The Academy
The Academy is an award-winning independent London-based consumer and corporate public relations agency. Founded in 2014, the firm provides campaign strategy, media relations, influencer partnerships, experiential marketing, and crisis communications to major enterprise clients including Amazon, Mastercard, Disney, MGM+, Tinder, and Heathrow.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Academy does
The Academy, trading as The Academy Media Ltd, is an award-winning independent consumer and corporate public relations agency headquartered in London. Founded in 2014 by Mitch Kaye and Dan Glover, the firm operates with a 51-100 headcount from its registered office at Sweeps Building, St. Cross Street, London, providing a full suite of public relations services to major global brands. Core offerings include consumer PR campaigns, corporate press office management, creative campaign development including event experiences, influencer partnerships and media stunts, and crisis and reputation management services.
The agency's business model is professional services based, generating revenue through retained agency fees, project-based engagements, and campaign contracts with enterprise clients. GTM is sales-led via competitive pitches and direct client engagement across verticals spanning technology/e-commerce (Amazon, Mastercard), entertainment (Disney, MGM+), food and beverage (Burger King), travel and aviation (Heathrow, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines), dating and consumer brands (Tinder), retail (Morrisons, Holland & Barrett), and charities (Marie Curie, St Mungo's). Notable work includes the Click to Pay Capitals campaign for Mastercard generating a 330 percent increase in merchant adoption and the Moments Crew campaign for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines achieving 48 percent share of cruise conversation.
The Academy has accumulated substantial industry recognition, including UK Agency of the Year at the 2025 SABRE Awards, multiple PR Week Gold awards and shortlists, four PRCA Awards in 2025, and Top 50 UK and Top 100 Global agency rankings by PRovoke Media. The founders and senior leadership (MD Chris Hides, Chair Rachel Bell) feature in the PR Week Power Book 2025, and the firm operates as a privately held company with no disclosed institutional investors or external funding, growing organically through client wins and award-driven brand equity. The agency serves UK and European markets with its primary geographic footprint anchored in the United Kingdom.
The Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Academy
- Legal name
- The Academy Media Ltd
- Website
- https://theacademypr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Academy is an award-winning independent London-based consumer and corporate public relations agency. Founded in 2014, the firm provides campaign strategy, media relations, influencer partnerships, experiential marketing, and crisis communications to major enterprise clients including Amazon, Mastercard, Disney, MGM+, Tinder, and Heathrow.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- PR Agency Services: The Academy generates revenue by providing public relations services to consumer brands and corporate clients. Services include campaign strategy, media relations, content creation, influencer partnerships, and experiential marketing. Revenue is generated through retained agency fees, project-based fees, and campaign contracts with major brands.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Academy is an award-winning consumer and corporate public relations agency that delivers strategic communications campaigns for major global brands. It provides consumer PR, corporate press office management, creative campaign development (including events, influencer partnerships, and media stunts), and crisis and reputation management, generating revenue through retained agency fees, project-based fees, and campaign contracts.
Product overview
The Academy is an award-winning consumer PR agency (not a software product company) that provides a comprehensive suite of public relations services. The agency's core offerings include consumer PR campaigns, corporate press office management, creative campaign development, and crisis communications. Founded by Mitch Kaye and Dan Glover in 2014, the agency serves major global brands including Amazon, Mastercard, Burger King, Tinder, Heathrow, and Disney, among others listed on their client roster.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Consumer PR Services Strategic public relations campaigns, media relations, and consumer communications for major global consumer brands, with work spanning product launches, brand repositioning, and integrated consumer marketing.
- Corporate Press Office Management Day-to-day running of corporate and consumer press offices for major brands, including media inquiry handling, press release development, and journalist relationship management.
- Campaign Creative Services Development and execution of creative PR campaigns including event experiences, influencer partnerships, media stunts, and integrated marketing communications for consumer and corporate clients.
- Crisis Communications Crisis and reputation management services including strategic counsel, media response coordination, and stakeholder communications during sensitive or challenging situations.
Companies that use The Academy
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, medium and minor.
- ShokzmajorAppointed as retained UK lead consumer agency for Shokz, the pioneering open-ear headphones brand. Handles all UK consumer PR activities.
- Edgewell Personal Care (Wilkinson Sword, Bulldog)majorHired to provide consumer PR support for Edgewell's portfolio including Wilkinson Sword and Bulldog brands, after a competitive pitch process.
- University of LincolnmediumAppointed after a two-way competitive pitch to handle university communications, with focus on challenging and shaking up the education category.
- St Mungo'smediumAppointed as St Mungo's first consumer PR agency to raise awareness of homelessness charity services across the UK.
- MGM+majorAppointed as UK and European retained PR agency for MGM+ streaming platform. Responsible for promoting the streaming service across UK and European markets. Reported in PR Week as a significant agency win.
- VerifymyminorAppointed as retained agency for age verification provider as regulations around age-checking tighten.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ketchum: Major global PR network with a London consumer practice serving many of the same enterprise clients The Academy targets. Most relevant as the network-scale competitor in pitches for multi-market retainers.
- Edelman: The world's largest PR firm, with UK consumer practices serving many of the same brand categories as The Academy (tech, F&B, travel). Provides a useful benchmark for enterprise pricing and global procurement dynamics.
- FleishmanHillard: Large global PR network with a significant UK consumer practice. Competes head-to-head with The Academy in UK enterprise pitches but operates as part of a much broader international portfolio with deeper geographic coverage.
- Weber Shandwick: Global PR network with strong consumer and entertainment credentials, including work for Disney and other brands in The Academy's portfolio. Represents the network-incumbent counterweight to The Academy's independent positioning.
Direct peers
- MHP Communications: London-based consumer and corporate PR agency serving major UK and global brands. Direct mid-size competitor with overlapping clients (financial services, consumer brands) and similar league-table positioning.
- Hotwire: Global consumer and technology communications consultancy with significant UK presence. Direct peer on technology consumer clients (e.g., Shokz, MGM+ adjacent streaming/tech categories) and creative campaign execution.
- Hope&Glory: UK-based independent consumer PR agency of similar scale, also operating in London and competing for the same major consumer-brand retainers as The Academy. Frequently cited alongside The Academy in PR Week UK league tables.
- Speed Communications: London-based independent consumer and lifestyle PR agency comparable to The Academy on size and creative positioning. Competes in the same PR Week consumer top-tier pool.
- Frank PR: London-headquartered independent consumer and corporate PR agency serving major consumer brands—the closest direct mid-size peer in the UK market, regularly appearing alongside The Academy in PR Week rankings.
- Tin Man Comms: Independent UK consumer PR agency also founded in the 2010s with a creative-led positioning similar to The Academy. Directly comparable on size, vintage, and client-base competition for consumer retainers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Academy social profiles
Digital presenceThe Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Academy
What does The Academy do?
The Academy is an award-winning consumer and corporate public relations agency that delivers strategic communications campaigns for major global brands. It provides consumer PR, corporate press office management, creative campaign development (including events, influencer partnerships, and media stunts), and crisis and reputation management, generating revenue through retained agency fees, project-based fees, and campaign contracts.
Is The Academy a public or private company?
The Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Academy founded?
The Academy was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Academy based?
The Academy is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Academy make money?
One revenue line is on record: PR Agency Services.
Who are The Academy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ketchum, Edelman, FleishmanHillard and Weber Shandwick. Direct peers are MHP Communications, Hotwire, Hope&Glory, Speed Communications, Frank PR and Tin Man Comms.
Does The Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Academy.