AM PR Group — which represents Issa Rae, Cardi B, Amanda Gorman and Marsai Martin — has acquired the boutique PR firm, Ascend PR.
Erica Tucker, who owned and operated Ascend PR firm, has been named VP of business development at AM PR Group, where she will continue to sign and oversee client accounts through her role as a senior account executive. Longtime AM PR Group representative Erin Patterson has also been promoted to VP of brand management and senior account executive.
Both Tucker and Patterson are based in Los Angeles and will report to AM PR Group owner and president Vanessa Anderson, who launched the company in 2010.
“I was fortunate enough to meet Erica a few years ago through our ‘My Publicist Is Black’ group, and when it was time to scale my company, I knew that she was the type of communications expert that I wanted on my team,” Anderson said in a statement announcing the acquisition and new appointments. “Her extensive experience in TV and film and her unique ability to identify and grow emerging talent will prove invaluable to my company.”
Tucker added of joining the AM PR team in her new role: “Vanessa Anderson is a public relations veteran, culture shifter and has been a supreme storyteller for more than a decade across a myriad of spectrums. Vanessa has a clear vision for AM PR’s future, understands the power of curating multi-hyphenated talent and the power of relevance. Vanessa and Erin have excelled at representing some of the boldest and baddest in the game, and I look forward to building and driving the business forward in a meaningful way.”
Speaking of Patterson’s promotion, Anderson said, “Erin has been instrumental to the growth and success of the company since she joined in 2017,” describing her elevation as “an acknowledgement of the work she’s done for years to help catapult and maintain the company and our clients’ influence in entertainment and popular culture.”
“I am very lucky to have such forward-thinking, creative and intelligent women on my team,” Anderson continued. “The work we do is purpose driven and we are devoted to uplifting and amplifying the stories and careers of people of color.”
In addition to Rae, Cardi B, Gorman and Martin, AM PR’s client roster also includes: Damian Lillard, Tamron Hall, Ella Mai, Mustard, Tika Sumpter, Matthew Cherry, Karen Pittman, Chante Adams, Stephen “Dr” Love, Kendrick Sampson, Karrueche Tran, Savannah and Zhuri James, Celeste O’Connor, Mekai Curtis, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Malia Baker, Melvin Gregg, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Michael Evans Behling and Milan Ray.
The agency also represents corporate clients Amazon Prime Video, Dottie’s Boyz Productions, Hallmark Channel and non-profit organizations Destination Crenshaw and WACO Theater Center.
