What Marathon Communications does

Marathon Communications is a Los Angeles-based strategic communications firm founded in 1982 by Richard Lichtenstein. The firm provides four integrated service lines — strategic communications, community outreach, government outreach, and media relations — to public and private sector clients primarily in Southern California. Its client base spans major real estate developers (Kilroy Realty, Related Companies, AvalonBay, iStar Financial), government entities (Los Angeles County, City of Pasadena, City of Burbank, Metro), and large corporations across entertainment, telecommunications, defense, healthcare, hospitality, and waste management (Warner Bros., DreamWorks, AT&T, Lockheed Martin, Cedars-Sinai, Hilton, Target, Republic Services). The firm's value proposition centers on navigating community opposition, securing government approvals, and managing public perception for complex or controversial projects in the Southern California market.

The firm is fundamentally a relationship-based professional services business. Its competitive position rests on decades of cultivated relationships with neighborhood groups, government officials, and media contacts across the region, supported by a leadership team with direct prior experience in journalism, political campaigns, and government staff roles. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for consulting engagements, with pricing likely negotiated per engagement rather than standardized. GTM is sales-led and driven primarily by reputation, demonstrated case study outcomes, and referrals — there is no productized offering, no proprietary technology platform, and no disclosed AI capabilities. Notable case-study outcomes include securing 70% voter approval for the Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal replacement, achieving unanimous approval for the Frank Gehry-designed 8150 Sunset mixed-use project, and helping Republic Services win 2 of 11 exclusive waste hauling franchise zones in Los Angeles after a four-year positioning effort.

Marathon is privately held, founder-led, and operates from a single Los Angeles headquarters at 8201 Beverly Blvd. The team comprises roughly 8 named professionals plus likely support staff, placing headcount in the 11-50 band. Ownership appears concentrated with founder Richard Lichtenstein, with no institutional investors, private equity backing, or parent company disclosed. Geographic focus is firmly regional — Southern California — with no documented expansion outside this market. The firm has operated continuously for over 40 years without acquisitions, funding events, or notable leadership transitions beyond routine additions to the team.

Name

Marathon Communications

Legal name

Marathon Communications

Website

https://marathon-com.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marathon Communications is a Los Angeles-based strategic communications firm, founded in 1982, serving real estate developers, government agencies, and major corporations across Southern California with community outreach, government relations, media relations, and strategic communications services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Political/GOTV & Advocacy Calling (Campaigns) (BPAAADAK)

Keywords

• Strategic communications services
• Community outreach consulting
• Government relations advisory
• Media relations services
• Public affairs consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Marathon provides strategic communications services to public and private sector clients including government relations outreach, community outreach, and media relations. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for consulting engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marathon Communications is a Los Angeles-based strategic communications firm that delivers custom-tailored public affairs, community outreach, government relations, and media relations services to enterprise and government clients. Its work focuses on helping clients achieve objectives in public perception and public policy, including securing project approvals, navigating community opposition, and building coalitions across Southern California. The firm operates as a project-based consulting resource that can run entire outreach efforts or supplement existing client teams.

Product overview

Marathon Communications is a single-service strategic communications firm offering four integrated service modules. The core offering centers on strategic communications consulting, supported by three complementary service pillars: community outreach (leveraging local relationships), government outreach (forging public-private consensus), and media relations (message dissemination). These services work in concert to help clients achieve objectives in public perception and public policy arenas, particularly for real estate development, healthcare, telecommunications, and transportation sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Communications Custom-tailored strategic communications services designed to achieve client objectives in the public perception or public policy realms through targeted messaging, delivered to enterprise clients, government agencies, and real estate developers in Southern California.
• Community Outreach Local-level communication strategies leveraging decades of relationships with neighborhood and community groups to build consensus and enable project approvals for real estate developers, corporations, and government clients.
• Government Outreach Government relations services utilizing long-standing relationships with public sector officials to create consensus between the public and private sectors for enterprise, real estate, and government clients.
• Media Relations Media connection services that identify appropriate outlets and disseminate targeted messages to reach desired audiences, leveraging the firm's relationships with local and national publications including the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CBS News, and Curbed LA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved 70% voter approval for Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal replacement after decades-long stalemate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mercury Public Affairs: National bipartisan public affairs and government relations firm with a strong LA presence and similar high-touch government, community, and media-relations offering. Directly comparable because both firms operate as strategic communications agencies targeting corporate, government, and developer clients, and Marathon's own team includes alumni of Mercury (e.g., Paulina Montano interned there).
• Cerrell Associates: Los Angeles-based public affairs and strategic communications firm specializing in entitlement, community outreach, and government relations for real-estate and infrastructure clients. Closely comparable to Marathon because both are SoCal boutiques focused on winning controversial development and infrastructure approvals through community engagement.
• Townsend Public Affairs: California-based public affairs and government relations firm founded by a former California legislator. Directly comparable to Marathon in its mix of state and local government relations, community outreach, and strategic communications for public- and private-sector clients in the western U.S.
• Lipton Strategies: Boutique public strategy firm with a focus on nonprofit, foundation, and campaign clients. Highly comparable to Marathon because Marathon's own Senior Associate Paulina Montano came directly from Lipton Strategies, and both firms deliver strategic communications, government relations, and community outreach services.
• KP Public Affairs: California-based public affairs firm providing strategic communications, government relations, and stakeholder engagement. Comparable to Marathon in its California focus, full-service model, and emphasis on winning approvals and building coalitions for development and infrastructure clients.
• The Mellman Group: Democratic political polling and public-affairs firm with deep experience in campaign-style public persuasion and ballot-measure work. Directly comparable to Marathon because both firms trace their roots to political campaigns and apply campaign tactics to corporate and government public-affairs engagements (e.g., Marathon's 70% approval win on the Hollywood Burbank Airport ballot measure).
• Manatt, Phelps & Phillips: California-headquartered consulting and law firm with a large government and regulatory practice. Comparable to Marathon as a California-based strategic resource for corporations, developers, and public agencies navigating complex approval processes — though Manatt operates at much larger scale and across broader service lines.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Global public relations and communications firm with a large LA office and broad corporate, government, and consumer practice. Comparable as a competitor for strategic communications mandates, but Edelman operates at vastly greater scale and offers full-service global PR rather than Marathon's local entitlement/community focus.
• BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): Global communications agency with deep public affairs and government relations capabilities, including significant California presence. Comparable to Marathon on strategic communications and government-relations work, but BCW serves multinational clients at a scale far beyond Marathon's boutique SoCal positioning.
• Weber Shandwick: Global public affairs and communications agency with public-sector and corporate practices. Comparable as a strategic communications competitor serving enterprise and government clients, though Weber Shandwick competes at a national/international scale whereas Marathon is concentrated regionally in Southern California.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marathon-communications-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Marathon Communications