If you’re in the media, entertainment, fashion, or PR worlds, you’ve heard of The Publicist Group.
If you haven’t, well, you soon will, as co-owners and best friends Cheryl Willberg and Melissa (MJ) Jovanoski and their team steadily make their mark on Toronto – one impressive communications campaign after the next.
With an office in the heart of Liberty Village (64 Fraser Avenue), the full-service boutique communications agency just celebrated its first birthday after a hugely successful first year.
In addition to an assortment of fashion and beauty clients (which includes Loding and Guess), they also represent some of the city’s hottest restaurants, like The Carbon Bar, Nota Bene, and the brand-new spot Parcae.
We caught up with Cheryl to hear more about it:
1. What’s your elevator pitch?
We are The Publicist Group aka TPG! We are a full-service communications agency that offers everything from traditional PR programs and marketing initiatives to ambassador programs and direct-to-consumer activations at the retail level, utilizing both traditional and digital platforms. Most importantly – we work with brands we love, including fashion, beauty, food, health & wellness, and lifestyle. Check us out @PublicistGroup! #TPG
2. What does a typical workday look like for you?
Gym. Coffee. Team Meeting. Coffee. Hundreds of emails. Coffee. Brainstorm sessions. Media relations. Post-work events (lots of them!).
3. Why did you choose Liberty Village to set up shop?
Liberty Village was the obvious choice for us, as there are many like-minded businesses in the area: creative, PR agencies, marketing, media etc. – as well as having easy access to the highway, making it easy for clients to come and go! We also needed a place that spoke to our business, and LV offers unique spaces that can be staged for both events and as a showroom. It doesn’t hurt that both MJ and I (Cheryl), TPG Partners, also live 5 minutes away!
4. What’s your favourite lunch spot in LV?
Liberty Village is filled with great places to eat or grab lunch at. We love Oats and Ivy, but Local is a definite favourite amongst the team, especially in the summertime when we can take advantage of the patio. At TPG we live by the work hard, play hard motto, and Local delivers on this front.
5. Best spot for out-of-office client meetings/lunches?
Balzac’s is great for a quick meeting, but we like to change it up – School Bakery, Local, and Williams Landing have all been used to host many TPG meetings.
6. Who has the best coffee?
We are regulars at The Roastery – great selection of coffee and always a great service. They already know our usual orders when we walk through the door!
7. Advice for new business owners in LV?
Watch out for parking enforcement! But for real – it’s great to take advantage of the community around you – so many great companies to partner with and to build your brand and constantly growing. See you at Local…
