Results

Public Impact Media Consultants

Alan Klein, Partner and Communications Strategist

Communications strategies designed for social change.

Public Impact Media Consultants was a full-service strategic communications firm that created innovative, attention-grabbing campaigns. To obtain results, the firm utilized a powerful combination of public relations strategies, from traditional media outreach to state-of-the-art digital tools.

Public Impact advanced the important work of clients that ranged from nonprofit social justice organizations to pioneering community-based businesses. The company represented best-selling authors, filmmakers, corporate leaders, activists and artists, plus many of the visionaries who stand on the frontlines of the LGBTQ+, racial and economic justice movements.

Origin Story
Public Impact Media Consultants was founded in 1990 in New York City by Alan Klein and Jay Blotcher. The two had first joined forces in ACT UP, the landmark direct-action AIDS activist group that achieved unprecedented advancements for people with HIV/AIDS, including legislative gains and access to life-saving medications.

Fellow HIV/AIDS activists and LGBTQ thought leaders observed Alan and Jay’s public relations successes and began asking the pair to share their strategies. It occurred to the activists that an increasing number of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ community-based organizations needed a blueprint for promoting their missions, programs and public policies. And so Public Impact was formed.

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NQAPIA

NQAPIA produced and launched a PSA campaign urging Asian and Pacific Islander (API) parents to accept their LGBTQ children. Public Impact was retained to promote this first-ever multilingual video campaign.

Frank’s Pharmacy

Frank’s Pharmacy is a well-loved family-owned business. When a five-alarm fire destroyed the pharmacy, owner Frank Buonagurio was determined to rebuild it. Public Impact was hired to promote the pharmacy’s high-profile move to a new site in the neighborhood.

Nora Burns’ “David’s Friend”

Nora Burns, a fixture on Manhattan’s Downtown scene, was ready to launch her one-woman show “David’s Friend,” an homage to life during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, and a personal memorial to her best friend. Public Impact’s media campaign garnered a story by New York Times reviewer Charles Isherwood, who attend the Opening Night performance.

Fat Kid Dance Party

Aerobics instructor and life coach Bevin Branlandingham created a sensation in Los Angeles: she drew crowds weekly to her “Fat Kid Dance Party” exercise classes. These events provided emotional support, welcomed people of all body types, and expressly prohibited body and fat shaming. Public Impact was hired to spread the word.

SAGE

At a time when newsrooms were not accustomed to being pitched stories about gay men and lesbians, Jay Blotcher and Alan Klein devised a particularly proactive pitch — and it worked for SAGE. The Hey-My-Grandmother-is-a-Lesbian pitch was born.

GLAAD

Alan Klein, National Communications Director

In 1996, Alan Klein was recruited to join the staff of GLAAD, the nonprofit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change. He became the organization’s first national communications director and its primary spokesperson.

Alan developed GLAAD’s public relations and strategic positioning plans; positioned the agency as the nation’s leading source of LGBTQ-oriented news and information; managed and supervised staff based in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and San Francisco; directed public response to breaking news and hot-button issues; and, served as the organization's primary spokesperson.

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“Ellen” Comes Out

In 1997 Ellen DeGeneres’s character “Ellen” came out on national television and GLAAD played a pivotal role in her decision to come out and in ABC’s decision to air the historic episode. GLAAD orchestrated a slew of international coverage and created the landmark Come Out with Ellen campaign to support the show and its star.

The Howard Stern Show

GLAAD’s national communications director, Alan Klein, appears on the Howard Stern Show to confront Howard on his use of the word "fagg*t" in 1996.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America

GLAAD was concerned that an ad released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) had the potential to exacerbate higher-than-average risks LGBTQ youth face for substance abuse and suicide by implying that being gay is worse than being addicted to heroin. Due to an effective media campaign mounted by GLAAD, PDFA reconsidered its position and decided to re-edit and reissue their PSA.

The Anti-Violence Campaign

Alan Klein, co-Creator and co-Executive Producer

In 1991, as violence against members of LGBTQ community continued to escalate, Alan Klein, Jay Blotcher, and Ken Woodard and put their heads together to figure out a way to stem the rising tide of vicious hate crimes.

With the support of Scott Robbe of Out In Film and Matt Foreman, executive director of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, we produced The Anti-Violence Campaign — the first ever television public services announcement campaign aimed at ending the nation’s growing gay-bashing epidemic.

The Anti-Violence Campaign enlisted a celebrity-studded national council that included filmmakers John Waters, Gus Van Sant and Rob Epstein; actors Harvey Fierstein and Scott Thompson; musical sensations Lou Reed, Deee-Lite and Chaka Khan. The campaign was chaired by Susan Sarandon.

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Media Releases and News Coverage

We produced The Anti-Violence Campaign — the first ever television public services announcement campaign aimed at ending the nation’s growing gay-bashing epidemic.

Past Clients

Alan Klein Communications (1993-2000) provided strategic communications campaigns to the enterprise and to leading social justice organizations nationwide.

Alan Klein Communications strengthened communication and improved workflow. The result: A finely-tuned, focused message designed to change minds and influence popular culture.

For three decades, Alan Klein harnessed the power of media to create finely-tuned, focused messaging designed to change minds. He has achieved victories for artists and activists, nonprofit organizations, c-suite executives, their missions, and brands. Alan's work has helped foster positives changes on America’s cultural landscape with stunning success.

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iFit

Alan Klein Communications provided public relations and publicity services for iFit, one of the first online fitness companies. Alan placed national print coverage in US Weekly, Fortune, TV coverage on WNBC-TV, and on Bloomberg Radio.

Mother's Day with Christina Crawford

Christina Crawford, daughter of Hollywood legend Joan Crawford, and noted author of Mommie Dearest – discussed the whirlwind of activity that enveloped her since the sensational release of the tell-all tome at a sold-out event at New York’s Town Hall. Ms. Crawford reminisced on her volcanic past in tinseltown and shared behind-the-scenes tales of the making of the cult film classic. Alan Klein was hired to publicize the event.

AT&T Laser Spectacular

Science Faction created a high-tech laser light and sound show, sponsored by AT&T, to promote the telecom giant’s new products and services. Alan Klein made sure AT&T’s messaging appeared on front-pages and in primetime.

God’s Love We Deliver

Alan Klein Communications developed image campaign and provided public relations and publicity services to God’s Love We Deliver, a New York City-based organization serving people with life-threatening illnesses. Alan placed national print coverage in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, People and AP, and garnered national and international television media exposure on outlets including ABC’s Good Morning America and CNN.

Raise The Rainbow

For Raise The Rainbow, a mile-long Rainbow Flag that weighed 7,000 pounds and that used 17,000 yards of fabric to assemble was sewn by Gilbert Baker, the original creator of the Rainbow Flag. Alan Klein was hired by the Stadtlanders Foundation to promote this historic event that garnered worldwide news coverage.