surround itself with professionals who have the experience and expertise to help guide it through the entire process — not just the initial filing of the petitions.
The restructuring group’s senior practitioners each have from 10 to 28 years of experience in developing and implementing strategic communications in both in and out of court restructurings. Each of the firm’s senior people has been involved in more than 100 cases.
Sitrick And Company’s entertainment practice is focused on providing strategic counsel, litigation support, and media training for both individual and corporate clients in the media and entertainment industries. The firm has handled the Michael Jackson Estate from the outset. Well-known entertainment personalities who have relied upon Sitrick and Company’s strategic and media capabilities in challenging situations include Halle Berry, Kim Basinger, Toni Braxton, Erin Brockovich, David Duchovny, Hulk Hogan, Paris Hilton, Eminem, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Tommy Lee, Rush Limbaugh, Paula Poundstone, Steven Spielberg, and the cast of “The Simpsons.” The firm has also advised numerous top media companies, movie studios, professional sports franchises, and trade associations — including:
In particular, Sitrick has become known in the movie business as the “go to” firm when it comes to dealing with political and journalistic controversies raised by topical or fact-based motion pictures, having provided advice and counsel in connection with a long list of major releases, including “The Da Vinci Code,” Steven Spielberg’s “Munich,” “Erin Brockovich,” “The Fast and the Furious,” “Spy Game,” “Black Hawk Down,” “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Icarus.” In addition, it has served as strategic consultant to a number of successful Academy Awards campaigns, including those for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist”.
Sitrick And Company’s Digital and Social Media Practice is well-known for its disciplined and effective approach to all aspects of online and social media communications, incorporating strategic messaging, online investigation, and technological integration. We have a staff of professionals who bring a full suite of capabilities using state of the art techniques, including:
As just a few examples: Our digital communications practice has played a key role in winning and defeating proxy contests, demonstrating that criminal charges were false (resulting in charges being dropped), helping win and defeat union organizing efforts, helping companies involved in litigation to convince parties to settle, restoring online reputations of high profile individuals and companies, demonstrating that information disseminated by short sellers was false, demonstrating that information about to be published by a major news organization was false, providing counsel on cybersecurity incidents and data breaches, defending against brand threats, online harassment, and boycott attacks, helping to defeat potential legislation, and helping major politicians, celebrities, influencers and sports figures deal with highly sensitive situations.
Sitrick And Company has one of the largest and most successful litigation support/regulatory practices in the public relations industry. Since inception, the firm’s executives have been involved in virtually every type of litigation and regulatory issue imaginable — from patent and trademark cases to a wide variety of government and criminal investigations; from regulatory issues to shareholder lawsuits; from wrongful termination claims to various SEC matters; from breach of contract suits to sexual harassment matters; from asbestos litigation to land planning and environmental impact issues.
The firm’s litigation/regulatory experience also includes cases involving the Airport Noise and Capacity Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, the Sherman Antitrust Act, the U.S. False Claims Act, the Texas Clean Claims Law, the California Environmental Quality Act, and the California Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Information and Assessment Act. In support of its clients, Sitrick executives routinely deal with such federal agencies as the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Education, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as such state agencies as the Texas Department of Insurance and the California Coastal Commission.
In every instance, Sitrick professionals work closely with the client’s legal counsel to ensure that the communications and public relations efforts are consistent with and complement the client’s legal and regulatory strategy.
Sitrick And Company has a long history of providing strategic communications, litigation support, reputation and crisis management and counsel and services to individuals and entities involved in the world of Sports. As stated by Charlie Gasparino of Fox News, “If you wanted someone to repair your image and fight to repair your image, there is no one better than Sitrick.”
Sitrick has represented some of the most recognizable names in sport including Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez, Ray Allen, Dwight Howard, Oscar De La Hoya, Michael Vick, Steve Austin, triple-crown contender Doug O’Neill and Richie Incognito. The firm has also advised major sports teams, entities and owners such as Guggenheim Baseball Management, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, Edward DeBartolo, former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, Bruce McNall, former owner of the Los Angeles Kings, Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Rams and we advised the Fiesta Bowl during and after an internal investigation into alleged wrongdoing by its former Executive Director. It has also been involved, on a confidential basis, in several cases related to NCAA investigations and sanctions.
Whether it’s a full-scale corporate campaign, contentious contract negotiations or opposition to work-rules changes, increasingly sophisticated legislative, regulatory, legal, communications and economic tactics are being used to capture popular sentiment and force a result. In the process corporate brands, reputations and goodwill are often devalued and shattered.
Sitrick and Company’s unique combination of strategic communications, media and organizing savvy, coupled with the firm’s litigation support expertise, has often proved to be decisive in situations involving organized labor and activist groups. The firm’s successful use of messaging, media and constituency building have been key to neutralizing opposition, getting out the truth and preserving corporate value.
We work with clients and their legal advisors to create communications that resonate with target audiences; implement activities that enhance the credibility of the company’s messages and engage third parties to underscore and propel the message. Our people have been in the trenches, whether as reporters, management or logistical experts or attorneys waging campaigns to protect or take back companies from labor-led coalitions, unions and activists; and conversely, bringing credibility to organizations and their campaigns.
Our Approach Involves:
Given the nature of corporate campaigns, an effective response demands an approach that refutes any inaccurate or misleading information disseminated by the other side, discloses relevant information and then communicates it to key constituents in a hard-hitting, innovative exchange. Just as critical, if not more so, is the ability to sufficiently understand the nuances of the process and act quickly to neutralize the opposition, break the cycle of negative messaging and reframe the debate.
Sitrick professionals work hand-in-hand with clients’ management and labor relations teams, legal counsel and other advisors to overcome the increasingly sophisticated, campaign-style tactics used by institutions, corporations and unions to press their position.
Sitrick And Company has a 30-year track record of providing strategic public relations services to both Asian and US clients engaged in cross-Pacific business and legal situations. Our Asia practice has assisted international clients in nearly every imaginable situation.
RANGING SITUATIONS
Cases we’ve worked on include the first successful investor-led proxy fight in South Korea, a landmark investor-rights case argued before the Supreme Court of Japan, a major NYSE-listed Chinese company facing shareholder litigation, a Korean-owned US hospital chain accused of mistreating homeless patients and a Taiwanese-American scientist wrongly accused of espionage. In every instance, Sitrick professionals work closely with the client’s financial and legal counsel to ensure that the communications and public relations efforts are consistent with and complement the client’s financial and legal strategy.
Sitrick’s Asia practice is staffed with executives who have extensive experience in dealing with both companies and journalists throughout Asia.
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