McCarthy Hennings Whalen

What McCarthy Hennings Whalen does

McCarthy Hennings Whalen, operating as MHW Media, LLC, is a privately held U.S. political campaign media production and consulting firm headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (Arlington, Virginia). The company produces strategic, written, and produced political advertising content — spanning television, radio, and digital formats — for Republican political candidates, party committees, super PACs, and ballot initiative campaigns. Its client base includes U.S. Senate, House, and gubernatorial campaigns (notably Senators Mitch McConnell, JD Vance, Susan Collins, John Barrasso, John McCain, and Governors Mike Kehoe, Doug Ducey, Larry Hogan, and Charlie Baker) along with national party committees (NRSC, NRCC, RGA, Senate Leadership Fund, American Crossroads). The firm additionally produces corporate issue-advocacy and ballot measure advertising (e.g., California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's bond initiatives), and reports a documented 84% win rate across 32 ballot measures produced by co-founder Larry McCarthy.

The business is a project-based professional services firm built around two principals: Larry McCarthy, an AAPC Hall of Fame consultant active in political advertising since 1976 with credits including "Ashley's Story" (2004) and Senator McConnell's "Commercials" ad; and Rob Hennings, a strategist, writer, and producer with 30+ years of direct collaboration with McCarthy. The firm operates with 1-10 employees, no external institutional investment, and no disclosed ownership beyond its two founders. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, with new business driven by established political networks and word-of-mouth referrals from incumbent clients. The website (mhwmedia.com) functions primarily as a portfolio and contact channel rather than a lead-generation platform.

Revenue mechanics are anchored in fee-for-service project work scoped per campaign, with no public pricing, subscription, or platform model. The firm's competitive position rests on the personal brands of its two principals, an extensive library of award-winning creative work (1985 National Emmy, 2014 "Best Ad" from U.S. News & World Report, AAPC Hall of Fame), and durable multi-cycle relationships with senior Republican officeholders and party institutions. Operating scope is national U.S., spanning all major regions, with no disclosed international footprint.

Name

McCarthy Hennings Whalen

Legal name

MHW Media, LLC

Website

https://mhmediadc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MHW Media is a small, Washington, D.C.-area political campaign media production firm producing TV, radio, and digital advertising for Republican candidates, party committees, super PACs, and ballot initiative campaigns, anchored by two principals with deep institutional relationships and a long track record of winning high-profile races.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Campaign Media Production

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI)

Keywords

• Political campaign media
• Campaign advertising production
• Political consulting services
• Ballot initiative media
• Issue advocacy advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Political Campaign Media Production: Project-based professional services creating political advertising content for candidates, political parties, PACs, and ballot initiative campaigns. Services include strategy, writing, and production of TV, radio, and digital ads.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

McCarthy Hennings Whalen, doing business as MHW Media (legal entity MHW Media, LLC), is a political campaign media production and consulting firm based in Arlington, Virginia (Washington DC metro area). The firm produces television, radio, and digital advertising for political candidates, parties, PACs, and ballot initiatives, and provides related campaign management and corporate issue/branding services.

Product overview

MHW Media, LLC operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company provides Campaign Management and Media Production as its core offering, encompassing strategic political advertising services, TV/radio/digital ad production, and campaign consulting across local, regional, and national races and ballot initiatives. The product portfolio centers on a single integrated service line rather than distinct branded products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign Management and Media Production
• Television Ad Production

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRob Hennings serves as an Adjunct Instructor at American University, coordinating classes on political media.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coldspark: Republican political ad agency known for high-profile TV ad production in federal and statewide races. Directly comparable in offering, target customers (conservative candidates and PACs), and creative-driven service model.
• Jamestown Associates: Republican political media firm specializing in TV and digital ad production for federal and statewide campaigns. Directly comparable business model, GTM, and client mix to MHW, including work for Senate Leadership Fund and major Senate races.
• ROKK Solutions: Republican political public affairs and advertising firm with comparable candidate, party, and corporate-issue client mix. Closely aligned to MHW's communications-and-media production positioning.
• The Brabender Group: Sibling firm to Brabender Cox, also a Republican political media and consulting operation. Same service line, GOP client mix, and creative-driven positioning as MHW Media.
• Smart Media Group: Republican media buying and production firm serving federal campaigns, PACs, and party committees. Comparable offering and client roster to MHW, particularly on the IE and Senate Leadership Fund side.
• Targeted Victory: Top-tier Republican digital and media firm serving candidates, party committees, and PACs. Comparable GOP client base and IE campaign work, though more digital-centric than MHW's traditional TV/radio emphasis.
• Axiom Strategies: Republican political consulting firm offering campaign management, media production, and direct mail. Overlaps with MHW in candidate and IE campaign work for GOP clients.
• Armada (political consulting): Republican political consulting and media firm with a similar mix of strategy, ad production, and IE campaign work for federal and statewide conservative clients.
• Brabender Cox: Long-established Republican political media and consulting firm based in Pennsylvania, with a comparable client roster of GOP candidates, party committees, and ballot initiatives. Closely matches MHW's offering of TV/radio/digital ad production for conservative campaigns.
• FP1 Strategies: Republican political consulting and media firm with deep ties to the RGA and Senate Leadership Fund. Comparable offering of campaign strategy plus TV/radio/digital production for GOP candidates and independent expenditure campaigns.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mccarthy-hennings-whalen-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 McCarthy Hennings Whalen