Smithhouse Strategy Doubles Its Staff, Adding Hillary Povar, Joanna Brahim and More to Growing Team

Michael Schneider
·2 min read
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Three years after its launch, boutique PR agency Smithhouse Strategy is doubling its staff, adding five veteran communications executives to its offices in Los Angeles and New York. Joining the company, run by founder and president Dustin Smith, are executive VP Hillary Povar, senior VP Joanna Brahim and directors Raúl Rojas, Stephanie Silva and Maura Welp.

“Smithhouse has quickly built a brand rooted in timely and timeless storytelling, allowing our team to raise the bar when it comes to strategic planning, creative brand moments and high-impact media relations for our clients,” Smith said. “With our business doubling in the past twelve months, these best-in-class hires further enable Smithhouse to meaningfully expand our services and deliver unrivaled results in an ever-evolving cultural landscape.”

The existing Smithhouse team, includes senior VP Lynn Weiss, VP Stephanie Berman and account specialist Zac Stein. Smithhouse’s clients include ABC, Amazon Studios, Casting Society of America, Discovery Inc., 1895 Films, Fabel Entertainment, IMDb TV, JJLA, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Plus Life Media, Stage 29 Podcast Productions and ViacomCBS.

Povar most recently headed up PR at Pop TV, where she helped oversee the campaign that turned “Schitt’s Creek” into a pop culture phenomenon and huge Emmy Award winner. Brahim was most recently at Showtime Networks Cable Group, and has worked with brands such as Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, TLC, CBS and MSNBC. Rojas most recently worked at VisitBritain promoting inbound tourism to the UK. Previously, he was at Discovery Communications representing TLC’s top-rated shows including “90 Day Fiancé” and “I Am Jazz.” Silva was most recently at National Geographic, working on “The Hot Zone” and “The Right Stuff.” Welp started her career at the UFC and previously worked at Pop TV before most recently working at Jam City.

[Photo: Povar, left, and Brahim.]

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