Independent Los Angeles-Based Agency Helming PR for Sanrio Digital and its line-up of Hello Kitty® video games, and Heatwave’s Gods & Heroes Online Game, Platinum Life: Web Edition and iSamJackson Apps, among others

LOS ANGELES – Aug. 19, 2010 – Sanrio Digital, a company dedicated to digitally enhancing the Sanrio experience, and Heatwave Interactive, a game development studio and online publisher creating innovative cross-media entertainment experiences, have both chosen Wonacott Communications to spearhead their respective public relations efforts. An award-winning full-service independent public relations and integrated communications agency, Wonacott was selected based on the agency’s extensive experience and involvement within the interactive entertainment industry and the company’s proven track record of successfully building brand awareness for digital entertainment companies.

Wonacott will helm PR efforts for Sanrio Digital’s highly anticipated Hello Kitty® Online, the official massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) of the Hello Kitty universe. Sanrio Digital manages the game development, retail and online publishing of the game, and also operates SanrioTown, the Sanrio-themed portal and social networking site integrated within Hello Kitty Online. Wonacott will also support future projects on behalf of Sanrio Digital, including the forthcoming Wii game, Hello Kitty Seasons.

“Knowing Jason Wonacott’s expertise and seeing his team’s hands-on approach and outstanding results, I believe Wonacott Communications has taken a lead position in understanding today’s interactive and social entertainment space,” said Robert Ferrari, vice president publishing and business development, Sanrio Digital.  “The Wonacott team is extremely passionate about their work and we look forward to partnering with such a well-respected agency as we expand our efforts in North America and beyond.”

Heatwave Interactive selected Wonacott to spearhead the studio’s product offerings following a recent agency review. Heatwave’s portfolio includes Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, a full-scale action adventure massively multiplayer online game (MMORPG) that immerses the audience in Roman mythology, the hip-hop themed social game Platinum Life: Web Edition, and iSamJackson, for iPhone and iPod touch, among other unannounced projects.

“Heatwave is taking a different approach to the often cookie cutter social gaming industry, so it is important for us to work with a PR partner that understands and appreciates our vision – and can provide results against it,” said Anthony Castoro, co-founder and CEO, Heatwave Interactive. “Wonacott is entrenched in today’s quickly evolving technologies, forms of entertainment and communications mediums. We truly look forward to the future and meeting our growth goals with Wonacott on our frontline.”

“We’re really excited about developing and executing top-notch public relations programs for both of these innovative social gaming companies with great brands, Sanrio Digital and Heatwave,” said Jason Wonacott, CEO, Wonacott Communications.  “We look forward to kicking off our respective partnerships and helping our clients make a huge splash in North America, while providing sustained visibility within the interactive gaming community and beyond.” 

Wonacott Communications is looking for a Director- or VP-level PR professional for our award-winning Los Angeles-based agency to work with entertainment (digital, social and interactive), consumer technology and consumer lifestyle clients.  This position will oversee planning and execution of Client programs, including client relations, staff management, budgeting and media relations. He/she will also contribute expanding existing business and winning new business.

What you’ll do:

·         Develop and grow relationships with key client contacts.

·         Provide strategic and creative counsel and direction of accounts.

·         Provide ideas to Client(s) to maximize communications results and/or anticipate issues.

·         Lead all aspects of strategic media relations planning and execution.

·         Develop complete communications plan for Client(s).

·         Manage and motivate team to ensure superior client service.

·         Maintain and grow existing Client business.

·         Manage profitability and financial aspects of accounts.

·         Develop and pitch new business opportunities.

·         Maintain industry contacts to stay informed of industry trends and changes.

Your skills:

·         Creative thinker; strategic planner.

·         Set the standard for verbal, writing and editing skills.

·         Can motivate, develop and lead others.

·         Proven interpersonal and influencing skills.

·         Can budget programs and manage finances, maintain profitability.

·         Proven media relations and crisis communications.

·         Solid knowledge and understanding of digital media, including social media, viral marketing, community development and engagement, and content distribution.

·         Ability to assess and win potential new business opportunities.

·         Highly skilled at developing and delivering presentations and pitches for Clients and prospective Clients.

 Your background and experience:

·         Minimum of 8 years of professional experience with a majority of that time in an agency environment.

·         Proven experience in handling public relations for digital entertainment, consumer technology and/or consumer lifestyle industries.

·         Comprehensive understanding of public relations field generally.

·         Experience managing teams and developing staff.

An ideal company and opportunity:

·         Offices in West Los Angeles conveniently located near the 405 and 10 freeways, near some pretty darned good restaurants

·         Competitive salary and great benefits package

·         Unique chance to help grow an agency; generous bonus potential

·         Relaxed work environment

·         Young and aggressive agency with great clients that you’ll enjoy working with

If you are interested, please send a resume and a compelling cover letter, complete with your salary history and a clear statement on why you would be the perfect person to join this team, to careers@wonacottpr.com.  Please have “Director/VP” in the subject line.  No phone calls, please.

Wonacott Communications, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

Los Angeles-Based Independent Agency Beefs Up Digital/Interactive Entertainment Team with Former Nexon America PR Manager and Activision Publicist

LOS ANGELES – Aug. 4, 2010 – Wonacott Communications, a full-service public relations and integrated communications agency, welcomes two skilled public relations professionals, Robert “Bob” Holtzman and Daniel “Danny” Beardsworth, to its growing team.  As Account Supervisor and Senior Account Executive, respectively, Bob and Danny augment the award-winning agency’s Digital/Interactive Entertainment Team with additional experience in handling PR for world-class intellectual properties (IP) for console, handheld and online video games.

“Both Bob and Danny bring a wealth of unique experience and insight in gaming, media relations and social media to Wonacott,” said Jason Wonacott, chief executive officer. “By adding talent of their level to our team, we can maintain and grow our reputation as a valued, strategic PR partner for digital media, online entertainment, lifestyle, corporate and technology companies.”

In his new role as Account Supervisor, Bob handles corporate communications, media relations, product and service launches and digital media communications strategies for several of Wonacott’s client partners. Previously a senior member of Nexon America’s PR team, Bob handled communications strategies and execution for the free-to-play online gaming publisher. His product PR experience includes MapleStory, KartRider and Combat Arms, among others. He also handled corporate PR efforts and social media initiatives for Nexon. Bob’s immersion into the burgeoning North American online gaming market came after gaining years of experience as a sports journalist for The Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Loyola Marymount University.

As Senior Account Executive at Wonacott, Danny handles media relations and product/service launches, and supports communications strategies development and corporate communications. He joins the agency with extensive experience handling PR for some of the world’s top IPs and best-selling games. Before joining Wonacott he was on Activision’s PR team, focused on the Tony Hawk and TRANSFORMERS franchises. Before Activision Danny was on GolinHarris’ Nintendo team, where he worked on a variety of first-party Wii titles, including Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Fit, as well as both the Wii and DS hardware. He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations.

With the second quarter of 2010 having come and gone seemingly faster than one can blink, everyone at Wonacott Communications is as focused and enthusiastic as ever. Our exceptional team continues to produce phenomenal work and always exemplifies the Wonacott Communication tenets of Passion, Dedication, Experience, Creativity, and Integrity. While each and every person on our team represents these tenets, we feel one person embodied them to the fullest and has recently been named the “Wonacott Communications Employee of the Quarter” (for Q2 2010).

At the beginning of this year, Lindsey Latham, assistant account executive at Wonacott Communications, joined our team eager to learn and motivated to take on new challenges. She has since played a crucial role within our company assisting with new business development while also excelling in media outreach and remaining dedicated to client work. Lindsey is a team player, always committed to helping in any way possible. We are all happy to work closely with Lindsey and watch her grow as a PR professional. Congratulations to her on being the Wonacott Communications Employee of the Quarter!

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Closed Beta Testing Features Authentic Performance Capture Motions, Coincides with World Cup 2010

DUBLIN, IRELAND and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – June 21, 2010 – Soccer fans unite! Big Collision Games just kicked off closed beta testing for Online Soccer Champions™, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, just in time for the height of the 2010 World Cup. Big Collision Games chose 3D animation service, Mixamo, as its new exclusive content provider of soccer motion data for Online Soccer Champions™. Continue Reading »

2010 is off to a great start for Wonacott Communications: 2010 is off to a great start for Wonacott Communications:  As our company continues to grow and thrive, and we are building a small Army of some of the most talented PR pros you’ll ever find. Though our entire team is awesome, we are rewarding one outstanding employee for their hard work each quarter. The selected nominee best represents the five tenets of Wonacott Communications: Passion, Dedication, Experience, Creativity and Integrity. These are the traits that set us apart from other agencies, and we believe all of our employees exemplify them. However, our first official “Wonacott Communications Employee of the Quarter” (for Q1 2010) stood out from the crowd early this year…

Racheal Caswell, senior account executive at Wonacott Communications, joined our team last spring and hit the ground running. She has grown as a PR professional over the past year and has eagerly taken on new roles whenever opportunities present themselves. From assisting with new business development to client management to media outreach, Racheal is always fully committed to her tasks and willing to lend a hand wherever it’s needed. In the first quarter of this year she worked with the team to land both new clients and employees, secured important coverage for multiple accounts, and demonstrated her creativity in contributing to brainstorms, PR plans and more. We all enjoy having her as part of our team, and congratulate her on being selected as Wonacott Communications’ first Employee of the Quarter!

Can you walk the walk AND talk the talk? Wonacott has an immediate opening for an experienced Account Executive or Senior Account Executive to work with clients in the interactive entertainment/online entertainment and consumer product spaces.

You: A talented, seasoned, aggressive and sociable AE or SAE-level PR pro ready to join our growing team.

You have:  

• At least 4 years of legit experience in public relations, preferably at a PR agency
• Experience in – and passion for – video games (console, PC and mobile), digital music, digital video and consumer electronics (basically, a “geek”)
• Familiarity with both B2B and B2C clients/accounts
• History of success utilizing social media in communications programs
• Outstanding writing skills for public relations. You will be writing press releases, plans, press kit materials, media pitches, etc.
• Direct experience in pitching both national and regional media (consumer, enthusiast, business and trade), and can demonstrate past success
• Proven ability to serve as a day-to-day client contact
• The ability to work well with limited supervision; integrity and accountability are a must
• A pleasant personality and a great sense of humor; easy to work with, creative and fun!
• Ability to manage personnel and mentor junior staff

We’re pretty awesome:

•  Offices in West Los Angeles, conveniently located near the 405 and 10 freeways
• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Unique chance to help grow an agency; generous bonus potential
• Relaxed work environment with frequent champagne happy hours
• Young and aggressive agency with great colleagues and clients that you’ll enjoy working with

If you are interested, please send a resume and a catchy cover letter, complete with your salary history and your top three all-time multi-player games, to careers@wonacottpr.com. Please have “AE/SAE Position” in the subject line. No phone calls.

Wonacott Communications, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

LOS ANGELES – Feb. 8, 2010 – Ndoors Interactive, a leading publisher of online games world-wide, Meteor Games, an independent online multi-player games studio founded by the creators of Neopets, and Sleepy Giant, an independent online game opertations company, have all tapped Wonacott Communications, an award-winning full-service independent public relations and integrated communications agency, to spearhead their respective public relations efforts. Wonacott Communications was selected based on the agency’s extensive experience with online/social entertainment companies, products and services, as well as the company’s proven track record of successfully building brand awareness for both national and international companies of various sizes.

Ndoors Interactive selected Wonacott Communications over two competitive public relations firms during an agency review.  Wonacott will help promote several of the online game publisher’s award-winning free-to-play massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Wonacott Communications kicked off its PR initiatives with the launch of the 2D side-scrolling massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) WonderKing, and is tasked with helping to increase visibility for the popular Atlantica Online, a strategic turn-based MMORPG.

Founded by the creators of Neopets, Meteor Games currently offers Facebook titles Island Paradise and Little Rock Pool, with other social games in development.  From the careful growth of a player’s island to the nurturing of a sheltered school of fish, Meteor Games is capturing the hearts and idle time of millions of social network gamers and their friends.  The studio chose Wonacott Communications over a few other candidate agencies to help further publicize the company and its products.

Sleepy Giant provides operational and technology services, strategy consulting and financing alternatives for independent game development studios. As Sleepy Giant’s public relations partner, Wonacott Communications will lead the company’s corporate/business-to-business visibility initiatives, focusing heavily on the video gaming, virtual worlds and technology industries.

“We couldn’t be more excited to further build out our social entertainment practice with three incredibly creative companies that each brings unique, innovative products and services to an ever evolving industry,” said Jason Wonacott, CEO, Wonacott Communications.  “We look forward to ratcheting up Ndoors Interactive, Meteor Games and Sleepy Giant’s visibility efforts, and further solidifying our agency’s position as a respected leader in the social entertainment community.”

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Hey, aspiring PR pros! We have an immediate opening for a Public Relations Intern to work with clients in the online media/entertainment, technology and consumer spaces. This position may be either part or full time, depending on the candidate’s availability.

Online Entertainment Insider, a newsletter from our interactive entertainment team here at Wonacott Communications, is now live. Why did we create this? Well, we love interactive entertainment, and we adore the press with whom we have fantastic relationships.  But the enthusiast and news media lump online entertainment into general video games/console news, and it can be hard to find the highlights that are specific to online. We know you are busy. So every Friday Online Entertainment Insider will bring you the highlights of the week: Select news, features and other nuggets of online entertainment goodness that you might want to know.

Here is a previous issue if you’d like to check it out.