Former CNBC Senior Producer Joins Global Bipartisan Firm
New York, NY – Mercury, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm, today announced the addition of veteran television producer and journalist Shannan Siemens to its New York City office as a Managing Director. Siemens brings a decade and a half of experience producing some of the highest-rated and most-respected news programs on CNBC and the Fox Business Network.
“We are excited to welcome Shannan Siemens to Mercury,” said Mercury Partner Michael McKeon. “Her experience working with some of the leading names in business and financial media will be a major asset to our work as we broaden our financial communications capabilities in New York and nationally. Our clients here in the world’s financial capital and across the country will benefit from her expertise.”
Siemens comes to Mercury after seven years as a senior producer at CNBC. There she drove editorial content and direction for the network’s top news programs, including Squawk on the Street, Squawk Alley, Halftime Report and Closing Bell. Siemens worked closely with Fortune 500 executives and CNBC anchors and reporters on breaking news, corporate and political stories and in-depth executive interviews. She has years of experience covering the world’s largest companies, as well as game-changing startups.
“Navigating some of the most complex, high-stakes business stories has prepared me to take on the challenge of executing effective storytelling from the other side of the spectrum on behalf of corporations,” said Siemens. “I am delighted to join the highly-respected team at Mercury and look forward to helping further their mission and continued success.”
Siemens also helped lead CNBC’s IPO coverage. She has reported on hundreds of IPOs during her career including Uber, Lyft, Pinterest, Slack, Spotify, Levi Strauss, Luckin Coffee, CloudFlare, CrowdStrike, Jumia, Dropbox, Smile DirectClub, Zoom Video and 10X Genomics.
Prior to her tenure at CNBC, Siemens was a producer for the Fox Business Network, where she helped lead the organization’s coverage of the global financial crisis. She began her journalism career at CBS College Sports, interviewing legendary coaches and players and telling some of the most compelling sports stories on television.
Siemens is a graduate of The University of Mississippi. She is a native of Kentucky and currently resides in New York.
About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. Our firm is not just led by top talent — we distinguish ourselves by having senior talent deeply engaged in each project from start to finish, a promise we keep to clients. The firm has an established global presence, with U.S. offices in Washington, DC, New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Tennessee, as well as international offices in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
Contact:
Hannah Kikano
[email protected]
McCaleb’s range of experience bridges international journalism, law, investigations, reputational recovery and management, and strategic, litigation and crisis communications
Washington, D.C. – Mercury, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm, announced today that Ian Christopher McCaleb, whose work as a legal sector advisor and litigation communications specialist has been recognized by Chambers and Partners and Lawdragon, has joined the firm as a Managing Director.
McCaleb is credited with devising a legal sector advisory model that has assisted some of the world’s most prominent law firms, at the executive and management committee levels, address high-stakes internal matters affecting their practices, partner populations and operations.
“Ian’s reputation as a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most influential law firms preceded his arrival at Mercury,” said Kieran Mahoney, Mercury CEO. “His experience as a top-tier television journalist, a senior Department of Justice spokesman and counsel, a U.S. intelligence community advisor, and the chair of a prominent public relations firm’s litigation communications practice make him a formidable addition as a communications strategist for a variety of legal and reputational matters.”
McCaleb’s breadth of knowledge has been accumulated through nearly two decades of experience as a national and international reporter specializing in legal affairs, law enforcement, politics, legislation, terrorism and conflict and the U.S. defense and intelligence establishments. He has worked for premier news outlets including CNN, the Fox News Channel, United Press International, McClatchy Newspapers and Congressional Quarterly. He is also a successful entrepreneur who formed and operated his own consultancy, chaired a major communications firm’s litigation communications practice and helped one of the world’s largest law firms establish its strategic communications offerings.
In the U.S. government, McCaleb served as Senior Spokesman for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice and Senior Counsel to the Division’s Assistant Attorney General, and was a U.S. national intelligence specialist. He honed a unique reputation as a predictive media analysis expert when he was the sole media consultant to the Information Review Task Force (IRTF) – the multi-agency analytical body assembled to assess damage to the U.S. military and federal agencies after the 2010 leak of classified government data to WikiLeaks.org. This work gained him a National Meritorious Service Award in 2011.
McCaleb spent seven years at the Fox News Channel, concluding his tenure as a senior producer covering the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. intelligence community. He joined Fox after three years as the Chief Political Correspondent for CNN.com, where he covered the 2000 presidential election. In this position, he also led all of CNN.com’s Washington-based coverage of the 9/11 attacks.
“Mercury has an unrivaled reputation as one of the world’s most sought-after and most respected problem-solvers,” McCaleb said. “All of my previous paths have led me right to this tremendous opportunity. I’m beyond excited to have the privilege of calling Mercury my professional home.”
McCaleb will be based in Mercury’s Washington, DC office, but his work will span Mercury’s entire U.S. operation, and he will also work at regular intervals in London, where he lives part-time.
About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. Our firm is not just led by top talent — we distinguish ourselves by having senior talent deeply engaged in each project from start to finish, a promise we keep to clients. The firm has an established global presence, with U.S. offices in Washington, DC, New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Tennessee, as well as international offices in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
Contact:
Vicky Jennings
[email protected]
Former BCW West Coast Public Affairs Lead Joins Firm’s Sacramento Office as Managing Director
Sacramento, CA – Leading global bipartisan public strategy firm Mercury Public Affairs announced the addition of veteran public and government affairs strategist and crisis counselor Steve Burns to the firm’s Sacramento office as a managing director. Burns brings more than two decades of experience working in Fortune 10 companies and advising companies and non-profit organizations on reputation management, regulatory issues and legislative affairs.
“We’re pleased to welcome Steve Burns and his tremendous experience to our dynamic California team,” said Fabian Núñez, Mercury Partner and former Speaker of the California State Assembly. “Steve is well known in Sacramento as a leader in the business community, and he brings invaluable insights and public affairs and crisis experience that will undoubtedly be a great asset to our clients.”
During his time at BCW (formerly Burson-Marsteller), Burns managed public affairs and corporate crises accounts. He worked with a number of companies on a range of public affairs, policy and communications issues, including government engagements, brand protection and stakeholder outreach.
“Companies across the country trust Mercury to represent them in some of the highest-profile, highest-stakes battles, and I am excited to join a team of experts that is widely considered to be the best in the business,” said Burns.
Prior to his time at BCW, Burns worked at Chevron Corporation for 12 years in roles ranging from the company’s first corporate social responsibility and sustainability lead, to primary adviser to the CEO; he also led the company’s community engagement and corporate policy groups. He also managed the California state government affairs office in Sacramento for nearly six years and was named to the “Top 100 Political Power Brokers” list in California three times.
Burns also has nearly a decade of experience with non-governmental organizations, working for the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation as its Trade and Economics Program Officer, and then co-founding and leading the international energy task force of the 22-nation Pacific Economic Cooperation Council.
About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. Our firm is not just led by top talent — we distinguish ourselves by having senior talent deeply engaged in each project from start to finish, a promise we keep to clients. The firm has an established global presence, with U.S. offices in Washington, DC, New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Tennessee, as well as international offices in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, public health and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
Contact:
Micah Grant
[email protected]
916-444-1380