BlueSky Communications launches government relations & public affairs practice and promotes key talent

Table of Contents

  • Dan O’Brien, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Andrea Horwath, to lead new service offering
  • Sarah Hall Turnbull promoted to Account Director

TORONTO, NOVEMBER 12, 2019 – BlueSky Communications Inc., a Toronto-based public relations and marketing agency that has been providing strategic communications programs to some of Canada’s most respected organizations for 17 years, announces today the promotion of key talent and the official launch of its public affairs and government relations (GR) service offering.

“As we experience our next level of growth, we are excited to promote high performing team members and expand our offerings allowing us to engage with clients in new ways,” said Cathy-Anne O’Brien, Principal of BlueSky Communications.

Dan O’Brien, who has more than 15 years of experience in both government relations and public affairs will head up the new offering in the role of Account Director. After providing consultant support to BlueSky in the cannabis and health care sectors over the past six months, O’Brien officially joins the BlueSky team to help build the agency’s integrated GR and public affairs offering. For the last five years O’Brien was Deputy Chief of Staff to Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, now the Leader of the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park. O’Brien’s strong knowledge in legislative and political affairs, key contacts at all levels of government and his keen understanding of politics will allow him to engage elected municipal councillors, MPPs and MPs in a meaningful way

In addition to the new service offering, Sarah Hall Turnbull has been promoted to the role of Account Director. In this capacity, Turnbull will set the strategic direction for clients by bringing the right resources to the table for each project to inspire creative thinking and create high impact results. In her 13 years with the agency, Turnbull has supported clients across a broad range of industries including banking, healthcare, law, consulting, education and consumer products. With a strategy-first approach, she seeks to bring creative and innovative ideas that will advance the business priorities of her clients.

“Our success and longevity in business is largely attributed to our talented and experienced team of seasoned communicators who, while dedicated and creative, bring a level of fun and energy to our day-to-day,” adds Julie McCarthy, Principal of BlueSky Communications.

Content Development

Effective, creative content is at the core of what we do. From B2B and B2C, our expertise spans article writing and storytelling, editorial planning, key messaging, video production and more. And we help ensure that your content gets seen. We amplify your brand’s story through an integrated, custom content strategy across digital, print, social and broadcast channels. We maximize owned, earned and paid media to amplify your message, making sure it gets in front of the right audience to drive the results you want.

VIEW OUR WORK

Corporate Communications

An integral part of any business, your brand reputation and corporate communication sets the tone with the public, your clients, employees and stakeholders – and we make sure you get the tone right. BlueSky helps you understand what matters to your audiences – both external and internal – and develops meaningful programs that resonate. We help clients with crisis and issues management, employee and executive communications, community relations and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Whether it’s a workplace fundraiser event, an annual report, infographics, HR video or speechwriting, we help you share your message with relevant stakeholders.

VIEW OUR WORK

Social Media

Social media demands an always on, two-way communication, transparency, and authentic interaction. More importantly, it demands strategy. We’ve managed social communities, developed social media guidelines and created engaging, impactful content, whether a short Instagram caption or long-form executive-published posts on LinkedIn. Through social listening tools and insights, we can make sure you’re talking about what matters most to your audience, and that your online and traditional PR efforts are integrated seamlessly and effectively.

VIEW OUR WORK

Public Affairs & Advocacy

Our in-depth experience providing integrated government relations, public affairs and strategic communications tailored to your needs helps our clients navigate the public policy process in order to successfully achieve central objectives. We work with you to better position your priorities within the current political landscape to ensure you’re able to gain the ear of key decision-makers and reach your goals.

VIEW OUR WORK

Influencer Marketing

When it comes to social influencers it’s not about who has the biggest audience, but about engagement, trust and authentic connection. We leverage valued relationships with nano- to celebrity-level creators, working collaboratively to ensure they deliver quality content that resonates with your target audience and is on-point with your brand messaging. Our winning formula requires a thoughtful approach that combines the right people, the right content and the right distribution to maximize engagement and drive impact at scale. You’ll see the results in our campaign evaluations – supported by numbers that exceed industry average performance.

VIEW OUR WORK

Media Relations & Media Training

In an environment that is increasingly pay-to-play, earned media remains the holy grail of coverage for brand credibility. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications. We excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep your brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. You’ll see the results through our media measurement and reporting and assess your share of voice (SOV) among competitors.

VIEW OUR WORK