Global public relations and public affairs consultancy Burson-Marsteller today named Jason Kinney to lead its northern California Public Affairs Practice. Mr. Kinney, 33, a veteran public affairs professional and political strategist who was a communications advisor to former California Governor Gray Davis, will be a Director in B-M ' s Sacramento office.
Mr. Kinney, a recognized expert in political communications and media relations, will help oversee Burson-Marsteller ' s new commitment to growth and expanding capabilities in California ' s state capital. His focus will be on Public Affairs, Strategic Communications, NGO Marketing and Management, Coalition Building, Media Relations, and the Initiative and Referendum Practice.
We are delighted to secure the talents of Jason for our growing Public Affairs operation in northern California, said Richard Mintz, Chairman of Burson-Marsteller U.S. Public Affairs Practice in which Mr. Kinney will serve as a Director. He brings a wealth of talent, knowledge and an established network that will serve our many clients in the region well.
"Jason is exactly what we were looking for in Sacramento," said Alan Arkatov, who oversees Public Affairs for Burson-Marsteller on the West Coast. "His outstanding capabilities, when coupled with our other new hires and expanded client base, will help to re-establish Burson-Marsteller as the Gold Standard for PR in California.
"Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Mr. Kinney, 33, founded his own public affairs practice, known as The Kinney Company. His clients included Governor Gray Davis, State Senator Don Perata, Elaine Alquist for Senate, Station Casinos, Kenwood Investments, the Meruelo Group and the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs ' Association.
For more than four years, Mr. Kinney served as Senior Communications Advisor and Chief Speechwriter to Governor Gray Davis, where he led message development, framed new policy initiatives and wrote or supervised nearly 1,200 speeches, including four State of the State Addresses and two Democratic National Convention speeches. He also coordinated the Governor's appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." The Los Angeles Times called the Governor ' s 2003 Inaugural Address, written by Mr. Kinney, perhaps (Davis ' s) best speech ever.
The Schwarzenegger era has elevated the public-affairs playing field in Sacramento, said Mr. Kinney. Every player in town now recognizes the imperative of having a strong statewide public-affairs capability. Only Burson-Marsteller can offer the right mix of local strategic execution and global gold-standard communication tools. I ' m excited about the future for growth in Sacramento, and I ' m honored to join a team of this caliber.
Mr. Kinney ' s creative work has won numerous awards. Among the more than 100 videos and documentary-style films he wrote and produced, his spoofs of NBC ' s The West Wing and VH-1 ' s Behind the Music won Pollie and Telly Awards for Best Non-Broadcast Video. His long-form video, This is California, produced for the 2002 State Democratic Convention and shown throughout the Governor ' s campaign for re-election, won two Telly Awards.
Before entering the Davis Administration, Mr. Kinney served as Communications Director to California State Senator Don Perata (D-Oakland), now Senate Majority Leader. He also headed the communications department of the Speaker ' s Office of Legislative Development and Assistance and served as Chief-of-Staff to Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist (D-Silicon Valley). Mr. Kinney ' s political commentary has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, and Sacramento ' s KCRA Channel 3 (NBC) News.
A native of Indiana, Mr. Kinney launched a career in political campaign management at the age of 13, when he helped run his mother ' s campaign for State Senate. Since then, he has managed or consulted on more than 25 successful political campaigns in California, Indiana and New Jersey. Mr. Kinney is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana. He graduated from Princeton University in 1992 and from the Indiana University School of Law in 1995. He lives in Sacramento with his fiancée, public affairs specialist Mary Gonsalves.