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By Tracey-Ann Mee, COO & SVP, Client Experience, Waters Agency
After years spent in the trenches, working with startups like VMware and Nutanix, both agency-side and in-house, our founder had learned firsthand that B2B tech startups had unique requirements of PR.
Storytelling and garnering any kind of attention these days in the B2B technology market is no walk in the park. From launching your brand to an IPO and beyond requires a PR team with deep experience, an entrepreneurial spirit and the confidence to experiment and try new ways of doing things
And so, “Waters Communications” was born in Austin, Texas in July 2017 with a clear vision and purpose – to deliver bespoke PR campaigns to technology brands that were willing to not stay in their lane.
As a virtual-by-design agency, we immediately capitalized on our ability to draw the best talent from wherever they were located. The result was a team of seasoned PR professionals strategically positioned across the US – from Austin and San Antonio, Texas in the south to Casper, Wyoming in the north, from New York City and Washington DC in the east to San Francisco in the west. As time passed, this footprint would grow beyond our wildest dreams.
With a go-for-it attitude and bag loads of hustle the agency continued to grow as more clients hitched their wagons to Waters Communications and additional PR, AR and Digital consultants joined our team.
In May 2020 we onboarded our first fulltime employee (besides Declan) and in June we rebranded as Waters Agency. A month later, we launched our EMEA operation under the leadership of seasoned PR man, Ryan Waters (SVP EMEA), and in January 2021, Waters Agency was officially incorporated in Delaware. We had come of age!
Fast-forward through the whirlwind that was 2021 and the present day finds our US team with eight fulltime employees and the UK with five, while we continue to enjoy the support and the loyalty of dedicated senior consultants and specialists on three continents.
Our footprint now spans the US, before skipping across the pond to the UK, trickling down through Europe, and finally cascading all the way down to South Africa. This, coupled with our partnerships with likeminded agencies in APAC, means that Waters Agency is now a multinational agency with a global reach – capable of servicing our clients’ needs across widespread geographies.
Of course, we didn’t get to this stage thanks to our sparkling personalities, determination, and hard work alone – though you’d be forgiven for thinking so… Instead, our people are the steady vessel that buoys us and allows us to take on the world, while ever-changing trends in the technology industry are the currents that propel us forward.
Make no mistake, we’ve had some choppy Waters. There have been epic highs and devastating lows, including the passing of a much beloved colleague – the inimitable Simon Marshall whose generosity, kindness and wisdom will forever be woven into the tapestry that is Waters. But, with the right crew and an unflagging sense of humor, we find ourselves at the milestone age of five years old.
We are immensely proud to be able to stick up one hand with fingers splayed and say, “I’m five!” And indeed, we are – we are five years wiser, five years stronger, five years bigger and, without a doubt, five years better than you found us in 2017.
Our heartfelt thanks to all whose support, guidance, and partnership have made them fellow passengers on this adventure, and of course to our fearless captain, Declan Waters, whose vision and leadership have made this all possible.
About the author:
Tracey-Ann Mee is COO & SVP, Client Experience at Waters Agency. Tracey has 32 years of experience in agency-side PR, having worked at and run several agencies and founded her own. She has managed small teams and very large teams, and worked with dozens of clients on B2B, B2C, G2C and non-profit campaigns. Her clients at Waters span telecoms, BizOps, cloud and cyber security markets.