Hanna Lee’s eponymous PR agency has engaged top hotels, bars, restaurants, spirits and wine with their services for over 18 years, and this year saw some particularly unique work. The agency kicked off its “Brand Building Innovation Series” to change the way they tell clients’ stories and help build their brands globally, as evidenced by the launch of the HLC Book Media Division. The agency’s first book, "The Japanese Art of the Cocktail," which was co-authored by the agency’s Editor-in-Chief and Partner Michael Anstendig and Katana Kitten’s Masahiro Urushido, earned a James Beard Media Award nomination and is the Spirited Award winner of the "Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book" at 2022 Tales of the Cocktail. It was also named a Barnes & Noble "Best Book of 2021" in the Cookbook Category and an Amazon Editors' Pick. Now, their clients consult with them on how to pursue their publishing dreams, with several publications in the pipeline already. Looking for intel without bringing on an agency quite yet? Press play on Hanna Lee Communications’ “Hospitality Forward” podcast, a weekly show where Lee and Anstendig interview top journalists, with the mission of helping hospitality professionals to learn how to be featured in top writers’ and publications’ stories.
Leadership team:
Hanna Lee, President
Michael Anstendig, Editor-in-Chief and Partner
Notable long-term clients:
The Dead Rabbit, Fever-Tree USA,Chef John Fraser’s JF Restaurants, Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC and The Times Square EDITION, The World’s 50 Best Bars, Overthrow Hospitality Group
New client wins:
The Wall Street Hotel (F&B), Hotel Cleo, North America’s 50 Best Bars, Bar Chrystie, The Skylark Rooftop Cocktail Lounge, Avant Garden Bistro LA, Woody Creek Distillers, Empirical Spirits, Harridan Vodka, The Roosevelt Room, Esters, Kru Thai Restaurant, Rasasvada Non-Alcoholic Amaros
How is the agency advancing DEI in the industry?
“Through the agency’s ‘Inspiring Women Series,’ we interview female leaders in hospitality and beyond who share their life mottos. We have interviewed 350 powerful women of every background and ethnicity and promoted them and their photos on our website and digital channels. These fearless leaders personally inspired our president and founder Hanna Lee, who is herself a person of color, by how they are changing the world. In addition, the agency fosters a geographically diverse setting by actively sponsoring foreign employees' visas. This year, we invited talent from Australia and Italy.”
