Josh Isay, a veteran Democratic strategist who co-founded the leading consulting firm SKDK, has been hired by one of the company’s longtime rivals: Orchestra, the parent company of BerlinRosen.
Isay, who stepped down as SKDK’s CEO in 2022, will join Orchestra as a partner effective Jan. 13. He had recently worked as a consultant for the Democratic National Committee and advised the 10/7 Project, a campaign by Jewish organizations that sought to influence media coverage of Israel.
Isay will advise Orchestra’s leadership about growing its practice and will help clients align their communications strategy with their business goals, according to an announcement by the company that was shared with Crain’s.
“I’m thrilled to come aboard Orchestra to help build for the future of communications and create impactful strategies for C-suite leaders,” Isay said in a statement.
Isay is one of many prominent alumni of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s political operation, having served as his 1998 Senate campaign manager and then his chief of staff. He helped lead SKDK starting in the early 2000s, after the firm was formed through the merger of two existing Washington- and New York-based firms, and went on to advise Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
SKDK was acquired in 2015 by Stagwell Group, a private equity firm led by strategist Mark Penn and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. In recent years, SKDK has enjoyed power in Joe Biden’s Washington — another co-founder, Anita Dunn, was the president’s senior advisor, and the firm was hired by TikTok as it fought a congressional ban.
Isay was serving as CEO during SKDK’s 2020 purchase of Sloane & Co., a business communications firm. SKDK now has more than 200 employees and reported $90 million in annual revenue at the time Isay stepped down as CEO in 2022.
Orchestra, known until last year as BerlinRosen Holdings, is the parent of eight communications firms including BerlinRosen. Known for its close ties to Bill de Blasio’s City Hall, BerlinRosen is now working for Comptroller Brad Lander’s mayoral campaign, and also counts as clients SL Green, the New York Building Congress and the Citizens Budget Commission.
