Community Agency – Toronto’s leading creative shop known for producing immersive brand experiences across Canada – launches PUBLIC/REALM, a full-service public relations agency under the leadership of industry veteran, Lisa Kwong (pictured). This expansion streamlines Community’s service offering for clients, making it a one-stop shop for fully integrated marketing services across creative, digital, design, experiential and now, PR.
"PUBLIC/REALM is the natural evolution of what we do at Community. Marketing, content creation, and design have always been the language through which we express our ideas and stories, and our new PR offering allows us to open new dialogues, and help brands shape not just their narratives, but their presence in the world,” says Art Mandalas, CEO, Community Agency.
As the president of PUBLIC/REALM, Kwong will join Community’s senior leadership team and be responsible for all aspects of the PR business inclusive of the agency’s vision, growth, operations and recruitment. She will also play a collaborative role in the day-to-day client services and integrated planning across both agencies.
Kwong brings almost two decades of agency and client-side experience working for globally recognized brands in the luxury, fashion, retail, lifestyle and consumer sectors. She joins Community from the luxury multi-brand e-commerce retailer, SSENSE, where she led the global brand communications, and managed agency partners in the United States, Europe and Japan. Prior to SSENSE, Kwong served as Vice President at both Veritas Communications and Pomp & Circumstance PR, with other agency roles at Narrative PR and NKPR.
“It’s an exciting time for public relations. Look at our pace of life: as a society, we’re more online and socially connected than ever; our worlds can change at the rate at which we swipe,” says Kwong. “It means we need to throw out the old PR rulebook and look at novel ways for brands to create authentic connections in an era where consumers are both thoughtful and deliberate in their consumption habits. And the answer to that, is integration; PUBLIC/REALM was created under Community Agency for that purpose. We offer clients seamless access to expertise across verticals to deliver smart, creative thinking with end results in mind.”
Now in its 25th year and celebrating a new chapter of growth, Community Agency also welcomes the recent promotion of Daryn Sutherland into the newly created role of Managing Director. Sutherland’s new scope will see her working alongside the CEO to help guide the agency’s strategic vision and ensure its future success. Prior to joining Community, Daryn held leadership positions at Cossette, Inventa and Cundari.
Image credit: Krik Lisaj
