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A legal fight has broken out between rival publicity firms, with marketing powerhouse R&cpmk accusing newcomer 2Pm Sharp of poaching employees, clients and confidential information.

R&cpmk, in dual lawsuits filed on Wednesday in California and New York state courts, claims that the founding partners of 2Pm Sharp “orchestrated a mass departure” of employees, who allegedly conspired to funnel the firm’s business toward their new venture. It seeks unspecified damages and a court order blocking 2Pm Sharp from soliciting R&cpmk clients for a year, among other things.

“The overarching plan is clear: to jumpstart 2Pm Sharp’s new business by theft,” states the complaint, which notes that R&cpmk stands to lose “untold sums in revenues from the loss of client business.”

Hollywood is no stranger to subplots of betrayal. CAA in 2015 sued UTA over the defection of a group of comedy agents, calling the surprise exit...

“In Hollywood, people lie to each other and cheat each other and then go and play tennis,” David Geffen once said, nailing it about the true business of show business. “But I don’t want to be a tennis player.”

R&cpmk is not playing tennis this Thanksgiving.

The uber-PR firm this week launched a double assault on burgeoning rival 2Pm Sharp with bicoastal breach of contract lawsuits. Directly calling out ex-employees Jessica Sciacchitano, Heather McDevitt, Michelle Schwartz and Jamie Arons as co-defendants, the Cindi Berger-run R&cpmk details a late-night and internal campaign by top brass to obtain as much confidential information from the firm as possible for 2Pm Sharp’s launch last month.

According to complaints filed Tuesday in New York and Wednesday in Los Angeles, that subterfuge involves the downloading of “thousands of R&cpmk files, including confidential, proprietary, and other sensitive business information.” Reading...

Some partnerships are not built to last.

In 2019, Cindi Berger and Mark Owens merged Hollywood’s two largest publicity firms, Pmk*Bnc and Rogers & Cowan, forming a marketing colossus with Berger as chairman and Owens as CEO.

Owens has since been fired, and the combined entity — now known as R&cpmk — is accusing him of stealing employees, clients and confidential information to launch 2pm Sharp, a rival publicity firm.

In lawsuits filed in New York on Tuesday night and in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, R&cpmk accuses Owens of secretly organizing an employee exodus. Lindsay Galin and Jeff Raymond, co-presidents of talent, were first to leave on Oct. 1, followed by 11 others over the next two days.

The lawsuits claim that the defecting employees breached their duty of loyalty to R&cpmk, which stands to lose “untold revenues from the loss of client business.” R&cpmk must now work to...

Exclusive: In what is a big departure from R&cpmk, the firm’s Co-Presidents of Talent, Lindsay Galin and Jeff Raymond, have exited to start their own talent-driven public relations company, 2Pm Sharp.

The duo, I hear, departed R&cpmk two days ago.

R&cpmk Sharp will have offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. We’re hearing that upwards of 10 publicists from R&cpmk are following Galin and Raymond. It’s all being sorted out which clients stay behind with R&cpmk or leave to join 2pm Sharp.

New York-based Galin is known for repping such heavyweights as Michael B. Jordan, Henry Cavill and Oscar winner Brie Larson. Raymond’s forte is in the music space with such headliners as Grammy winner Britney Spears and the Jonas Brothers, as well as sports with David Beckham.

Galin came to Rogers & Cowan NYC in 2011 after launching her own talent publicity firm,...

Exclusive: R&cpmk is widening its London team with the hiring of public relations vet Mk Crooke. She joins the firm’s London Senior Director Anna Thackeray.

The UK team will be led by Thackeray, who will report into R&cpmk Co-Presidents of Talent, Lindsay Galin and Jeff Raymond. R&cpmk also have offices in NYC and LA.

Crooke counts nearly a decade of experience working with established and emerging actors and filmmakers. During her time most recently at Premier, she led international strategy and execution on talent publicity campaigns for projects ranging from global franchises to independent films to multiple-award winners and nominees.

Freya Allan, Joey Batey, Harry Haden-Paton and Tom Brooke are following Crooke, joining R&cpmk’s roster of UK and European-based clients, which includes Henry Cavill, Riz Ahmed, Felicity Jones, Simone Ashley, Daniel Kaluuya, Jack Reynor, Emma Thompson, Luke Bracey, Sophie Skelton, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Leo Woodall and Tilly Keeper.

Rogers & Cowan/Pmk has promoted Lindsay Galin, Jeff Raymond, Dennis Dembia, Michael Donkis, and Marian Koltai-Levine to executive positions in its entertainment division.

Galin and Raymond have been named co-presidents of talent. Dembia and Donkis have been promoted to co-presidents of entertainment and business strategy, and Koltai-Levine will serve as president of film, content and marketing. The five will each lead their respective departments, and report directly to Alan Nierob, entertainment division chairman.

Brad Cafarelli and Fran Curtis remain vice chairman of the entertainment division. In addition, Curtis will oversee R&c/Pmk’s music department led by executive vice president, Maureen O’Connor.

The promotions come four months after the merger of Rogers & Cowan and Pmk, two of Hollywood’s leading media relations and brand marketing firms.

“Lindsay, Jeff, Dennis, Michael, and Marian are five of the brightest and most well-connected leaders in Entertainment, and are a key reason...

Rogers & Cowan/Pmk has elevated Lindsay Galin, Jeff Raymond, Dennis Dembia, Michael Donkis, and Marian Koltai-Levine to executive leadership positions in the agency’s Entertainment Division. Galin and Raymond have been named Co-Presidents, Talent; Dembia and Donkis have been promoted to Co-Presidents, Entertainment & Business Strategy; and Marian Koltai-Levine will serve as President, Film, Content & Marketing. The five senior executives will each lead their respective departments, and report directly to Alan Nierob, Entertainment Division Chairman, Rogers & Cowan/Pmk.

Brad Cafarelli and Fran Curtis remain Vice Chairman of Rogers & Cowan/Pmk’s entertainment division. In addition, Curtis will oversee R&c/Pmk’s music department led by Executive Vice President, Maureen O’Connor.

The promotion of Galin, Raymond, Dembia, Donkis, and Koltai-Levine, follows the merger in July of Rogers & Cowan and Pmk, which mashed the clients and braintrust of the two largest media relations and brand marketing firms in Hollywood.

“Lindsay, Jeff,...

Exclusive: Rogers & Cowan has tapped Rob Greenwald as Vice President on their talent team, and he’ll be spearheading a new comedy division at the public relations firm as well as work with their sports and talent clientele.

Greenwald, a former Forefront Media executive of six years who rose through the ranks to Vice President, works with two-time Primetime Emmy winner Tony Hale from HBO’s Veep, as well as Jim Gaffigan and Rob Riggle, who respectively recently starred in Chappaquiddick and Midnight Sun. Greenwald just signed queer luminary comedienne Cameron Esposito whose credits includes the comedy series Take My Wife, Maron and features The Hero and Mother’s Day.

In addition to Hale, Gaffigan and Riggle following Greenwald to R&C, other clients doing so are Reno 911! co-creator/star and feature screenwriter Thomas Lennon, as well as Haley Joel Osment, Jeannie Gaffigan, Reggie Watts, I Mom So Hard (Kristin Hensley...