All posts by imreal

Health

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Publishes Clinical Practice Guideline Immunotherapy for Melanoma, V3.0

Leave a comment


“Immunotherapy has transformed the standard of care for cutaneous melanoma in the adjuvant and unresectable/metastatic settings, with new data suggesting a role for ICI therapy in the neoadjuvant setting as well,” said Anna C. Pavlick, DO, MBA, co-chair of the SITC Melanoma Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel. “We need prospective validation of predictive biomarkers to determine which patients stand to benefit from immunotherapy and which patients are more likely to develop serious immune-related adverse events.”

In addition to a lack of predictive biomarkers, other dilemmas regarding the treatment of melanoma with immunotherapy remain, such as the optimal treatment for patients whose disease has progressed through anti-PD-1 based immunotherapy (and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, if applicable), the best strategy for cure for patients with resected melanoma (adjuvant treatment versus treatment at time of recurrence), and the optimal treatment duration of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

“Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy results in durable responses and a likely cure for many patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma,” said Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, chair of the SITC Melanoma Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel. “The optimal duration of immunotherapy treatment is now one of many key survivorship issues.”

The sequencing, combination, and duration of immunotherapy used to treat melanoma is highly nuanced. The Melanoma Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel was formed to generate evidence- and consensus-based recommendations to help clinicians select the appropriate immunotherapeutic regimens based on careful consideration of disease and patient characteristics. The guideline also includes a discussion of intratumoral immunotherapy, response monitoring, special patient populations, treatment of rare melanoma subtypes, and patient education and quality of life.

Abridged versions of the guideline highlighting key information from the publication will be available in SITC’s CPG Mobile App, along with interactive tools and tables to support clinical decision-making.

“The SITC clinical practice guidelines offer invaluable insights into the optimal use of immunotherapy for cancer treatment, backed by a critical review of available data and the extensive expertise of SITC’s distinguished panelists,” said SITC President Leisha Emens, MD, PhD. “To facilitate accessibility for busy clinicians, the SITC CPG Mobile App presents concise cancer immunotherapy recommendations, interactive tools, and algorithms in a user-friendly format.”

In addition to the guideline, SITC is also offering free live webinars and on-demand modules hosted on the SITC website focusing on topics within this guideline and providing attendees the opportunity to ask questions of expert faculty:

  • Case Studies in Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Melanoma, v3.0 – SITC CPG Webinar

        Dec. 1, 2023 1–2 p.m. CST – REGISTER NOW

  • Practical Management Pearls for Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Melanoma, v3.0 – SITC CPG Webinar

        Dec. 7, 12–1 p.m. CST – REGISTER NOW

Click here to view past SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines webinars available free and on-demand.

About SITC’s Guidelines

The SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines Program is a collection of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) developed by multidisciplinary panels of experts who draw from practical experience as well as evidence in the published literature and clinical trial data to provide recommendations for clinicians on how and when to use immunotherapy to help improve outcomes for patients with cancer. SITC’s guidelines provide recommendations on topics including selection of appropriate immunotherapy treatments, toxicity management, biomarkers, and considerations for patient quality of life. SITC’s expanding catalogue of CPGs spans disease-state specific guidelines for several solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and toxicity-specific guidelines to assist clinicians with the management of immune-related adverse events. You may access the entire series of CPGs in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), the society’s open access, peer-reviewed online journal, or in the CPG Mobile App.

About SITC

Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word “cure” a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings, and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on X, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About JITC

The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC) is the official open access, peer-reviewed online journal of SITC. The journal publishes high-quality articles on all aspects of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy on subjects across the basic science-translational-clinical spectrum. JITC publishes original research articles, literature reviews, position papers and practice guidelines, and case reports; invited commentaries may also be commissioned by the journal editors. These articles, freely accessible at jitc.bmj.com, make JITC the leading forum for tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy research. Follow JITC on X @jitcancer.

Media Contact

Thomas Martin, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 414-271-2456, [email protected], www.sitcancer.org

Twitter

SOURCE Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer



Science: Biology

Groundbreaking Food Security Non-Profit Announces Nearly $200,000 in Grants to Reach 480,000 Smallholder Farmers

Leave a comment


Seattle-based Grow Further will direct funds from individual donors and other sources to support innovative agricultural research in Ghana and Tanzania. The winning projects will benefit small-scale farmers while enhancing food security and nutrition. For the first time ever, Grow Further is connecting individual donors to developing world agricultural scientists. After vetting by Grow Further, individual member donors selected two winning entries among the more than 700 proposals received from throughout the world.

SEATTLE, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Grow Further (growfurther.org), a collaborative non-profit connecting people and ideas for a food-secure future, is pleased to announce its first-ever grant awards in support of smallholder farmers. $196,000 in grants will support two innovative food security research endeavors in sub-Saharan Africa over three years.

This milestone marks the beginning of Grow Further’s mission to revolutionize and expand funding for developing-world agricultural research, currently dominated by governments and major foundations.

“Never before has there been a good answer to the simple question, ‘I want to support the future of food security. How do I get involved?'”, said Grow Further’s founder and CEO Peter Kelly.

Aiming to be a “March of Dimes for Food”, Grow Further takes its strength from the power of individual donors. Unique in agricultural research philanthropy, Grow Further’s member donors not only fund winning project proposals, but also actively participate in assisting staff in selecting and monitoring these unique and innovative research ideas. The focus is on smallholder agricultural innovation.

$133,000 of the total grant funding has been awarded to the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) in Tamale, Ghana to develop the first commercial variety of Bambara groundnut. The award will support three years of studying the needs of farmers, breeding, agronomic research, and partnerships to ensure wide adoption.

A further $63,000 has been awarded to the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Arusha, Tanzania. The funds will help cover two years of research and development for a new mobile phone app that will enable smallholder farmers to quickly identify diseases threatening staple crops.

Food security advocates and members of the media can learn more about Grow Further and its first grantees at the Borlaug Dialogue during a side panel discussion on how innovative financing can accelerate agricultural research and development. The panel will occur on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 7 am to 9 am Central.

In Ghana, SARI will work to breed Bambara groundnuts that are high yielding and have traits farmers want. Bambara groundnut is a traditional crop that’s loaded with nutrients, highly valued in the market, and able to grow under adverse environmental conditions, making it adaptable to climate change. However, yields remain low, in large part due to a lack of research. With Grow Further’s support, SARI hopes to fundamentally change this. Working closely with women farmers and other stakeholders, the project aims to breed the first commercial variety of Bambara groundnut, optimized for on-farm and domestic consumption or the growing export market for nut milk.

CSIR-SARI’s goal is to reach at least 80,000 farmers with its improved Bambara groundnut varieties, similar to the population reached by breeding efforts for other crops at the institute. “Ghana is a food insecure country, particularly rural communities compared to urban centres,” said SARI’s research scientist Alhassan Nuhu Jinbaani. “So far, there haven’t been any improved varieties of Bambara groundnuts. This despite the important nutritional value of the Bambara groundnut. It is highly nutritious. It is also very favorable to be grown in unfavorable and dry conditions.”

Scientists at NM-AIST will harness Grow Further’s grant to develop a machine learning-driven smartphone application aimed at smallholder farmers. With the app, developed with the direct input of smallholder farmers through focus groups, farmers will be able to take pictures of the leaves and stems of crops. The app will then tell them if the plants show early signs of disease attacks, buying farmers time to stop the threats and save their crops.

“We are working on detecting diseases in maize and common beans,” said NM-AIST research scientist and lecturer Neema Mduma. “For maize, our target is maize lethal necrosis and streak virus, and for beans, our focus is on bean rust and bean anthracnose.”

“This project aims to reach 400 farmers this year,” Grow Further CEO Kelly explained. “By 2025, that goes up to 45,000 farmers. And 400,000 by 2030. And these are just the first of our projects, with many more to come. The long-term goal is to inspire a whole sector of agricultural research charities to support the future of food security, just like there’s a whole category of medical research organizations where folks can easily get involved.”

In addition to active individual donors and members, Grow Further grants are made possible through the generous support of select corporate and foundation partners.

Contacts

To learn more or for questions, journalists are invited to contact Grow Further founder and CEO Peter Kelly at +1 206-390-6744 or [email protected].

For the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute in Ghana, please contact monitoring and evaluation and gender specialist and Principal Investigator Alhassan Nuhu Jinbaani at +233 (0) 24 280 2784 or [email protected].

Journalists wishing to connect with the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania can reach data scientist and Principal Investigator Neema Mduma at [email protected].

The Grow Further management consultant, Altruist Partners, is also available to the media. Please contact Donald Summers at [email protected].

For photos to use with this story, please contact Iquo Essien at [email protected].

About Grow Further

At Grow Further (growfurther.org), we engage farmers, scientists, and individuals in participatory innovation for global food security and sustainable agriculture. Our members come from different backgrounds, but we all come eager to learn from each other, invest in the future of food, support scientists with overlooked ideas, and help small-scale farmers. Learn more at https://www.growfurther.org/why-we-exist/.

Media Contact

Peter Kelly, Grow Further, 1 206-390-6744 , [email protected], https://www.growfurther.org/

SOURCE Grow Further

Society: Social Services

Expo Home Improvement Celebrates Partnership with Roaring Lambs

Leave a comment


Texas home improvement company celebrates continued partnership.

CARROLLTON, Texas, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Expo Home Improvement, a leading provider of home improvement services, is pleased to announce its continued support for Roaring Lambs, a prominent non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and nurturing creative talents and community engagement within Christianity. In celebration of their long-standing partnership, Expo Home Improvement will be a sponsor at the Roaring Lambs Gala.

Who is Roaring Lambs?

Roaring Lambs was founded on the belief that creative expression has the power to transform lives and communities. Expo Home Improvement’s vision aligns with Roaring Lambs’ mission of transforming lives through inspiring and empowering individuals using various forms of creative expression, from writing to the visual arts.

The Roaring Lambs Gala, set to take place on October 21, 2023, is an event that promises to be a memorable evening of celebration, entertainment, and philanthropy. “We are excited to be attending and sponsoring the gala this year,” said Amanda McDaniel, VP of Brand & Culture of Expo Home Improvement, “as we strive to provide value to our community through any means.” Expo Home Improvement will not only be a financial supporter but will also have a visible presence at the gala, showcasing their dedication to Roaring Lambs’ mission.

How You Can Support Roaring Lambs:

Expo Home Improvement is proud to contribute to this organization’s endeavors by providing a donation that will support Roaring Lambs in their efforts to encourage creativity, community involvement, and personal growth. Expo Home Improvement has pledged to donate $100 to the organization for every home remodeling consultation that is completed where Roaring Lambs is mentioned. In addition to that, should the project move forward, the company will donate an additional 5% of said project back to Roaring Lambs. This donation reflects Expo Home Improvement’s dedication to fostering a positive impact in the community and upholding its commitment to social responsibility.

For more information about the organization or to show your support, please visit www.roaringlambs.org.

Media Contact

Expo Home Improvement, Expo Home Improvement, 1 972-833-1558, [email protected], Expo Home Improvement

SOURCE Expo Home Improvement

Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

Catholics for Change in Our Church Announces Inclusive Mass on October 22

Leave a comment


Catholics for Change in Our Church (CCOC) will be holding an inclusive Mass on October 22, 2023, in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh. The theme will be “The Church Welcoming – No Exceptions”, making a special appeal to Catholics who feel marginalized within their own Church.

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Catholics for Change in Our Church (CCOC), an independent organization of Catholics seeking a greater role for the laity in the Church, will be holding an inclusive Mass on October 22, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at the Kearns Spirituality Center located in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh. The theme “The Church Welcoming – No Exceptions” references the Pastoral Letter of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik of August 2023, making a special appeal to Catholics who feel marginalized within their own Church.

The Mass is also in response to the cancellation of the CCOC Mass in June 2023 which was to be in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ Catholic community. CCOC Board President Kevin Hayes met with Bishop Zubik after the cancellation to discuss ways the Catholic Church could be more welcoming to marginalized Catholics.

“There was much hurt and disappointment among Catholics in Pittsburgh when the June mass was canceled,” said Hayes. “It also became clear that in addition to LGBTQ+ Catholics, other Catholics felt marginalized. This includes Catholics who are ethnic minorities, addicts or recovering addicts, divorced, homeless, as well as many women in their own Church. The Mass on October 22 invites and seeks to make all Catholics welcome in the celebration of the Eucharist, expressing the love and mercy of God through commemorating the passion and resurrection of Jesus. CCOC hopes that Bishop Zubik might consider having a similar Mass for the entire diocese, and encourages parishes to have similar celebrations.”

Kearns Spirituality Center is a ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence. It is located at 9000 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15101, and is adjacent to Passavant Hospital and the campus of LaRoche University.

The presider for the Mass will be Fr. John Oesterle. The guest Scripture commentator will be Consuelo “Chelo” Cruz. She is a former nun and an immigrant from Mexico who has lived in Pittsburgh for 25 years. Cruz practices as a counselor helping indigenous populations and those who identify as LGBTQ+. She is also active in her parish and a catechist there. Cruz has two daughters who are members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“As a lifelong Catholic, who works with marginalized Catholics, and the mother of two members of the LGBTQ+ community, I know we as a Church can be and need to be more welcoming,” said Chelo Cruz. “I look forward to participating in the October 22 CCOC Mass that seeks to welcome everyone to the altar of Jesus Christ in a gesture of love and fellowship. I hope any Catholic looking for such an experience will attend, and also that parishes and even Bishop Zubik will have similar Masses in the future.”

About CCOC:

Catholics for Change in Our Church (CCOC) is an independent organization of 1200+ concerned, committed Catholics, based in Pittsburgh, formed to affirm the laity’s rightful role of co-responsibility in the Church. The goal of CCOC is to bring about positive changes grounded in working collaboratively with the clergy and having the qualities of transparency, accountability, and competency. For more information and resources or to get involved, please visit CCOC-pgh.org.

Media Contact

Kevin Hayes, CCOC, 1 412-759-5782, [email protected], CCOC-pgh.org

Jan Hayes, CCOC, 1 412-956-1262, [email protected], CCOC-pgh.org

SOURCE CCOC

Home and Family: Marriage / Relationships

Caring Transitions Expands Access to Compassionate Care Services in Worcester

Leave a comment


Caring Transitions is a franchise designed to minimize stress by utilizing specially trained professionals to oversee every detail of a senior’s transition with compassion, including decluttering, organizing, packing, move management, unpacking, resettling, and cleanouts. The company also manages both in-home and online estate sales. The online estate sales are hosted on CTBIDS, the brand’s widely popular auction platform, which can support its clients in liquidating unique and everyday treasures that many cherish.

With a diversified career spanning over a decade in senior case management and real estate, Burgos brings a blend of compassion, expertise, and a community-centric vision. He worked helping seniors with daily living requirements and providing support with housing, medical needs, and everyday necessities. Many seniors didn’t have family local to assist them, so Burgos was their only help.

“For various reasons, many seniors find themselves figuring out their next move on their own,” Burgos insisted. “My goal is to fill this gap, making life a bit easier from the start with cleanouts to finding and settling into their new places. The blend of my real estate experience and what Caring Transitions stands for really opens a chance to do something special for our community.”

Caring Transitions of Worcester Commonwealth serves Worcester and surrounding areas, including Leicester, Spencer, Paxton, and Holden. Caring Transitions currently has more than 280 franchise locations serving families across the country.

“Cesar will make a huge impact on the community by providing top-tier transition services from decluttering a room to helping family members move their loved ones into a senior community,” said Ray Fabik, President of Caring Transitions. “His experience helping the senior population and his real estate background makes him the perfect fit for our Worcester location.”

To learn more about Caring Transitions of Commonwealth, visit https://www.caringtransitionsofworcestercommonwealth.com/.

For more about franchising opportunities with Caring Transitions, visit https://www.caringtransitionsfranchise.com/.

About Caring Transitions

Caring Transitions, founded in 2006, is the most trusted and experienced national franchise specializing in senior relocation and transition services. With more than 280 locations throughout the United States, all owned and operated by Certified Relocation and Transition Specialists, Caring Transitions provides clients with supportive moves, auctions, rightsizing, and transitions. This includes expert advice plus a well-executed transition plan beginning with the initial sorting of personal belongings through packing, unpacking, resettling, and selling of items to the final clearing and cleaning of the property. For more information, visit http://www.caringtransitions.com or visit us on Facebook. 

Media Contact

Mike Toper, 919 Marketing, (919) 813-6511, [email protected], 919marketing.com

SOURCE Caring Transitions

Science: Biology

An Analysis of Consumer Complaints Submitted to the CFPB

Leave a comment


As regulatory scrutiny increases amidst turbulent market conditions, this report continues to serve as a valuable tool by highlighting important trends and insights around consumer complaints and enforcement actions.

Detailed in this:

  • Consumer complaints and trends by product
  • The impact of regulators’ focus on protecting vulnerable populations, including military servicemembers and older consumers
  • Enforcement trends by year, consumer relief by year, and under each Director
  • How to avoid consumer complaints with a strong marketing compliance program

“At PerformLine, our mission has always been to empower compliance leaders with the technology, tools, and knowledge they need to ensure their organization and partners provide transparent and accurate information to consumers across any channel,” said Paul Wilmore, COO of PerformLine. “Armed with the knowledge from this report, paired with PerformLine’s omni-channel compliance solution, companies can proactively monitor marketing communications to better protect consumers and avoid the complaints that lead to investigations and enforcement actions by the CFPB.”

To download a copy of PerformLine’s 2023 Complaint Risk Signal Report, click here.

ABOUT PERFORMLINE

PerformLine is the leading platform for omni-channel compliance oversight. Its cloud-based platform is mission-critical for companies to discover, monitor, and act on compliance risk in their marketing, sales, and partner channels. Through sophisticated technology, the PerformLine platform provides end-to-end marketing compliance automation, from the review of material before publication to continuous live monitoring across consumer-facing channels, including the web, email, social media, calls, and messages. PerformLine is trusted by consumer finance brands and global organizations to make efficient marketing compliance their competitive advantage. Learn more at PerformLine.com.

Media Contact
Claire Milazzo, PerformLine, 1 9735902305, [email protected], www.PerformLine.com

SOURCE PerformLine

Home and Family: Marriage / Relationships

Intelligent.Com Survey Finds Americans’ Faith in College is Declining, Yet 9 in 10 Parents Still Want Their Child to Go

Leave a comment


“Despite the high price of college for most people, a degree does pay off – and an advanced degree can double your lifetime earnings,” says Professor and Higher Education Advisor Diane Gayeski. “It is not just what is learned in class that prepares you for a specific job. The college experience includes exposure to new kinds of people and places.”

The survey results indicate that nearly all respondents feel the cost of college is expensive with 57 percent saying it’s ‘way too expensive’ and 36 percent saying it’s ‘too expensive.’ Overall, the top reasons cited by those who believe college isn’t worth it include the cost (75%), the belief it does not improve job prospects (51%), the belief what’s taught is not valuable (31%), and belief it’s too liberal or political (26%).

Among parents with children under 18, 91 percent are inclined to want their child to attend college, with 54 percent saying they “definitely” and 37 percent saying they “probably” want their child to go to college. Notably, among those who say they don’t feel college is worth it, 69 percent want their child to go to college.

Intelligent.com commissioned this online poll, which was conducted via SurveyMonkey on September 14, 2023. The survey included 1,202 American respondents who were recruited through SurveyMonkey Audience. Respondents were selected to represent the U.S. population by age, gender, and region.

To view the complete report, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/americans-faith-in-college-is-declining-yet-9-in-10-parents-still-want-their-child-to-go/

ABOUT INTELLIGENT.COM

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides that include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships, and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.

Media Contact

Intelligent.com, Intelligent.com, (800) 203-5102, [email protected], Intelligent.com 

SOURCE Intelligent.com

Health

Select Physicians from Santa Monica Family Physicians and The Doctors of Saint John's Now Offering the Hybrid Choice™ Concierge Program from Concierge Choice Physicians

Leave a comment



Leading not-for-profit healthcare organization in greater Los Angeles allows patients to choose a closer doctor-patient relationship ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP), the nation’s leading full-service concierge medical service…

Science: Biology

Former tech professional and concerned mom to debut AI thriller same day as UK AI Safety Summit

Leave a comment


A former tech professional and concerned mom to launch her debut novel, The Doomsday Code, a gripping AI thriller that explores the ethical and social implications of advanced artificial intelligence. The novel will be released November 1st to coincide with the UK AI Safety Summit, a global event that aims to address needed AI regulation and oversight.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — As the world prepares for the UK AI Safety Summit, the first ever global event aimed at addressing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI), a new novel by Scottsdale author and concerned mother Sara Yager sheds light on the dark side of AI and its potential threat to the next generation. In The Doomsday Code, coming November 2023, the author twists the plausible into the nightmarish in a chilling worst-case story of technology gone awry.

After a major breakthrough at an AI lab in Shanghai, a powerful prototype is stolen by bad actors who want to use it to gain control of critical infrastructure and upend decades-old institutions of power. Ex-NSA hacker Adrian Pryor must do the impossible: find the AI and stop the sweeping cyberattacks before the crisis escalates into a full-scale international conflict. But can he outmaneuver a rival that grows more cunning, more powerful, and more unpredictable with each passing hour?

Drawing upon extensive research and a decade in the tech industry, Yager presents a haunting tale of what this technology may look like left unchecked. The author said, “I wrote this novel because I am a concerned mom who worries about the future my children will inherit. The Doomsday Code is both a high-octane thriller and a somber warning about a technological threat that is, unfortunately, all-too-real.”

The BookLife Prize says, “the prose is top-notch,” and that The Doomsday Code “captivates the reader right out of the gate.” A Readers’ Favorite reviewer wrote, “Yager put a lot of care and attention into trying to humanize the motivations of each <character>…This creates a unique scenario where the onus shifts to the reader to determine who is the true villain in this moving story.”

As the world grapples with the rapid advancements in AI, the release of The Doomsday Code and the UK AI Safety Summit serve as timely reminders of the need for responsible development and regulation. The book will be available for preorder beginning 11/1/2023, to coincide with the UK AI Safety Summit, which will take place from November 1st to 2nd at Bletchley Park in London. The summit will bring together international governments, leading AI companies, and experts, for crucial talks about needed AI regulations.

The Doomsday Code will be available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats on Amazon and most major online retailers. For more information, or to request review copies, a press kit, or interviews, please reach out to [email protected] or visit www.sarayager.com.

Media Contact

Sara Yager, Sandstone Books, 1 (480) 232-7248, [email protected] 

Twitter

SOURCE Sara Yager



Home and Family: Marriage / Relationships

This Black-Owned, Female-Led, Advertising Agency is Going Global and Redefining the Industry

Leave a comment


Acquiring Toronto-based Gabriel PR was driven by a need to scale their business to compete more readily with other agencies and effectively service larger, more established clients and brands. “As a black-owned, female-led business, it’s challenging to scale on your own. Coming together has enabled us to provide our clients with a full range of expert services under one roof,” says Sandra Gabriel, Partner and President, PR & Communications.

“We believed that mergers and acquisitions were reserved for large corporations,” comments Ceruti, “but we were inspired by Master P’s keynote speech at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit in Philadelphia, where we met Gabriel PR and started this journey.”

This acquisition was critical for 360aac as the first half of 2022 saw record growth within the marketing industry. “We saw 789 marketing industry deals, compared to the record-setting 571 deals in the first half of 2021. In order to stay relevant and viable, we needed to be larger and more specialized in key growth areas such as digital marketing, AI technology, metaverse marketing, public relations and crisis communications,” explains Vania Abdul-Badee, Co-Founder and CMO, “when considering our combined service offerings, we found very little duplication which allowed us to elevate to a true full-service advertising and communications agency.”

“Whether we’re working on advertising campaigns, branding, or design projects, our main goal is to develop the best strategy to help our clients succeed,” said Tamara Jones, President, 360 Bahamas. “Coming together and expanding across North America and The Bahamas allows us to take on clients in multiple markets and execute on an international scale.”

The 360 journey nearly saw its end during the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 when one client after the other called in to terminate their contracts. It wasn’t until all contracts ended that they made the decision to apply for certifications that opened the doors to corporate and government contracts, making 2020 one of their most profitable years. Today, they have 7 active certifications.

Although the agency officially relaunched in August 2023, they have made headway in the market since coming together in July 2022 by speaking at the FutureProof conference in California and the NMSDC annual conference in New Orleans. “It has been incredibly busy, but gaining exposure through strategic partnerships and conferences has positioned us for success, and we are looking forward to the opportunities that lay ahead,” comments Ceruti.

360aac will be attending the NMSDC annual conference in Baltimore, MD from October 22-25, 2023.

About 360 Advertising & Communications (360aac)

Founded in 2016, 360 Advertising & Communications (formerly 360 Marketing & PR) is a full-service agency specializing in 360 marketing strategies, public relations and corporate communications. 360aac is on a mission to consistently deliver unmatched creative and client experiences and build long-term relationships based on trust and transparency.

Media Contact

Sandra Gabriel, 360 Advertising & Communications, 1 888-452-0080 205, [email protected], www.360mpr.com 

SOURCE 360 Advertising & Communications