What Civic Entertainment Group does

Civic Entertainment Group is a privately held, New York-based creative marketing and communications agency that designs and produces experiential marketing campaigns, brand activations, public relations, and content for Fortune 500 enterprise clients. Founded in 1999, the firm operates across three U.S. offices (New York, Los Angeles, and Miami) with a headcount in the 51-100 range, and serves a roster that includes Ford, Audible, Verizon, HBO/Max, NBCUniversal/Peacock, Meta/Instagram, ESPN, PayPal, Shopify, Wyndham, Hulu, Airbnb, and Major League Soccer, among others. The agency's go-to-market is direct enterprise sales targeting CMOs and senior brand decision-makers, leveraging industry awards and high-profile tentpole event activations as credibility signals; revenue is generated through project-based fees and retainer arrangements under a professional services model. Civic does not develop proprietary technology — its delivery is human-led consultancy spanning event production, brand activations, PR, content creation, and strategic communications.

The firm has built out a multi-brand service architecture: Wave Kilo (acquired April 2026) provides strategic communications, corporate storytelling, executive visibility, and crisis management; CULTIQUE (launched 2020) is a cultural insights and strategy boutique founded by Linda Ong and Sarah Unger; the Accessibility Practice (launched June 2024) addresses inclusive event design; and Civic Studios provides internal scripting and event programming capabilities. Civic has won AdAge Experiential Agency of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, alongside recognition across Clio, D&AD, Webby, Ex Awards, ANA B2, PRWeek, and REGGIE awards. The leadership team is led by co-CEOs Stuart Ruderfer and Nate Schreiber (with David Cohn also referenced in a co-CEO/founder capacity in some materials), President Parke Spencer, Managing Director/Head of PR Julie Safer, and the Wave Kilo founding partners under Howard Clabo.

Civic's commercial model is anchored by marquee, multi-year client relationships rather than transactional project work, exemplified by sustained Ford engagements (Michigan Central OPEN, Ford Open House 2024 across 22 events, Aspen Ideas Festival), Verizon Business Innovation Sessions (a two-time Ex Award winner), and PR AOR mandates with MLS and New York Road Runners. The Wave Kilo acquisition extended the firm's geographic footprint into Miami and added a corporate-affairs buyer segment alongside the existing experiential core, while the firm reports no external private equity or venture capital backing, implying organic profitability or founder reinvestment as the funding mechanism for growth.

Name

Civic Entertainment Group

Legal name

Civic Entertainment Group, LLC

Website

https://civic-us.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Civic Entertainment Group is a New York-based creative marketing agency that designs and produces experiential campaigns, brand activations, public relations, and content for Fortune 500 enterprise clients, with acquired capabilities in strategic communications through Wave Kilo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Experiential Marketing Services: Civic generates revenue through providing experiential marketing, brand activation, event production, and communications services to enterprise clients. Revenue is generated through project-based fees and retainer arrangements for ongoing client partnerships.
2. Public Relations Services: The agency offers PR services including media relations, press strategy, and earned media amplification. PR services are provided as part of integrated campaigns or as standalone retainer engagements.
3. Strategic Communications (via Wave Kilo): Following the acquisition of Wave Kilo in April 2026, Civic now offers strategic communications consulting including corporate storytelling, executive visibility, thought leadership, issues and crisis management, and corporate affairs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Civic Entertainment Group is a creative marketing and communications agency that designs and produces experiential marketing campaigns, brand activations, public relations programs, and original content for enterprise clients. Through its wholly owned sub-brands and acquisitions—including Wave Kilo for strategic communications and CULTIQUE for cultural insights—the agency delivers integrated brand, communications, and community-building services to Fortune 500 clients.

Product overview

Civic Entertainment Group is a brand experience and creative marketing agency that drives brand growth through the power of community. Its portfolio consists of a mix of core service offerings and named sub-brands/practices: experiential marketing and brand activations (the primary service), public relations, and content production form the core. Supporting these are Wave Kilo (an acquired strategic communications consultancy focused on corporate storytelling, executive visibility, thought leadership, brand positioning, and crisis management), CULTIQUE (a cultural insights and strategy boutique), the Accessibility Practice (inclusive event design), and Civic Studios (internal scripting and event programming). The company operates primarily through human-led consultancy and does not offer a software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wave Kilo: Strategic communications consultancy providing corporate storytelling, executive visibility, thought leadership, brand positioning, issues and crisis management, and corporate affairs services.
• CULTIQUE

Products and services

• Experiential Marketing & Brand Activations Civic designs and executes experiential marketing campaigns and brand activations that create meaningful community moments for enterprise brand clients. Projects include large-scale fan experiences, product launches, cultural events, and branded installations across automotive, entertainment, technology, hospitality, healthcare, sports, and streaming industries.
• Public Relations Public relations practice providing media relations, press strategy, earned media amplification, and Agency of Record support for clients across entertainment, celebrity, and sports. Includes retainer engagements and integrated campaign work, led by Managing Director and Head of PR Julie Safer.
• Content Production Original content creation including brand films, documentaries, social-first content, and multimedia campaigns for enterprise clients. Notable work includes Ford's award-winning 'On The Line' documentary and the 'Finish Strong' campaign.
• Wave Kilo – Strategic Communications Consultancy Wholly owned sub-brand and strategic communications consultancy acquired by Civic in April 2026. Helps companies from startup to Fortune 500 disrupt markets, accelerate growth, and redefine their business through corporate storytelling, executive visibility, thought leadership, brand positioning, issues and crisis management, and corporate affairs.
• CULTIQUE Cultural Insights & Strategy Boutique Wholly owned cultural insights and strategy boutique that provides research-driven cultural analysis to inform brand strategy and communications for Civic's enterprise clients. Founded by Linda Ong and Sarah Unger.
• Civic Accessibility Practice Internal service practice within Civic that helps clients make their events, activations, and experiences accessible for all participants, supporting inclusive event design and execution across Civic's portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Michigan Central OPEN drove nearly 1 billion unique views and a record NBC prime time audience, Ford sold 1,000 vehicles from event activity, attracted $1B+ in venture investment, and doubled small business revenue
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Major League SoccercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 June 2025Civic was named PR Agency of Record for Major League Soccer as the league celebrates its 30th season and builds momentum toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Civic provides PR and communications support for the league.
• NBCUniversal/PeacockcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Civic played a key role in Peacock's Olympic coverage, helping drive buzz and storytelling throughout the Games. Also supported Peacock's Bel-Air premiere and various content launches.
• New York Road RunnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 July 2022Civic serves as public relations agency of record for New York Road Runners, the world's premier running organization including the NYC Marathon. The partnership includes PR support and communications for major running events.
• Max (HBO)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCivic partnered with Max for the Le Petit Court by Max Roland Garros activation at Venice Beach and the 2025 MAX Mother's Day Celebration at Chelsea Triangle in NYC.
• CultureConminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivic partnered with CultureCon and Higher Ground to launch The Wonder of Stevie, an Audible Original podcast celebration event featuring Michelle Obama.
• Mama Glow FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarol's Daughter 'Love Delivered' campaign was held in partnership with Mama Glow Foundation as part of efforts combating the Black Maternal Health Crisis.
• Eminem/Paul Rosenberg/Jesse CollinscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivic co-produced the Live from Detroit global concert with Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, and Super Bowl halftime show producer Jesse Collins featuring Eminem, Diana Ross, Jack White, Big Sean, and Detroit stars.
• CultiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultique is Civic's cultural analysis and insights firm, founded by Linda Ong and Sarah Unger, which provides cultural insights and strategy guidance to clients. Featured in New York Times Sunday Business Section.
• L'OréalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCarol's Daughter is owned by L'Oréal and Civic has partnered on the Love Delivered campaign combating Black Maternal Health Crisis.
• Sonoma County WinegrowersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFord Pro partnered with Sonoma County Winegrowers for pilot programs including digital services, electric vehicles, and charging stations for sustainable winemaking operations.
• House of YesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudible at SXSW weekend kicked off with a Friday night party co-hosted by House of Yes featuring DJ sets by The Knocks.
• PoliticocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNN Grill was co-hosted with Politico, creating a fully functional pop-up restaurant at national political conventions serving as news studio, restaurant, and advertising platform.
• Common Sense MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAura's Digital Parenthood Summit was built in conjunction with a coalition of nearly 20 partners including Common Sense Media, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large experience marketing agency specializing in brand activations, pop-ups, conferences and tentpole event programs for global enterprise brands — closely comparable to Civic's experiential practice.
• MKG: Independent experiential marketing agency known for brand experiences, events and cultural activations for consumer brands — a direct competitor in the same mid-size experiential agency tier as Civic.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Brand experience agency and a direct competitor to Civic, designing experiential marketing campaigns and live events for major global brands, owned by IPG within the broader marketing-services portfolio.
• Sparks: Experiential marketing agency within the Omnicom/Endeavor network that produces trade shows, brand activations and corporate events for enterprise clients — directly overlapping Civic's core experiential offering.
• The Marketing Arm: Omnicom-owned agency combining experiential, sponsorship, PR and content for brands across sports and entertainment, mirroring Civic's integrated experiential-plus-PR model.
• Octagon: Sports and experiential marketing agency producing events, sponsorships and fan-experience programs for brands and sports properties — closely comparable to Civic's sports-and-entertainment work for MLS, ESPN and the NBA Finals.

Broad incumbents

• Droga5: Creative-led advertising agency within Accenture Song that increasingly competes on brand experience and cultural-moment work for the same Fortune 500 consumer brands Civic serves.
• Weber Shandwick: Global public relations and communications network competing with Civic on PR-anchored enterprise campaigns, with significantly broader geographic reach and services portfolio.
• Edelman: Largest global PR firm that competes with Civic on integrated communications mandates and has built dedicated brand-marketing and experiential capabilities at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Mekanism: Independent creative agency producing integrated campaigns that blend content, PR and experiential work for consumer brands — adjacent competitor with overlapping experiential and earned-media offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civic-entertainment-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearecivic
• Xx.com/wearecivic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Civic Entertainment Group