Novus Public Affairs

What Novus Public Affairs does

Novus Public Affairs is a public relations and communications agency headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, founded in 1996 by Paul Young. The firm provides professional services across grassroots and grasstops advocacy, media relations, crisis communications, land use and environmental permitting, political consulting, coalition building, content development, and digital asset production. Its client base spans Fortune 100 companies (Walmart, Meta, Boeing, National Grid), trade associations (American Petroleum Institute, PhRMA, U.S. Telecom Association), non-profits (NH Food Bank, RALI NH), political campaigns, and commercial developers, with a particular focus on New Hampshire and New England legislative and regulatory environments alongside national campaign execution.

The firm operates a grassroots mobilization system built on a nationwide database of political operatives and public affairs consultants developed over more than three decades. Core service capabilities include integrated campaign planning, message development, field operations, earned and paid media relations, online advocacy, rapid response monitoring, and content/collateral production. In January 2023, Novus merged with Hynes Communications (founded 2006 by Patrick Hynes), which added digital media strategy, social media management, digital advertising, and online communications capabilities to the service portfolio. The merged entity operates under the Novus Public Affairs brand with Paul Young as CEO and Patrick Hynes as President.

The business model is fee-based professional services with custom quote-based pricing per engagement and multi-year contract structures. The firm reports a high client retention rate and delivers services through direct sales engagement with enterprise and mid-market clients. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the firm is privately held as an LLC with no external institutional investment identified. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, supported by a nationwide contractor and consultant network activated on a per-engagement basis.

Name

Novus Public Affairs

Legal name

Novus Public Affairs, LLC

Website

https://novuspublicaffairs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Novus Public Affairs is a Portsmouth, NH-based public relations and communications agency founded in 1996 that provides grassroots advocacy, media relations, crisis communications, land use permitting, and digital campaign services to Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, non-profits, and political campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations & Communications Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Affairs & Government Relations (MPAAADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB), Issues Management & Public Affairs Crisis Support (MPAAAOAG), Media Relations & Press Office Services (BPAFADAF)

Keywords

• Public relations services
• Public affairs consulting
• Grassroots advocacy campaigns
• Political consulting services
• Crisis communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Public Relations: Fee-based professional services for media relations, public presentation training, crisis communications, and brand management. Customized engagements with strategic counsel and campaign execution.
2. Grassroots & Grasstops Campaigns: Advocacy campaign services including coalition building, field operations, message development, and grassroots mobilization for regulatory and legislative issues.
3. Political Consulting Services: Consulting for political campaigns, legislative advocacy, and policy influence. Includes consulting on presidential campaigns, federal, state and local campaigns, and PAC management.
4. Digital Services: Website design, SEO, social media advertising, content production, and digital marketing services provided as part of integrated communications packages.
5. Phone Vendor & Survey Services: Voter identification, survey research, get-out-the-vote calls, and issue advocacy through phone outreach campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Novus Public Affairs is a professional services firm that recruits and manages local influential advocates to deliver messaging to legislative and decision-making targets on behalf of clients. Core services include grassroots and grasstops public affairs campaigns, political consulting, media relations, crisis communications, land use and environmental permitting PR, brand recognition, and digital asset production and management for enterprise, trade association, non-profit, and political clients.

Product overview

Novus Public Affairs is a public relations and communications firm offering a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software product. The core offering includes Grassroots & Grasstops Public Affairs, Political Advocacy Services, Community Outreach & Advocacy, and Brand Recognition & Public Image services. These are supplemented by specialized capabilities including Media Relations & Crisis Management, Land Use & Environmental Permitting, Digital Asset Production & Management, Phone Vendor & Survey Services, and Content & Collateral Development. The firm also provides strategic services such as Integrated Planning, Coalition Building, and Rapid Response & Amplification. All services are delivered as professional consulting engagements rather than self-service software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grassroots & Grasstops Public Affairs
• Digital Asset Production & Management
• Political Advocacy Services
• Phone Vendor & Survey Services
• Community Outreach & Advocacy
• Brand Recognition & Public Image
• Media Relations, Public Presentation Training & Crisis Management
• Land Use & Environmental Permitting

Quantifiable outcome

• Veto override by one vote - closest in NH history
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hynes CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2023Novus Public Affairs merged with Hynes Communications in January 2023. The merger strengthened Novus' advocacy, public relations, and communications capabilities and added digital media and online communications strategy services. Hynes Communications, founded in 2006, was the nation's premier agency focused on digital media and online communications strategy.
• Targeted VictoryminorOthersRepublican political consulting firm listed as a client on the Novus Public Affairs clients page. The firm is central to OpenAI's Washington lobbying efforts through a $125 million super PAC called Leading The Future.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Direct peers

• The Herald Group: Washington, D.C.-based public affairs and strategic communications firm. Comparable in providing government relations, public affairs campaigns, and crisis communications for corporations and trade associations, with a similar professional services model.
• DDC Public Affairs: Advocacy, public affairs and strategic communications firm serving corporate, association, and nonprofit clients. Comparable in providing grassroots mobilization, coalition building, and earned media services similar to Novus's core offerings.
• Mercury Public Affairs: Bipartisan public affairs and strategic communications firm with national reach. Highly comparable to Novus in offering grassroots/grasstops campaigns, government relations, and issue advocacy for Fortune 500 clients and trade associations, though at much larger scale.
• Forbes Tate Partners: Bipartisan public affairs and strategic communications firm. Comparable to Novus's integrated advocacy, media relations, and coalition-building services for corporate and association clients.
• CGCN Group: Public affairs, government relations and lobbying firm. Comparable to Novus's public affairs and government relations services for corporate and association clients, with national footprint.
• Winning Strategies Washington: Bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm serving corporate, association, and nonprofit clients. Comparable to Novus in lobbying, advocacy, and strategic counsel, with a similar engagement-based professional services model.
• FP1 Strategies: Republican political consulting and public affairs firm offering advertising, grassroots, and strategic communications. Comparable to Novus in political campaign work, advocacy campaigns, and GOP-leaning Fortune 500/trade association client base.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Largest global public relations firm with significant public affairs and government relations practice. Comparable in serving Fortune 100 enterprises with advocacy and policy communications, but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): Top-three global public relations and public affairs firm. Comparable in offering public affairs, government relations, and crisis communications, though at vastly larger scale and as part of a broader portfolio of PR services.

Emerging players

• Targeted Victory: Republican digital and political consulting firm. Already a Novus client/partner and adjacent in digital advocacy, paid media, and online campaign execution — overlapping with Novus's post-merger digital capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Novuspublicaffairs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/novus-public

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Novus Public Affairs