Saying goodbye to 2023
2023 was a big year for Quarter Horse! (Has any startup—a boutique PR agency, no less—ever had a small year?) We continued our work with valued long-time clients and welcomed exciting new ones, managed our first event with the 2023 Matrix Awards, wrote over 100 pieces of content on everything from solar energy to trending TV, and pitched more media than we can count (but by our estimates, we secured over 300 pieces of original earned media in 2023). Some of our proudest hits include coverage for clients in the New York Times, Axios, Fortune, The Atlantic, Semafor, Travel and Leisure, Consumer Reports, Refinery29, WGXA News, and, of course, Wastewater Digest. As our clients will tell you, both banner coverage in highly-read outlets and on-message pieces in key industry publications are important to a strategic PR program.
We had challenging, frank, ever-evolving conversations about values, ethics, and the direction we want to move in as an organization and as a group of individuals. If we had a nickel for every opportunity for connection (“argument” is too simplistic—this is PR, we’re all about the reframe) our office has had about artificial intelligence, we could probably buy ChatGPT. We also worked to support one another as people through the staggering violence and pain of this year, and we were collectively bolstered by our shared dedication to the principle that oppression anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.
But what we’re most proud of is continuing our tradition of making year-end contributions to local nonprofits and organizations whose missions resonate with our own passions. Our 2023 give-back bonus, over $10,000, was distributed among BRC, Citizens’ Committee for Children New York, and the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York. We also opted to sponsor a beehive at Green-Wood Cemetery, a place beloved by many of our team members. Our annual give-back bonus is a tentpole of our profit-sharing model, whereby our earnings are split equally among the team and our (local) community. This year’s contributions bring the total amount donated since our founding in 2020 to $50,000. We feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position to make our profits meaningful, and are thankful to our clients and partners for making that possible.
As we close out the year, our wish is that 2024 brings more peace and prosperity to every corner of the world. We’re grateful to get to do work that matters, and that has an impact beyond our own lives and those of our clients, to the communities and causes we care about—may that purpose continue to guide our voices and our pens in the next year and for many years to come.
