kwittken + company Acquires Epoch PR, Strengthening Its UK Presence

NEW YORK and LONDON, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- kwittken + company worldwide (KCO), a kbs+p partner company and a member of the MDC Partners Network (NASDAQ: MDCA), today announced it has acquired 100% of Epoch PR, a London-based multi-specialist corporate communications PR agency. The deal marks MDC Partners' first PR agency acquisition outside of North America and expands KCO's presence in London following the opening of its European headquarters in 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Effective immediately, Epoch PR will change its name to kwittken + company and maintain the same management team and staff, now reporting into Aaron Kwittken, CEO and Managing Partner of kwittken + company worldwide.  The deal boosts KCO's presence in the UK from four to approximately 15 people.  KCO's London office will continue to serve as the primary hub for cross border, pan-European communications support for the agency's global clientele, working closely with its growing European affiliate network in Germany, Spain and France.

Founded in 2004 by Christopher Clarke and Sarah Mulder, Epoch PR worked primarily in the corporate and B2B markets serving clients across a range of sectors including technology, telecommunications, professional services, energy, financial services, public sector and the environment.  The agency works with entrepreneurial start-ups to global blue-chip brands such as Amadeus IT Group, Arup, 3i, DataFlux, Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, Geothermal Engineering Ltd, HaloIPT, Method Design Lab and Towry.

Commenting on the deal, Clarke said, "Kwittken and Epoch PR share a complementary global approach to PR and communications that is based on ideas, creativity and thought leadership. We both believe in the multi-specialist model with a proven ability to support a wide variety of clients across different vertical markets to establish and strengthen their corporate reputation."

The deal follows on the heels of a stellar year for KCO. The agency has grown its revenues by 45% and staff by 75% since kbs+p acquired a majority interest in the agency a little more than one year ago.  The firm was also named 2011 Boutique PR Agency of the Year by PRWeek, 2011 Multi-specialist PR Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and 2011 PR Agency of the Year by the American Business Awards.

Aaron Kwittken, added, "This deal will have a immediate impact on Kwittken, our staff and the needs of our multi-national client base.  Epoch PR's expertise in leadership communications and its proprietary strategic development processes will provide Kwittken with an exceptional level of insight and value across all of our client initiatives locally and globally."

Christopher Clarke will serve as general manager of kwittken + company London and will be responsible for leading the brand leadership and digital practice as well as the agency's Hothouse thought leadership programme. Christopher will also manage business development, proposition development and marketing. Before founding the agency in 2004, Chris was in-house at Orange, responsible for global issues management and shifting the brand into the European business market. Before that he worked at Hill and Knowlton in the corporate information industries department. Chris started his career working at Merrill Lynch.

Sarah Mulder will serve as managing director of kwittken + company London and will be responsible for leading the agency's integrated communications practice.  Sarah will also manage the financial reporting, talent development, and client servicing across the agency. Her expertise is in integrating thought leadership approaches across marketing communications, digital communications and building international communications programmes. Previously, Sarah worked at both Hill and Knowlton and Edelman Asia Pacific running international campaigns across a range of sectors and geographies.

About kwittken + company worldwide

kwittken + company worldwide (KCO), a partner company of kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners and a member of The MDC Partners network, is an elite, multi-specialist public relations and marketing agency that works with established and emerging brands in a wide variety of sectors to help them realize their business goals through intelligently designed, results-oriented communications campaigns. The agency is headquartered in New York City and has a wholly owned office in London, UK with affiliate offices in Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil and Hong Kong. The firm was named 2011 Boutique Agency of the Year by PRWeek, 2011 Multi-specialist Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and 2011 Agency of the Year by the American Business Awards. The agency is proud to serve clients that include Stryker Corporation, HomeGoods, Towers Watson, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, McGraw-Hill, CourseSmart, DSM Biomedical, The Beanstalk Group, ideeli.com, Online Publishers Association, and Constellation Energy among others. For more information, please visit www.kwitco.com

About kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners

kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners, a member of the MDC Partners Network, is a leading digitally integrated marketing communications firm headquartered in New York and Atlanta with offices in Toronto and Montreal. kbs+p provides expert counsel across the full range of practices including brand and product innovation, public relations, emerging technologies, IP, advertising, eCRM, data & analytics, social media marketing, mobile and direct marketing. The Media Kitchen, a dedicated in-house media company, offers full-service, state-of-the-art media planning and buying capabilities, SEM and real-time web analytics through. kbs+p is proud to serve a blue chip roster of clients that includes BMW, Cablevision, Church's Chicken, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, HomeGoods, Levi Strauss & Co., NetJets and Weight Watchers among others.

About MDC Partners

MDC is a Business Transformation Organization that utilizes technology, marketing communications, data analytics, insights and strategic consulting solutions to drive meaningful returns on Marketing and Communications Investments for multinational clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean. MDC's durable competitive advantage is to empower the most talented entrepreneurial thought leaders to drive business success to new levels of achievement, for both our clients and our shareholders, reinforcing MDC's reputation as "The Place Where Great Talent Lives." MDC Partners' Class A shares are publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDZA".

Media Contact:
William Nikosey
Kwittken & Company
(646) 747-7150
[email protected]

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