SKDK

SKDK (formerly SKDKnickerbocker)[1] is a public affairs and political consulting firm that specializes in working for Democratic Party politicians. It has offices in Washington, DC, New York City, Los Angeles, CA, and Albany, New York.[2] The firm employs notable figures like former Obama White House Communications Director Anita Dunn, and Hilary Rosen.[3][4]

SKDK
TypePrivate
IndustryPublic affairs, political consulting
Founded2004
FounderBob Squier
William Knapp
Websiteskdknick.com

History

The firm was formed in 2004 through the merger of Squier Knapp Dunn Communications and Knickerbocker Consulting. They formalized the merger in 2010, taking the name SKDKnickerbocker.[5]

SKDK's political clients have included Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo, Michael Bloomberg, Debbie Dingell, Joe Donnelly, Gary Peters, Michael Bennet, Josh Gottheimer, Seth Moulton, Joseph Morelle, Sara Jacobs, and Christine Quinn.[6][7][8][9] The firm has also worked for several women's rights advocates including Planned Parenthood,[10] lawyer and activist Sandra Fluke,[11] the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund.[12]

The firm's current and former public affairs clients include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Under Armour, The Walt Disney Company, NAACP,[13] General Electric, AT&T, Time Warner, Pratt & Whitney, Kaplan University, TransCanada Corporation (which developed the Keystone XL pipeline), Oracle Corporation, Google, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Association of American Railroads, the Rockefeller Foundation, Girls Who Code, NoVo Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign, New American Leaders, the Obama Presidential Library, Paul Weiss Rifkind,[14] General Mills,[15] Nestle, Kellogg, Viacom, Students First,[16] Families for Excellent Schools,[17] Kaplan University,[18] Amazon,[19] and Pfizer.[20]

In October 2015, the firm was acquired by The Stagwell Group, of which Mark Penn is the principal, for an estimated $75 million.[21][22]

In February 2020, the firm acquired Sloane & Co. from MDC Partners. Sloane & Co. operates as an independent unit of SKDK that offers services including mergers and acquisitions support, shareholder activism and governance, regulatory issues, investor relations, restructuring and media campaigns.[23]

Political consulting and communications

SKDK provides political consulting services to political candidates, campaigns, and issue advocacy groups.[24] SKDK describes itself as a full-service public affairs practice that offers crisis communications, branding, marketing, media training, digital/social media advice, speech writing, and message development.[25]

Ben White of Politico wrote in an April 2014 email blast that an unnamed senior Democrat said that "It's an open secret in the Dem consultant community that SKD has been signing up clients based on 'perceived White House access' tied to prior relationships and employment."[4][26] Conservative website National Review Online noted that Rosen's name appears frequently on the White House visitor log.[27] However, the firm does not meet the standard, legal definition of lobbying[28] and is not registered to lobby the federal government.[29] SKDK was embroiled in controversy when it received a $35 million no-bid contract for voter turnout-out work in California. []

References
  1. "Harris's Senate Seat Up in Air With Top Pick Ensnared in Ad Feud". Bloomberg.com. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  2. SKDKnickerbocker. "About Us". Archived from the original on 2014-03-24.
  3. Weinger, Mackenzie (April 12, 2012). "10 things about Hilary Rosen". Politico.
  4. Fang, Lee (April 13, 2012). "The Real Hilary Rosen Scandal". The Nation.
  5. Haberman, Maggie (April 12, 2010). "Knickerbocker Consulting firm to become SKDKnickerbocker". New York Post.
  6. Rubinstein, Dana (April 12, 2012). "Between Christine Quinn and Hilary Rosen, an unusually loud week for quiet SKD Knickerbocker". Capital New York.
  7. "Russian state hackers suspected in targeting Biden campaign firm, sources say". CNBC. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  8. Sommer, Will (2017-03-06). "Senate Majority PAC names Schumer ally as new leader". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  9. A 501tax-exempt, The Center for Responsive Politics; NW, charitable organization 1300 L. St; Washington, Suite 200; info, DC 20005 telelphone857-0044. "Vendor/Recipient Profile: SKDKnickerbocker". OpenSecrets. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  10. Haberkorn, Jennifer; Palmer, Anna. "Planned Parenthood taps crisis communications firm". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  11. "Bill O'Reilly: Who is running Sandra Fluke?". Fox News. 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  12. "Public Affairs Agencies of the Year". www.provokemedia.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  13. "Public Affairs Agencies of the Year". www.provokemedia.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  14. NW, The Center for Responsive Politics 1300 L. St; Washington, Suite 200; info, DC 20005 telelphone857-0044. "Ghosn, Carlos Lobbyists". OpenSecrets. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  15. Fang, Lee (2012-04-13). "The Real Hilary Rosen Scandal". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  16. Lichtblau, Eric; Lipton, Eric (2012-10-19). "Strategizing for the President, and Corporate Clients, Too". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  17. "Pro-Charter School Group Spent Nearly $6 Million in Media Blitz | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  18. Lichtblau, Eric; Lipton, Eric (2012-10-19). "Strategizing for the President, and Corporate Clients, Too". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  19. Vielkind, Jimmy (2018-12-05). "Amazon Hires Public-Affairs Firms to Aid New York Efforts". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  20. Fang, Lee (2012-04-13). "The Real Hilary Rosen Scandal". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  21. Gelles, David (October 8, 2015). "Mark Penn's Stagwell Group Will Acquire SKDKnickerbocker". The New York Times.
  22. Pace, Richard D (8 Oct 2015). "SKD Knickerbocker Sells To Stagwell Group For Up To $75 Million Dollars". EverythingPR.
  23. "SKDKnickerbocker Acquires Sloane & Co". O'Dwyers PR. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  24. "SKDKnickerbocker Political Consulting". SKDKnickerbocker.
  25. "SKDKnickerbocker Strategic Communications". SKDKnickerbocker.
  26. Morrissey, Ed (April 13, 2012). "Awww: Rosen declines spot on Meet the Press". Hot Air.
  27. Geraghty, Jim (April 12, 2012). "Hilary Rosen, Frequent White House Visitor". National Review Online.
  28. Fang, Lee (April 13, 2012). "The Real Hilary Rosen Scandal". Republic Report.
  29. SKDKnickerbocker, Open Secrets.
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