PUBLIC RELATIONS
Humans are inherently storytellers. It’s in our DNA, we just can’t help but be moved when information is presented to us in compelling way. We want to help you tell your stories in ways that will inspire your audiences, call them to action, and leave them with the lasting memory that your story mattered. Sometimes this takes speed, sometimes this takes slowing things down, sometimes it means approaching a topic in a creative way, or inventing a new one. We’ll custom-tailor the strategy and experience that fits your needs, your budget, and your audiences...and we’ll have fun while we do it.
Featured Stories
The Planet Word Museum opened in Oct, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with a star-studded virtual celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony. It closed down again a month later and re-opened in April 2021 to be consistently “sold out” of it’s free timed passes. CBS Sunday Morning featured DC’s newest Museum and traffic to the website jumped from nominal to 150,000 page views as a result of the coverage.
Carnes&Co. was referred to the Electric Vehicle Institute 7 days before a ribbon-cutting event with no media coverage scheduled. In one week we were able to place the story of the nation’s first converted gas-to-electric refueling station in more than 40 outlets. High impact outlets include: CNN, Associated Press, CNBC, The Washington Post, International Business Times, Fast Company, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Tech, CBS Baltimore, WTOP, FOXDC, The Seattle Times and Big Think.
DC’s first-ever goat yoga class, taught by Kelly Carnes in Congressional Cemetery. Prince of Petworth hyped the class, which sold out 5 classes and bottle feedings to 350 yogis, with the Washington Post covering the delightful practice. Video by Sean McCoy photography.
With only 1 week notice to pitch a Shark Tank appearance by clean water client, Hydroviv, Carnes&Co. secured coverage in 10 local and national outlets including CNBC. The appearance, airing during prime time on ABC, netted Hydroviv a deal with Mark Cuban for $400,000 for 20% equity in the rapidly growing and industry-breaking company. Inspired by Flint, Michigan’s water crisis, Dr. Eric Roy was inspired to engineer customized water filters by region, to keep us all in clean, safe water.
The Washington Post dove in headfirst into the underwater world of professional mermaids, leading up to MermagicCon, the nation capital’s mermaid convention. The balance between embracing the whimsy of mermaiding as a hobby and recognizing the emerging dominance of professional mermaiding as a booming industry required carefully composed media materials, balanced pitches to the right outlets, and media training to prepare mermaids for top-tier interviews, resulting in local, national, and international press placements.
NBC joined the New York Times, Washington Post. and Hyperalleric in celebrating the Smithsonian Latino Center’s announcement that it will be opening it’s first ever physical gallery space on the National Mall in 2021, at the National Museum of American History. The announcement included a press conference and donor signing ceremony for more than 100 people, as well as programming the empty gallery space to unveil the future gallery as well as the Center’s brand new brand.
CNN Travel - Featuring Bat Conservation International's Bracken Cave in Austin, TX. CNN’s coverage complemented stories in BBC and NPR surrounding the celebration of International Batweek.
Memphis Meats - San Francisco startup and food industry disruptor, Memphis Meats, debuted their newest product “clean poultry” in the same kitchen where Julia Child made Duck A L’Orange famous. Brought on board two weeks before showtime, we hit the ground running, and hustled hard to prepare. The payoff was a flawless tasting and media event, covered by the Wall Street Journal’s video team to accompany a feature story. The announcement was amplified into nearly 600 national and international outlets, had an ad equivalency value of $10million, and at 1 billion impressions could have been accessible to 1 out of every 8 people on the planet.
Nation’s T. Rex - Until 2014, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History didn’t have their own real T. rex skeleton, merely a cast on display in the famed Dinosaur Hall. A deal with the Museum Rockies meant traveling to Montana with 4 film and radio crews from the world’s top outlets, to follow the story of the new Nations T. rex as it traveled back across country to be the crown jewel of a newly renovated Dinosaur Hall, opening in 2019. The story made it’s way into more than 700 outlets, and a creative digital strategy trended 2x during the month-long campaign.
Kennedy Center Honors - The Kennedy Center Honors, now in its 39th year, is the trademark event of the nation’s busiest performing arts center. A host of celebrities participated in paying tribute to the honorees: Al Pacino, James Taylor, the Eagles, Martha Argerich, and Mavis Staples all in the presence of President Obama and the First Lady. From multiple announcements, to coordinating advance CBS and Washington Post profiles, to managing media from the nation’s top national and entertainment media outlets is no small feat, and the result was more than 800 stories celebrating the event across the globe.
Hirshhorn Profile of Director Melissa Chiu - Under intense scrutiny in her first year as Director of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a negative story in a local outlet sparked a crisis communications spiral that required intensity and nuance in its response. Working immediately and exhaustively with other major national outlets to balance the coverage, as well as another reporter from the same publication, a grueling four-month campaign ended with this positive profile of the Director at her one year mark, earning significant placement as the section cover story. This signaled an end to the crisis, the beginning of community rebuilding, and inspired a renewed relationship with the media who continued to cover leadership and programming positively from that point.
Goat Yoga at Congressional Cemetery - The nation's oldest cemetery already boasts a popular eco-goat program, and weekly "Yoga Mortis" class taught by Kelly Carnes. When they try to combine the two to bring the internet sensation "Goat Yoga" to the nation's capitol, the District's bureaucratic fed heads step in to stomp it out despite public support. Program yogi Kelly Carnes quoted for the front page Wall Street Journal story.
TESTIMONIALS
““Things are different when you’re working with someone with Kelly’s experience. She takes the time to understand your company and what you’re hoping to get out of PR, then creates a focused strategy. If you want an example her work, punch ‘Hydroviv Shark Tank’ into any search engine.”
“Hiring Kelly was the make-or-break decision of our event. She went above and beyond at every turn. Her media training classes for the owners and management of the press on the day of made all the difference. This event would not have been successful without her. ”
“Kelly is the consummate professional. She is focused, tireless, can stop on a dime and adjust to changes in plans, and, most importantly, she delivers—on time and within budget.”
“Do you remember those late-night infomercials that claim you can “set it, and forget it”? Well, that is what it is like working with Kelly and her near magical abilities to work under difficult circumstances to deliver an incredible product. Other than being an absolute joy to work with during ever-changing circumstances, when asked to take on additional responsibilities, Kelly was able easily pivot and accommodate our last-minute requests. I cannot speak highly enough of her ability to the manage both public relations and pull off an incredible event, with top-rated media exposure, seemingly out of a hat. She is an incredibly proactive and innovative worker and is highly skilled at quickly assessing breaking media events to develop appropriate response plans.”
“Kelly joined our team weeks before a major announcement and hit the ground running. She fit in nicely with our well-oiled communications team, and immediately began providing valuable insight on our strategy for the announcement. The story hit nearly 900 national and international media outlets, including several top tier outlets with a global reach. She was a huge asset to our team, and we look forward to working with her in the future.”
“Kelly helped us manage our company’s biggest and highest-stakes public announcement to date, and she did it with incredible warmth and expertise. She jumped in at a critical moment to help us craft our story and maximize the media impact, and her contributions were priceless. She fit wonderfully into our culture and our team. We are so thrilled to keep collaborating with her.”
“I have worked alongside and with Kelly for nearly a decade. She is unique, dedicated, creative, and ambitious. Her body of work reflects these traits. She has proven herself repeatedly to be more than the sum of her considerable intellectual acumen - most recently to devise, advise, and execute a complex PR playbook for Memphis Meats. If you need nimble thinking and a steady vision, Kelly is your human. If you are a startup, we highly recommend Carnes&Co PR. If you need refreshed messaging for a storied institution, Carnes&Co is your agency.”
“Kelly’s wealth of experience and connections combines with her entrepreneurial fire and independent spirit to create a truly one-of-a-kind PR professional. The effort she puts into understanding and honoring her client’s vision is palpable throughout the entire experience of working with her, and yields work product that clearly communicates the desired message in a genuine and authentic way.”
OTHER STORIES
SMITHSONIAN SPOOKTACULAR
SPLASH MOB (LINK TO STORY)
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
SMITHSONIAN CASTLE
Smithsonian HIRSHHORN Museum and Sculpture garden
Smithsonian LATINO CENTER
Smithsonian Folklife festival
john f. KENNEDY CENTER for the performing arts
Planet word
Bat Conservation International
CNN Travel - Bracken Cave
Electric Vehicle Institute
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems institute
KLEOS SPACE
Halcyon
D.C. Walls
Omaha Symphony orchestra
Arlington Arts Center
Catalogue for Philanthropy
tephra institute of contemporary art
Maryland Lyric Opera
The Gault Center
Cathedral Commons
Carla Canales
Dance loft on 14
MermagicCon
Shower toga
50 Ways...
SOPHIE JAFF
Knife's-edge author, the bold and brilliant Sophie Jaff, talks about her second novel "Crown of Stars" in a live Bookstr interview, while fielding real-time questions on what it's like to be one of the rare women rocking the horror genre.
Eat & Smile Catering
hydroviv
building momentum
Historic congressional cemetery
Yoga
