Interview: Shift Communications Principal Todd Defren

PRNewser caught up with Shift Communications Principal Todd Defren at a party to celebrate the launch of the agency’s New York office last night.

The agency, which reported revenue of just over $12 million in 2009, already operates in Boston and San Francisco.

Defren, who pens the popular PR Squared blog, told us the move to New York was to help the agency service its increasingly diverse client base, which he said is now 50% technology brands and 50% consumer brands. “We need to be in the mecca of all these big consumer brands,” he said.

Also, many of Shift’s Boston employees began moving to New York anyways, so the agency thought they would provide them with an official office. Defren told employees, “You can’t work out of your apartments, we’re going to do this right and open you a nice office in Union Square.”

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