For Immediate Release
August 26, 2016
Contact: Mercury
(213) 624-1380
MERCURY HIRES DREW OLANOFF,
EXPANDS SAN FRANCISCO TECH & INNOVATION PRACTICE
High-Stakes, Bi-Partisan Public Strategy Firm Welcomes
Former TechCrunch Reporter and Balboa Foundation Founder
San Francisco, CA – Technology expert and communications professional Drew Olanoff has joined Mercury
as Senior Vice President, announced today by Mercury Partner and former California State Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez. Olanoff has spent the past decade in Silicon Valley with TechCrunch, The Next Web, Yahoo
and River Studios, and was recently named one of the 50 best public relations people in the tech industry by
Business Insider. Olanoff is a well-known and respected figure in the San Francisco technology community with
a network that extends from venture capital to budding startups through the biggest technology companies in
the Valley.
“Drew is a fighter and embodies the scrappy entrepreneurial spirit that has made the Valley what it is today,”
said Núñez. “We’re looking forward to Drew using those skills on behalf of clients as we strengthen the
relationships between Silicon Valley and our 17 locations around the world.”
“I’m excited to join and learn from such a talented team at Mercury and lead the growth of the San Francisco
office,” said Olanoff. “Silicon Valley can benefit from Mercury’s government relations, policy and
communications expertise. When combined with my deep knowledge of technology trends and storytelling
capabilities, we’re a unique combination in all the right ways.”
Olanoff began his career at AOL when he was 16 years old. With experience in tech communications and
public relations for startups including textPlus, EyeEm and River Studios. Olanoff has also spent time as a
senior writer at TechCrunch and The Next Web. Most recently Olanoff held the position of head of global
communications at Rothenberg Ventures and is the co-founder of the Balboa Foundation, an organization
focused on “unisolating the isolated” through virtual and augmented reality.
Drew Olanoff can be contacted at [email protected] and @yoda on Twitter.
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, Tennessee and North Carolina, and international offices
in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of 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 public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy 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.
###