Influence Alley

After Election day, the PR world is poised to reap a bountiful harvest of newly available campaign operatives and Advertising Age has compiled a wish list of top Washington talent that firms would love to land:


  Alexandra Bruell explains:

Even in a tough economy, finding good PR talent is difficult. So it's no surprise that PR agencies are licking their chops in anticipation of Election Day, when big-name presidential campaigners and burned-out 30- and 40-something political operatives decide they're ready to move into a more stable, slower sector.

This talent grab is part of a four-year cycle, one that tends to pit PR shops against consultancies and lobbying firms, among other entities, as they look to hire digital operatives and campaign managers.

But why leave the power center that is D.C.?

"For anyone who works in politics when they're in their early 30s, these jobs are high risk, in that they have a definitive expiration date," he said. "Almost every person I've ever known, after doing three [presidential campaigns], says I can't do this anymore," Steve Schmidt, Edelman vice chairman of public affairs told Bruell.

And which firms might be looking for post-election PR help?

Michael Kempner, CEO of PR agency MWW and an active Obama supporter told Ad Age, "We have been hiring people who come from government and campaigns for 25 years." 

Martha Boudreau, who leads Omnicom PR shop Fleishman-Hillard's D.C. office as regional president for Mid-Atlantic and Latin America, told Ad Age that about 40 percent of her Washington staff has campaign experience.

Also from the article: Nick Ragone, director of Ketchum's D.C. office and a political commentator on Fox, said that he has already received about a dozen resumes from mid- and junior-level staffers.

There you have it. Let us know in the comments or via email if you're a campaign staffer looking to get out of politics, or if you're a PR firm who'll be hiring come November. 

This post, originally posted at 3:09 p.m., has been updated.