Hanna Lee Communications (HLC) serves hospitality, travel and luxury brands through their marcomms expertise in addition to a few proprietary programs the agency has become known for. The HLC Innovation Series comprises initiatives like the HLC Global Bartender Travel Scholarship, which provides funds to help bartenders attend the cocktail conference of their choice, and HLC Book Media, a division that leverages book publishing to help clients reach wider audiences (born out of the success of their own award-winning book). HLC now also offers podcast consulting for clients, a category they’ve become experts in via their “Hospitality Forward” Podcast, which connects top media with hospitality and travel newsmakers and has listeners in more than 150 countries. This year’s business milestones include the launch of the first-ever North America’s 50 Best Bars as well as Major Food Group’s Torrisi Bar and Restaurant.
Leadership team:
Hanna Lee, President & Founder
Michael Anstendig, Editor-in-Chief & Partner
Notable long-term clients:
The World’s 50 Best Bars and North America’s 50 Best Bars (London, UK), The Skylark, JIMMY, Tribe Hotel, The Roosevelt Room (Austin, TX), Brother Wolf, Osteria Stella (Knoxville,TN), Woody Creek Distillers (Woody Creek, CO.) and Empirical (Copenhagen, Denmark)
New client wins:
Tribe Hotel, Jiko Restaurant and Hero Bar (Nairobi, Kenya); Hanky Panky, Pigeon, Huset and Brujas (Mexico City); Major Food Group’s Torrisi Bar and Restaurant and The Ivory Peacock (NYC); Mister Charles (Dallas, TX); Lilou (Knoxville, TN), Powers Irish Rye Whiskey (Ireland)
Has your agency introduced any new service offerings or expanded into new practice areas in the past year? Please provide details and explain the rationale behind these developments.
“Hanna Lee Communications continued its innovative HLC Global Bartender Travel Scholarship program. The agency earmarked $18,000 for 18 bartenders ($1,000 each) as a celebration of the agency’s 18th anniversary. Entirely self-funded by Hanna Lee Communications, the scholarship is a giving back to the community initiative designed to help broaden the horizons of bartenders and supercharge their careers. The scholarship helps support bartenders’ travel to key global cocktail and bar conferences to educate, network and inspire one another. It is judged by a panel of globally acclaimed mixology and bar luminaries who reviewed heartfelt essays submitted by 116 bartenders in 32 countries in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. This year, winners of our 2020 scholarship who could not travel due to COVID-19 restrictions were able to attend their chosen festivals and conferences, including the Singapore Cocktail Festival, London Cocktail Week, Lisbon Bar Show, Tales of the Cocktail and others.”
