Uncommon is launching a PR, Culture & Influence practice led by new hire, Randy Manicks (ex-John Doe). The practice is designed to scale and supercharge the studio’s fame-driven output to help brands become cultural reference points, not just moments in the news cycle.
Since its inception, Uncommon has partnered with brands at moments of change, helping them find a place in culture rather than simply a position in their category. The PR, Culture & Influence practice formalises and accelerates that ambition, bringing cultural intelligence, earned-first thinking and creative development together in a renewed way of working, ensuring ideas don’t just travel fast, but travel with meaning that lasts.
Leading the practice is Randy Manicks, who joins as managing partner, Culture & Influence. Manicks is a creative force with over 18 years’ experience, known for leading with a point of view that sets the cultural agenda – named PRCA’s Pro of the Year and Industry Leader of the Year. A former PR Week judge and managing director of the award-winning creative communications agency, John Doe, she has creatively led global giants including Nike, Instagram, Guinness and LVMH through moments of reinvention – developing culture-first strategies that don’t just win headlines, but shift business and shape behaviour.
PR, Culture & Influence sits alongside Uncommon’s existing multidisciplinary practices including design, CX, experiential, art, environmental design and entertainment, strengthening the studio’s ability to create work that resonates beyond paid media and campaign cycles. It follows a string of culture-led projects from the studio for brands such as The Ordinary, H&M and Instagram.
Randy Manicks commented, “Brands have a choice: earn attention, or pay for it. We’ll always choose the first. The real issue isn’t visibility, it’s meaning. And meaning is what turns moments into memory. Doing this inside Uncommon is what makes the difference. Few studios combine this level of cultural intelligence with the creative ambition and craft required to turn insight into fame at scale. When those things sit in the same room from day one, you don’t just launch ideas, you build cultural assets that last.”
Nils Leonard, co-founder at Uncommon, added, “We get asked every week ‘who does our PR?’ The truth is that fame creation is at the core of the studio’s operating system, a fundamental in our approach, not an afterthought. At Uncommon, we’ve always believed that PR and fame aren’t just tactics, they’re powerful levers for shaping culture and creating lasting impact. It is an obsession with not just winning ‘opening weekend’ but creating reference points that continues to drive the studios ambitions. The remarkable and lasting stories of brands and the people that drive them. The cementing of this practice in its own right, alongside our other disciplines, sees the studio carving out a new space in a tired category.”
Cover image l-r: Nils Leonard & Randy Manicks
