A few weeks ago, I was reminded that it had been exactly ten years since I walked out the door of my $800-a-month East Village apartment and over to a WeWork hot desk to begin building Haymaker Group. I had…no idea how to even do comms work, let alone create an agency. But I did have a stubborn streak, a couple years of newsroom experience, and a deeply-held belief in the opportunity to bring more substance to the world of tech PR. We spent the next ten years building Haymaker brick by brick, and while we haven’t yet taken over the world, we have managed to work with nearly 100 incredible companies and brought together a team that astounds me about a dozen times each day. I don't like looking backwards, but the ten-year mark merits at least a glance over the shoulder, if only in appreciation of the many, many people who have contributed to our work and DNA over years. Of course, it’s also an opportunity to look forward. As I told our team, I have never been more stoked about the future of Haymaker and our mission to build the most respected PR firm in tech. Next month, we’re opening our first office outside of NYC. (Hello San Francisco!) We’re launching a day-long media conference in New York later this year, and the team continues to surpass even my most unrealistic expectations for client success. This is certainly an incomplete list—apparently I can only include 40 people!—but to every person who helped us along the way, THANK YOU. That includes: Clients: Liz Wessel, Tom Bennett, Aviva Fink, Oisin Hanrahan, Russell D'Souza, Jack Groetzinger, Jessica Aptman, Jessica Doyle, 👋 Brendan P. Lewis, Lacey Berrien, Sean West, Aaron Rasmussen, Wes Kao, Gagan Biyani, Aniq Rahman, Kass Dawson, Benjamin Anderson Foundational Team Members: Sewa Adekoya, Louise Matsakis, Caroline Capute, Psy.D., Solange Pittet, Lucy Luneva, Asees Singh Advice & Support: Colette Ballou, Tom Post, Helena Maus, Garland Harwood, Dave Donovan, Nihal Mehta, Polina Marinova Pompliano, Joe Ziemer, Laurel Touby, Jon Fine, Steven Bertoni, Alex Konrad, Kathryn Dill, Brianna Bower, Erin Gleason, Mandy Kakavas, Jeff Bercovici And of course, massive thanks to the Haymaker team. It’s a privilege to work with such a high-integrity, high-performance crew. Onwards and upwards!
10!! 👏👏 (also $800 a month apt in E Vill??)
J.J. Colao - I'll never forget meeting in that skater coffee shop 10 years ago where you shared your dream of what Haymaker Group could become. In the words of Chr*s Br*wn's 2011 hit song, "Look at [you] now! This is incredible! Thank you for trusting me to be your first hire. Thank you for sticking to your guns and believing in Haymaker. Thank you for always teaching me something new during our daily check-ins around McArthur Park. And thank you for graciousness and understanding. I'm proud to say that Haymaker was my first job, and I can't wait to see what the next 10 years have in store. CONGRATULATIONS!! 🤘
J.J. Colao I remember when we met almost 5 years ago at a restaurant in midtown. I realized very quickly in that meeting that what you've created with Haymaker is unique to our industry and I needed to be part of it. Thanks for bringing me onto this amazing journey. I'm lucky to be part of such an outstanding agency with the greatest PR pros in the business.
I will always feel so proud to have been a part of this. Watching Haymaker grow has been the coolest thing. Congratulations, JJ and team!
Y'all do amazing work. Thanks for putting up with folks like me along the way. Congrats on the SF office. This is only the start of a new start!
There are very few people who run PR agencies who I haven't unfollowed. I am happy I didn't unfollow you so that I could see this post. You're one of the good ones. Looking forward to sitting down later this month to catch up properly.
You should be PROUD as HELL, my friend. Heartiest congrats to you and your squad. 🍸
Congrats J.J. Colao
The best in the biz. Love seeing Haymaker and your remarkable team growing by leaps and bounds.
Editor, writer, author
2moAt long last, some acknowledgment of the key role I played in your astonishing success. Congratulations, my man.