Press Release

Hamilton Ink PR and TOBIN & Associates, two of Marin County’s leading public relations and event marketing communications firms, today announced a marketing joint venture.

In making the announcement, the firm’s principals said that the combination would leverage their experience and expertise for current clients and allow them to provide broad-ranging services to Northern California companies and nonprofit organizations.

“We’ve been discussing this idea for several months,” said Stephanie Clarke, president of Mill Valley-based Hamilton Ink.  “We found that our strengths are complimentary and that there were many opportunities where working together would benefit current and potential clients.”

Tobin, whose firm is located in San Rafael, said the chance to work “with one of Marin’s legendary agencies was one of the ‘true no-brainers.’  Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to join forces with Hamilton Ink?”

Hamilton Ink, founded by the late Pam Hamilton in 1985, handles both commercial and nonprofit clients, including the Corte Madera Town Center, Bank of Marin, Dutra Group, the Marin and Solano county fairs as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival, Hospice by the Bay, 142 Throckmorton and the Marin History Museum.

Tobin, who opened his consulting practice in 1995 in New York City, moved his company here in 2003. He represents Circle Bank of Novato, Claremont Rug Company of Oakland, Command Audio of Redwood City, GoSolarMarin (™) of San Rafael and Woodlands Market of Kentfield.

“We each bring a broad range of marketing and PR skills to the venture,” said Clarke, “and a keen understanding of how the media and local governments operate.”

Said Tobin, “Frankly, there are no agencies located in the North Bay who cover as much of the region or who have the background of our two firms.”  The combined revenues of the firms approach $1 million annually.

Clarke, who joined Hamilton in 1992, has extensive experience in the media. Her background includes entertainment, film, music and live event production. She has helped manage musicians and songwriters, working with record labels from concept to distribution. Among the major live music events she has produced are an all-star show at the Beacon Theater in New York City to celebrate the release of Rob Wasserman’s TRIOS, and a series of performances at Brooklyn Academy of Music in collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Company entitled Dances to American Music, which also featured Mikhail Baryshnikov and cellist, Yo Yo Ma.

Tobin, a former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, spent more than two decades heading corporate communications departments at Fortune 500 companies, including American Express, First Data Corp., Gulf + Western and MCI Communications Corp. As a consultant and senior executive, he has been involved with IPOs and spinoffs for American Express, ANC Car Rental, MoneyGram Payment Systems, Signet Corp (UK-based), and The Sabre Group (Travelocity).

Clarke and Tobin said the firms would offer their combined resources to current clients, but, in the event of client conflicts, would continue to operate independently.

The joint marketing team will include, in addition to Clarke and Tobin:

• Leslie Harlib, a food writer, restaurant critic and lifestyle journalist for more than 30 years. Harlib began her career in England in 1973 as a public relations consultant with a London-based firm. Returning to New York, she was a columnist with the Village Voice from 1976 to 1978. Harlib was the founding editor, with publisher Gordon Reynolds, of the tabloid monthly SF Downtown Magazine and from 1994 to 2008 was the society columnist, restaurant critic and food writer for the Marin Independent Journal. She joined TOBIN & Associates in 2009.

• Karen Anderson brings 25 years of wide-ranging PR and communications experience to the joint venture, including strategy development and media training. Her varied career has included serving as a company spokesperson and appearing on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Her corporate background ranges from Gymboree to Supercuts, Inc. As a consultant, she has conducted qualitative research for such clients as Cadillac/GM, with whom she worked for 15 years. She joined Hamilton Ink in 2009.

• Clara Franco, who joined Hamilton Ink in 2005, has a broad background in media and production. Born in El Salvador and raised in Petaluma, Franco is bilingual. She has worked in television production in Los Angeles for E!, NBC, and FOX; on reality-based TV shows, including The Apprentice and Nanny 911.  

About Hamilton Ink
Hamilton Ink Media & Public Relations (www.hamiltoninkpr.com), located in Mill Valley, specializes in public relations for arts and entertainment, events, and businesses, who want to broaden their visibility through print, radio and television.
About TOBIN & Associates

TOBIN & Associates (www.garytobin.com), founded in 1995, is a public relations and marketing consulting firm, based in San Rafael.  It serves a variety of clients in the banking/financial services, high end consumer products, technology and environmental segments.