EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Marks Launches His Own Business, Townhouse Consultancy Ltd.
LONDON — Daniel Marks, who left ScienceMagic.Inc in July, is drawing on three decades of work in PR and communications and launching a business of his own called Townhouse Consultancy Ltd.
His plan is to work closely with a small group of high-profile, creative entrepreneurs, and his focus will be on “communications strategy and global profile building.” He also plans to develop philanthropic platforms and partnerships for them.
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“These individuals have extraordinary reach, convening power and true influence. Our role will be to be harness their profile for the greater good,” Marks said.
In an interview, Marks was tight-lipped about his clients — he declined to give their names — and said much of his work will be done behind the scenes. He said Townhouse will not post anything on social media about its work, or talk in the press about clients.
Marks said the new business is a natural extension of what he’s done over the past 30 years.
“I think it’s been at the heart of what I’ve done for my entire career. The thing that I love the most is taking care of the people whom I respect and love, being next to these extraordinary creatives and helping them to understand the ‘why’ of what they do. I want them to celebrate who they are as individuals,” he said.
Marks described his new role as being about “guardianship, and helping people make the right decisions.” He added that many successful creative individuals “have such convening power, and I don’t think it’s necessarily always harnessed in the right way.”
Marks’ PR career began in an agency London in the ’90s, and he later moved to Milan to work for Donatella Versace.
He served as head of European PR for Tommy Hilfiger before joining The Communications Store as partner and director in 2002. There he worked for a host of brands including Versace, Chanel, Dior, Tiffany, Net-a-porter, Christopher Kane, Erdem and Bottega Veneta.
He continued that work after TCS relaunched as ScienceMagic.Inc. As reported last month, Marks stepped down from his latest role as chief engagement officer, partner and director of ScienceMagic.Inc., although he remains a shareholder in the company.
Although Marks was mum about his new client roster, his former clients were quick to endorse him.
Tommy Hilfiger described Marks as a “consummate professional,” and said they worked closely for years after he first introduced the Tommy Hilfiger brand to Europe. “Daniel has an incredible network of people who admire and respect him. He will be a big success in his new venture I’m certain,” said Hilfiger.
Donatella Versace said Marks was “fiercely loyal and brilliant at his job. I will forever be grateful for everything he has done for me, my family and Versace. I wish him every success with his new venture.”
Bella Freud, one of Marks’ earliest clients from his days working at Aurelia PR in London, described him as one of the “kindest and most trusted,” people in the business, and said that “people are very happy to pick up the phone to him.”
Jason Weisenfeld, an executive who has worked with Marks for more than 20 years on projects with brands including Versace, Net-a-porter, Coach, Victoria Beckham, David Beckham and Tiffany, said, “Now, more than ever, trust and loyalty are essential in building global strategies and partnerships, and Daniel has spent every day of his career doing just that.
“His instinct is spot-on and he always, always sees the big picture, and maintains a strict focus on the goal. In these times when it’s become increasingly more difficult to break out from the noise and stay strategically on course, Daniel’s leadership will be invaluable,” Weisenfeld said.
Marks’ move is part of a wider shift in the landscape of fashion and luxury PR and marketing.
Companies are raising the bar, looking to provide more specialized services to individuals and brands, and to strategize for an industry that relies far more on social media, influencers and the direct-to-consumer conversation than it does on magazines.
In the past months, Bianca Fincham, who cofounded Rainbowwave PR with the agency’s founder Maria Lemos, has launched a new communications consultancy called Fincham. Her plan is to offer “extensive brand storytelling strategies and solutions,” including video production and content creation.
In February, the London-based Purple became a shareholder in a newly formed collective of marketeers, creatives and strategists called Together Group, which focuses on the luxury and lifestyle sectors worldwide.
Together Group pitches itself as a full-service design, tech, marketing and communications provider for multinational, regional and local clients.