commonground

An award-winning agency that delivers unique multi-faceted marketing solutions with cross-cultural credibility and authenticity for national blue chip, progressive-minded clients.

LeslieWrites has worked as public relations director and brand strategist with Commonground founders and managing partners, Ahmad Islam and Sherman Wright, and their leadership team since November 2011. Our work includes:

• Serving as a strategic thought partner and developing PR and brand strategies that elevate commonground—an agency long on serving clients with excellence, but short on telling their own unique success story of staggering growth and national recognition. In 2012, commonground was honored by Advertising Age with the Small Agency of the Year Gold Award for agencies with 11 to 75 employees and named one of the 13 most successful companies to watch in 2012 by Black Enterprise Magazine.
  
• Working closely with Commonground’s “Digital Ninjas” a/k/a the social media team to manage the agency’s social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr.
  
• Managing media relations efforts for founder, Ahmad Islam, and Gabriel’s Horn Foundation, a family foundation established to honor Mr. Islam’s son and all autistic children from underserved communities.
  
• Providing counsel and aiding in the development a long-term, strategic partnership with the Chicago Urban League.

Here are a few very cool placements our media relations efforts have garnered:

Here’s what Sherman Wright and Ahmad Islam had to say about working with LeslieWrites:

"A favorite quote that fuels our passion for the business is from the great Michael Jordan: “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” We live and breathe this every day and Leslie has been in lock step with us in embracing this philosophy and putting tools in place to climb, go through or work around that wall.

We hired LeslieWrites to manage branding and public relations for our agency, and provide strategic input in the social media space. It took her no time at all to understand our business objectives and our need to push boundaries and tell our own story. Leslie has gotten us great media coverage and helps us take advantage of new PR and branding opportunities. She is a committed part of our team who thinks on her feet, remains nimble and agile in our dynamic environment, and does an exceptional job of moving quickly yet carefully to make things happen. In essence, Leslie “gets” us and all of the nuances that make commonground a unique and celebrated brand. We are very pleased to work with Leslie and would recommend her for any business that demands a smart, creative thought partner."

- Ahmad Islam and Sherman Wright
Co-founders and Managing Partners
commonground