About Escalate PR
We're an integrated communications and technology PR firm for modern businesses, offering a full suite of capabilities.
Why Choose Us
We are all BIG Agency exPats, who ran monolithic accounts that turned like a battleship, and were as nimble as a dancer wearing goalie pads.
We enjoyed the fancy titles, worldly perks, and had the multi-layered staff, with young professionals fresh out of school charging our clients hundreds of dollars an hour to edit mailing lists. We made a lot of owners a bunch of money, but never truly felt great about it. We had titles like Executive Vice President, Group Manager, Regional Assistant to the Vice President. Meh.
Now we are an agile group of skilled pros working virtually with a desire to do right by the clients we choose to work with. We are not the PR firm for everyone, and we’ll let you know if the fit isn’t right, the style is out of touch, or the arrogance is too much. We are not the PR firm for everyone because, no matter how many groups, divisions, specialties, and “focus” the big firms try to carve themselves into (to cater to every client, every dollar) there is no one size fits all solution to effective communications.
If we can’t get your attention, how will we EVER get the attention of your target audiences? To do it effectively, we need access to you, to the guys who push the buttons, make the decisions, and have skin in the game–just like us.
Our Team
Partner, Founder
Joel Richman
Joel has spent more than 20 years building award-winning visibility campaigns for companies across a broad spectrum of industries, from startups to publicly-traded enterprises. His unique perspectives result in customized brand visibility programs designed to exceed strategic goals. Past and present experience includes hardware manufacturers; open-source software and services; autonomous technologies; enterprise software; AI and machine learning; cloud/SaaS providers; consumer-oriented clients, as well as advertising, social web, marketing technology, media and public sector non-profits.
Partner
Jason Ouellette
For over two decades Jason has had the opportunity to help a number of
emerging growth and global B2B organizations that are bringing change to their markets. Whether it
is message development, campaign creation, media relations, crisis communications, content
creation or social media strategy Jason keeps the larger business goals in mind in order to get the
most impactful results.
Chief Operating Officer
Paula Finestone
With over 25 years of senior financial management and human resources experience, Paula has a successful history of growing PR firms from startup to acquisition. As a seasoned executive, she brings strategic guidance in financial planning, budgeting, business operations, and employee relations. She loves strategy, spreadsheets and steering the direction of an organization. Paula has spent most of her career in the PR world, and enjoys working in the fast-paced, diverse and creative environment.
Senior Vice President
Jennifer Jewett Misra
Integration, integration, integration – it’s key! Jennifer brings a never-say-never drive and two decades of diverse global corporate communications, analyst relations and marketing communications experience in both an agency setting and on the corporate side for B2B and B2C technology companies. Building successful public relations and analyst relations programs, managing diverse company and product launches, developing and handling crisis communications, creating integrated marketing communications campaigns & supporting collateral to drive quality leads has given Jennifer a strong understanding of how to create individualized communications programs to support an organization’s needs. Jennifer started her PR career at Blanc & Otus/Hill & Knowlton, then moved to SHIFT Communications and has run global communications programs for tech brands including Axway, Kaspersky Lab and KnowBe4.
Senior Vice President
Jill Van Nostran
Jill has 25 years of marketing communications experience, specializing in elevating the brands of B2B tech companies in the telecom, mobile, and wireless industries. Her work has contributed to the successful acquisition or IPO of a number of companies.
Jill is highly focused on organizational goals and strategically knitting together marketing communications programs that will help reach those goals. She's experienced at strategic positioning, message development, executive communications and executive thought leadership, content strategy, analyst relations, crisis communications, storytelling, and digital communications strategy and measurement.
Prior to Escalate PR, Jill worked at Zeno Group (formerly PR21) and Calysto Communications.
Senior Consultant
Megan Leer
Megan is a performance-driven public relations professional with nearly 20 years of experience in creating and implementing effective marketing strategies for a broad range of clients - from fast-growth digital natives to established enterprise brands. She’s worked both in-house and on the agency side, and approaches public relations as the key to driving business forward. A self-proclaimed research nerd and news junkie, Megan is skilled at creating compelling content and connecting key stakeholders with targeted media to generate measurable results.
Senior Consultant
Emily Adams
Emily Adams is a PR consultant with nearly a decade of experience driving communications and media relations strategy for B2B technology clients, from startups to unicorns to publicly traded companies. She has worked with clients across a wide variety of industries, including data and analytics, AI, cloud computing, software development, 3D printing, ad/marketing technology, cybersecurity and more.
Senior Consultant
Traci Massaro
If it is promotable, Traci has promoted it. From name brands like Ronald McDonald House, Discover Card, Compaq, Dell, Lycos, Excite, eBay, CompUSA, and even Elvis Presley Enterprises, to virtually every kind of technology. In the course of her 25 + year career, she has garnered media attention for startups and large companies, universities, and NGOs, enterprise software, hardware, mobile technology, cloud computing, Greentech, Adtech, Insurtech, SaaS, hosted services, and everything in between. She has built and run communication departments, led communications efforts for two IPOs, and been involved in several acquisitions.
Traci enjoys messaging, planning, and putting a strategy in place as much as getting in the weeds of the business and ‘doing the work’ to secure the results. Understanding what makes a company unique, a product innovative and executive teams deserving of the attention they seek is key for Traci to champion their messages to the world. She has expertise in all facets of communications: investor relations, crisis communication, media and analyst relations, product and corporate awareness, collateral development, executive media training, and visibility, awards programs, and more. She has garnered coverage in most major national and international print and broadcast media outlets throughout her career.
Senior Consultant
Nina Pfister
Nina is a seasoned PR executive with over 10 years of experience helping emerging brands and industry thought leaders define their authentic value, gain exposure, build community, and achieve growth. Prior to joining Escalate as a consultant, Nina spent several years grinding it out in the corporate realm—from building an executive speakers bureau at the #1 global tech media company, to traditional PR agency work, and leading sales for an emerging startup—where she acquired the hands-on, professional prerequisites needed to push boundaries and dive head first into entrepreneurship. Nina’s top priority is relationship building—her cornerstone of successful execution in serving clients, press, and distinguished ecosystem of industry partners. Nina has been featured in tier 1 pages and on relevant stages as a PR pro who inspires leaders to take risks and step into the spotlight they deserve.
Senior Consultant
Lauren Gill
Lauren wakes up every morning with one goal in mind: PR driven by passion and purpose. Whether it’s helping executives gain more visibility and evolve as thought leaders, or strategizing with emerging brands to leverage exposure for growth, Lauren’s primary deliverable is to ensure that her clients feel supported and on track to become household names. Prior to Escalate, Lauren supported the #1 tech media company in the world, and gained corporate experience in PR, event planning and business development. Her professional background, paired with her enthusiasm for increasing client brand awareness and revenue, make her a publicist powerhouse.
Senior Consultant
Danielle Cloutier
Danielle has nearly 20 years of experience leading strategic marketing programs, developing creative and buzz-worthy campaigns, and driving business results for some of the most recognizable consumer technology and B2B brands. Prior to joining Escalate, she led the marketing department for Anthropologie's wedding brand, BHLDN, where she oversaw PR, social media, events, influencer marketing, and copy. Prior to BHLDN, Danielle managed Global PR for Alfred Angelo, the longest-running, family-owned bridal designer and retailer. Danielle started her career at SHIFT Communications, an award-winning, independent PR agency, where she worked for nearly a decade, helping to build the agency's consumer practice and open the NYC branch. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Lynchburg College and her master's degree in corporate public relations from Boston University.
