M Harris & Co

What M Harris & Co does

M. Harris & Co (doing business as M. Harris & Kern) is a Chicago-based, founder-led marketing and creative agency established in 2016 by Melissa Harris, a former Chicago Tribune business columnist. The firm operates as a senior-only creative services shop, deliberately structured without junior staff, offering marketing strategy, brand messaging, writing, web development, design and data visualization, and photo/video production for clients that include nonprofits, government agencies, research institutions, and select enterprises. Notable clients include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the EFI Foundation, RMI, MxD, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, AnitaB.org, and Cards Against Humanity, with projects spanning vaccination PSAs, invasive species rebranding, climate research communications, and advocacy campaigns.

The company's product surface has been organized into four branded sub-offerings: Ambition Works (creative strategy and ideation), Provable (science communications launched in 2024), Just Curious (a science newsletter), and Division Street Revisited (a podcast co-produced with Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich). Services are delivered as custom, project-based engagements and retainers; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm is federally certified as a women-owned small business by the U.S. Small Business Administration and registered as a WBE/DBE with the State of Illinois, which provides access to diversity procurement pipelines.

The business model is professional services: revenue is generated through project fees and retainer arrangements, with no productized or self-service offerings. The go-to-market motion is primarily sales-led (direct outreach, referrals, and inbound from award-winning campaigns) supplemented by community-led ideation via Ambition Works and event-driven visibility from conferences such as the Grace Hopper Celebration. The company operates from five U.S. locations (Chicago headquarters, Springfield, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Lincoln) and has no disclosed external funding, remaining privately held and founder-led.

Name

M Harris & Co

Legal name

M. Harris & Co.

Website

https://mharris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

M. Harris & Co (d/b/a M. Harris & Kern) is a founder-led Chicago marketing and creative agency built around veteran journalists, serving nonprofits, government agencies, and research institutions with brand strategy, video, design, and science communications through sub-brands including Provable and Ambition Works.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Creative Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & B2B PR (BPAFADAI), Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Marketing services
• Creative agency
• Brand strategy
• Science communications
• Content marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Creative Services: Custom project-based engagements for marketing strategy, brand messaging, writing, web development, design, photo/video production, and training workshops. Revenue generated through project fees and retainer arrangements with clients.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

M. Harris & Co (d/b/a M. Harris & Kern) is a full-service marketing and creative agency that delivers marketing strategy and execution, brand messaging, writing, web development, design and data visualization, and photo/video production. The agency is staffed entirely by former journalists and veteran storytellers, and bundles its work into named offerings including the Ambition Works creative-strategy service, the Provable science communications division, the Just Curious newsletter, and the Division Street Revisited podcast.

Product overview

M. Harris & Kern is a full-service marketing and creative agency led by former journalists, founded in 2016. The company offers a portfolio of branded sub-products and service lines: its core marketing services (strategy, branding, writing, web development, design, video production); Ambition Works for creative strategy; Just Curious science newsletter; Division Street Revisited podcast; and Provable science communications division. The company is federally certified as a women-owned small business by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ambition Works: Creative strategy division that surfaces big ideas for clients through brainstorming, workshops, and bold campaign concepts.
• Provable
• Just Curious
• Division Street Revisited

Products and services

• M. Harris & Kern Marketing and Creative Services Full-service marketing and creative agency delivering marketing strategy and execution, brand messaging, writing, web development, design and data visualization, and photo/video production for nonprofit, science, government, and enterprise clients.
• Ambition Works Creative strategy service that surfaces bold, moonshot ideas for clients through a 90-minute interview process, internal brainstorming, and delivery of ambitious concepts within scope and budget.
• Provable Science Communications Science communications division that champions scientific breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and the environment through design, data visualization, strategy, writing, messaging, and web development.
• Just Curious Newsletter A conversational science newsletter featuring interviews with top scientists on topics ranging from lithium mining to quantum computing, published by writers Jenn Bane and Rex Huppke.
• Division Street Revisited Podcast A podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich that follows up on stories from Studs Terkel's groundbreaking 1967 oral history, produced in partnership with Mary & Melissa Productions and distributed on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
• Everybody Needs an Editor (book) A writing guide co-authored by Melissa Harris and Jenn Bane and published by Simon & Schuster, drawing on decades of journalism and marketing experience to provide clear and effective writing advice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ million views for AAP vaccination campaign on TV
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Illinois DNR and Tetra Tech to launch Copi, the rebranded name for Asian carp, with goal of creating market for invasive species as sustainable food. Documented entire process with Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.
• EFI FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing strategic partnership since foundation, providing strategy, editing, design (web and print), and data visualization services for climate and energy research communication.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing editing and design partnership since 2021, producing 40+ reports annually and designing annual reports.
• MxD (Manufacturing Times Digital)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCybersecurity communication partnership bridging large manufacturers and their suppliers through content development and communication programs.
• PRXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-kind support provider for Division Street Revisited podcast, providing public radio distribution infrastructure.
• WBEZ 91.5/Chicago Public MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-kind support provider for Division Street Revisited podcast.
• Chicago History MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-kind support and archival access for Division Street Revisited podcast; holds digitized Studs Terkel radio archives.
• Simon & SchustercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher for 'Everybody Needs an Editor' book by Melissa Harris and Jenn Bane.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SHIFT Communications: Tech- and B2B-focused PR agency with strong enterprise and developer audiences. Comparable as a creative-led PR firm competing for similar science, technology, and B2B brand story budgets.
• JPA Health: Specialized health and science communications agency offering PR, advocacy, and creative campaigns for life sciences, public health, and patient advocacy organizations — directly overlapping M. Harris & Kern's AAP and science communications work.
• Inkhouse: Tech- and science-focused PR and communications agency serving B2B technology, health, and climate clients. Comparable in offering integrated content, media relations, and brand storytelling to similar buyer personas.
• Res Publica Group: Chicago-based creative and communications agency serving mission-driven clients with strategy, PR, and content. Direct competitor for the same nonprofit, foundation, and policy-oriented clients M. Harris & Kern pursues.
• 360PR+: Boutique integrated communications agency serving consumer, lifestyle, and purpose-driven brands with creative campaigns and PR. Comparable as a mid-sized creative-PR boutique with similar service mix.
• Springboard Communications: Boutique communications firm specializing in health, science, and sustainability messaging. Comparable in serving nonprofit, research, and policy clients with integrated campaigns and content.
• Story Partners: Science communications and public engagement firm producing stories, video, and campaigns for research institutions and federal agencies. Highly comparable to M. Harris & Kern's Provable practice.

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent global creative agency known for high-profile brand campaigns. A broader incumbent that competes for award-caliber brand storytelling budgets but at significantly larger scale than M. Harris & Kern.
• Edelman: Global communications and PR firm with deep health, science, and policy practices. Competes for the same large nonprofit, foundation, and government RFPs but offers broader scale and geographic reach than M. Harris & Kern.
• Ogilvy: Global advertising, PR, and communications network with established public health, science, and government practices. Competes in adjacent RFPs with significantly larger production capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xlinkedin.com/company/m-harris-kern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/m-harris-kern

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 M Harris & Co