Potomac Flacks

Flack Profile: Bill Kiniry, Roll Call

Bill Kiniry is the Marketing Director for Roll Call Inc.

Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut, but now DC is my hometown.

How long have you been in your current position? 5 months.

Last movie you saw in the theatre? La Tourneuse de Pages — not good.

Is any press good press? Not in Washington.

What’s the best thing about working at Roll Call? I was attracted to Roll Call because of its tradition as the newspaper of Capitol Hill, but I came to work here because of the exciting direction of the company. We just launched a new website (RollCall.com) with a multimedia focus and we launched Roll Call TV earlier this year. Roll Call also owns GalleryWatch, our legislative tracking service and CongressNow, our legislative wire service. These products are growing fast and provide a valuable service to the Capitol Hill community.

Also, Roll Call is owned by The Economist, not many people are aware of that. To be part of The Economist Group says a lot about Roll Call’s pedigree. It’s a very savvy company and I’m glad to be here.

Do people still talk about Paul Kane around the water cooler? I don’t know Paul personally, but he is still held in high regard around the Roll Call water cooler as are many of our esteemed alums like Chris Cillizza, Ed Henry and the many other exceptional journalists who cut their teeth at Roll Call.

If you want to be profiled or know someone who should be, please e-mail us, as we are always open to suggestions.

Simmons to Assist DNC

First reported on "The Fix", Jamal Simmons will go on contract with the Democratic National Committee this week as an outside consultant. According to Cillizza, Simmons will continue will frequent TV appearances as an Obama surrogate. Karen Finney will remain as DNC communications director. (Washington Post's "The Fix")

McCain Adds Economic Message Guru to Comms Team

Taylor Griffin, a veteran of Bush-Cheney ’04, the Treasury Department and the White House, is joining the McCain campaign as a senior adviser specializing in communications and focusing primarily on the economy. According to The Playbook, it’s one of several moves that McCain will make in coming days to try to reassure the beltway clackers that things are stepping up.

Taylor has resigned his post (he is not taking leave, as The Politico reported) as a senior vice president for public affairs at the Financial Services Forum, a non-partisan economic policy association, to focus on what Tom Friedman of the New York Times says "the next election has to be about and is going to be about."  (Politico)

New D.C. PR Firm

Ricochet Public Relations opened in D.C. today. Ricochet is a full-service PR firm exclusively serving healthcare, technology and industrial clients.

Banks Willis, a ten-year legislative and corporate communications veteran who spent six years at General Electric Company after serving as a staffer for former Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) on the Armed Services Committee, will head the new practice. Banks got her start in public policy as an intern in the South Carolina House of Representatives under now-Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Emily Flynn, formally with Dittus Communications, will serve as Banks’ right-hand woman in DC. Ricochet is based in New York City (PF Tipster)

Mask Heads to the Republican Convention

Lindsey Mask, the Communications Director for Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and an aide for the Republican staff of the House Education and Labor Committee, leaves Monday to join the communications shop at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN. Mask previously was Press Secretary for Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ). (PF tipster)

HHS Director of Pubilc Affairs Heads to Brookings

Brynn Barnett has joined the Brookings Institution’s Engleberg Center for Health Reform as the head of communications. Barnett was Director of Public Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services.(CQ’s People on the Move)

Tonight: Burson's Big Party

Burson-Marsteller is launching their new issues and crisis group and celebrating with a big party. There are free drinks from 6-8:00 p.m. Join your fellow flacks for some fun. (PF Tipster)

American Association of Museums Hires McGoldrick

Kate McGoldrick has been hired by the American Association of Museums as vice president of marketing and communications.  McGoldrick was vice president of constituency development and public outreach at the Ocean Conservancy. (CQ People on the Move)

RollCall: Publicity With A Conscience

RollCall takes a behind-the-scenes look at three former congressional staffers: Erik Lokkesmoe, Marshall Mitchell, and Corby Pons as they came to the realization that working for a politician is essentially acting as a marketer -- hawking your boss's ideas to constituents, the press and fellow lawmakers.  We couldn't agree more!  (RollCall)

Murphy adds Murch as New Comms Director

Garrett Murch has been hired as communications director for Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa.  Murch was deputy director of House relations at The Heritage Foundation.  Previously, Murch was a legislative aide for Sen. Olympia Snow, R-Maine.  He repalces Mark Carpenter, who is now with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. (CQ People on the Move)