Bateman Group, an award-winning integrated public relations and content marketing agency, today announced two key additions to its senior management team, deepening the company’s already substantial benches on both coasts. Christopher Heine, most recently the technology editor at Adweek, was appointed director of content and media strategy working from the agency’s New York City office, effective today. In addition, Joe Franscella started on Sept. 5, 2017 as a senior vice president working out of the company’s headquarters in San Francisco.

Joe Franscella comes to Bateman Group from Bhava Communications, where he was a key strategist on the Cloudera account and an instrumental part of the team that guided that company through its IPO last year. At Bateman Group, Franscella will focus on co-leading and growing the agency’s Trust practice, working closely with agency co-owner and President Bill Bourdon and EVP Shannon Hutto; and the newly re-branded Future Stack practice, working alongside agency CEO and founder Fred Bateman and EVP Syreeta Mussante.

Christopher Heine is the latest in a succession of former journalists to join Bateman Group following in the footsteps of Elinor Mills, the inaugural Content Studio hire and now one of the senior vice presidents leading the practice, and Director of Content and Media Strategy James Niccolai, who joined in 2016. Christopher will bring his extensive experience covering trends and companies at the intersection of media, marketing and technology to Bateman Group’s Growth Tech clients, working closely with 5-year agency veteran and EVP Paula Cavagnaro, who oversees the practice area.

“The long-tenured, committed senior executives at Bateman Group have coupled an exceptionally high standard for excellence with an emphasis on cross-team collaboration to create an environment that’s very enticing to experienced PR pros like Joe Franscella,” said Fred Bateman, CEO and founder, Bateman Group. “What’s been even more gratifying is how our former journalists Elinor Mills and James Niccolai have also thrived here — and to the immeasurable, yet tangible benefit to our entire staff and client roster. I feel confident Chris will also play a vital role developing new content services for the entire agency while becoming an invaluable resource to clients in our Growth practice such as AdRoll, Amplitude, LinkedIn, Invoca, Optimizely, Segment and Urban Airship.”

“In my nearly two decades of covering the intersection between branding and technology, I came to know Bateman Group as an agency that truly cared about helping reporters do their jobs while regularly making its clients part of the industry narrative,” said Christopher Heine, newly appointed director of content and media strategy, Bateman Group. “I researched everything I could about the inner workings of the company before deciding to join its team of experts. One of the best discoveries was they completely ‘get’ the formula for being successful in the digital era.”