The Brian Effect

By: Peter Madden

I’ll never forget the first time I walked into the infamous Bellevue in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, in 1993.

The Bellevue is a gorgeous, historic, austere building with a towering lobby, sparkling chandeliers, simply oozing with undeniable richness (side note: recently has undergone a fantastic renovation!). It was Day One of my job at The Tierney Group, which I had landed the week prior, after many weeks of interviewing all over the city. Big Thanks to Jay Devine (TAG), who ultimately hired me. Many years later, we still have fun partnering on clients here and there.

I believe my title was something along the lines of Assistant Account Manager. I didn’t “qualify” for a cubicle, so my “desk” was a makeshift table near the back of the thriving PR firm, connected next to our Creative Department. The job was Investor Relations, reporting to John Demming (TAG), who was truly a whirling dervish, and now running IR at Comcast. Essentially, for 8+ hours a day, I would call on Wall Street Analysts and attempt to uncover their opinions and perspectives on Tierney’s publicly held clients. Ouch! But I was thrilled to be there.

I had read plenty about Brian Tierney (TAG) before landing this job. He was “Oz.” A masterful storyteller, relentlessly energetic, incredibly connected (still is!), and a tremendous leader. I recall one particular day, when Gretchen Roede (TAG) marched me into his corner office, where I would never dare enter alone. The “King” had a job for me. I walked in sheepishly, surely wearing one of my Dad’s older suits and ties. Brian was walking from corner to corner at light speed and was on the speaker phone with some telemarketer of a prospective client. He was pretending to be a potential customer to see how this operator would describe the company, what he liked about it, and what they were about.

It was fascinating. Here was someone who wasn’t going to just have a colleague whip up a proposal. He wanted to get under the hood first! Genius. It didn’t seem like business; it just seemed fun. It lit a spark in me. And that spark became a fire stayed with me through my tenure there – and still remains. As I often say, it was the most fun I had making $18k a year. Money be damned! We had a fantastic culture – before anyone talked about culture. Boat rides on the “Sgt. Pepper.” Happy Hours at Copa II. Inner-office parties. We were a merry band of PR Pros and “Mad Men,” with a spirit that essentially shouted out loud “We Can Do It All!”

Fast forward many – many – years and I finally reconnected with Brian. I had watched him successfully grow several businesses, continuing to make headlines. And the fatal mistake I made was taking 20+ years to ask him to meet me, connect, and talk about business and life in general. I really have no explanation beyond just focusing on my own business, family, and as they say – life moves quick.

How foolish!

Since our get together at Parc Restaurant earlier this year, we have been in close communication, whether texting or emailing. He brought me to his Brian Communications HQ and showed me around, gave me a look at their capabilities, and met some of the team. Great folks!

It was awesome to see his trademark energy remains. And I thought back to that time when I first was in his office and what I liked about him. In a world of people who are tentative when it comes to asking for more, being afraid to fail, and being more shy than ambitious, he is/was the antithesis of this. The “Can Do” spirit was strong as ever.

You may ask yourself, why would I write about a person and a company that AgileCat essentially competes with? Well, when I reflect on this, where the ‘Cat is relentless in our own pursuits, I don’t think there’s anything to gain by “competing.” We are very different companies and the ‘Cat may be a great “cup of tea” for one company but perhaps Brian Communications is perfect for another. I find a lot of joy in cheering on folks that meant – and mean – a lot to me, many years later, all of whom came from Brian’s tutelage. Devine & Partners (TAG), Powers Communications (TAG), Braithewaite Communications (TAG), Maven (TAG), and more.

Here’s to the grand old days and bright futures for all. In the end, it feels refreshing to applaud those I worked with, who supported me, and to the guy who gave me a shot 30+ years ago.

Cheers, Brian.

PS: We need an agency reunion once and for all!