Molly Schoneveld’s The Storied Group is a boutique public relations firm based in Los Angeles specializing in celebrity, design and lifestyle PR. One of the biggest changes Schoneveld has made over the past year is offering a new project placement service to interior designers, which gives them the opportunity to get a project published without being tied to a long term PR contract (a unique and affordable opportunity particularly for designers just starting out). With the emphasis on video content across Instagram Reels and TikTok, Schoneveld’s team has also learned how to effectively produce, direct and edit short form video for clients (finding creative solutions for those who prefer not to be on camera). A thought leader herself, Schoneveld recently spoke on a PR Net webinar alongside an attorney who is well versed in public relations, was chosen to be a speaker at Design Influencers Conference and also shares her industry insights via a monthly newsletter, blog posts and social media channels.
Leadership team:
Molly Schoneveld, Founder & CEO
Notable long-term clients:
Golden Door, Audrina Patridge, Toni Ko, A3 Artists Agency, Lisa Gilmore Design, Fangirl Sports Network, Milk Boutique, Jorja Fox, Virginia Williams
New client wins:
Drew Scott (Lone Fox), Laura Pankonien of The Pankonien Group design firm, Eurotrash (Design Firm), YMU, Zehana Interiors, Liz Lidgett Gallery, Burgess Loh Interiors
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“We recognize the power of social media as part of a client's marketing strategy, and rather than pushing back and seeing it as competition to traditional media, we have developed relationships with social media editors to secure coverage for clients that has never existed before. For example, we secured Drew Scott a series of Instagram Reels for GMA, and also worked with the Condé Nast YouTube team on their new Architectural Digest series that stars Drew. We are partnering clients with other like-minded brands for Instagram Lives, and advising clients on how to make big life announcements (divorce, apologies, etc.) on social media. I have been asked by clients if we do brand deals, so that's likely next on the offerings list – for those that don't have managers or agents, but have a platform.”
The first six months of this year alone showed booming growth for Zapwater Communications, as they signed more than 20 new clients across travel, hospitality, fashion and more. To help the team transition into its next phase, the agency brought Amanda ReCupido on as Managing Director of its Chicago HQ, and expanded the office’s physical footprint to accommodate new hires – with similar plans in the works for their Miami office. Zapwater also recently launched a Hispanic/Latino marketing practice, and now their bilingual team develops integrated strategies in key Hispanic/Latino markets. In addition, the team has started integrating affiliate marketing efforts into both influencer and media relations strategies. The agency’s success can surely be attributed to leadership’s dedication to fostering a great work environment for employees; for the past decade, Zapwater has been named on the most discerning “best agency to work” lists.
Leadership team:
David Zapata, CEO, Founder & Partner
Mayra Bacik, CFO & Partner
Jennifer Lake, Executive Vice President
Stephanie Poquette, Senior Vice President
Notable long-term clients:
ACCOR Hotels & Resorts, Baja Sur Tourism, Ball Horticultural, BLANCO North America, Coco Collection (Maldives), Ethiopian Airlines, Finnair, Grupo Xcaret, Marquee Development (Hotel Zachary, Gallagher Way), Hawks Cay Resort, Marriott International, Tourisme Montreal, Skydeck Chicago/Willis Tower, Visit Finland
New client wins:
Billdr, Boyne Resorts, Copa Airlines, Discover Dominica Authority, Dr. Scholl’s (wellness items/insoles), GHM Hotels (Chedi Muscat, Chedi Al Bait), Hilton Sandestin, Jungfrau Railways, Hestan Culinary, Expanded work with Hyatt Hotels (including Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta, Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City and Hotel La Compania), Playground
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“Our agency takes great pride in being extremely data-driven in our five core areas: travel, consumer, hospitality, retail, real estate/design and fashion/beauty/lifestyle. Beyond heavily investing in measurement and monitoring tools, we drive industry trends through focus groups and surveys in partnership with our global partner agencies through the Travel Lifestyle Network (TLN), of which Zapwater is a founding member. Our most recent 2022 survey with TLN, The State of Travel Today, included 130,000 global participants and highlights research on the post-COVID travel climate and consumers’ appetite for travel. This blend of data with audience insights better informs our integrated strategies. Zapwater released the survey results in July and is planning to do a second survey at the end of 2022.”
