Award-winning, Austin-based public affairs and crisis communications firm adds new Senior Strategiest
AUSTIN – Award-winning public affairs and crisis communications firm, The Mach 1 Group (Mach 1), has welcomed a new senior strategist after their most successful Legislative Session to date. New Senior Strategist Talan Tyminski joins Mach 1 with years of expertise in state government, crisis communication and campaign strategy. Talan’s addition comes as the firm ramps up for Texas’ two upcoming Special Sessions.
“The 87th Legislative Session was one of the most unique and challenging Sessions in history,” said Founder and CEO Katherine McLane. “I am incredibly proud of how our team collaborated and stepped up to run dynamic communications and public affairs campaigns that saw tremendous success for our clients — from hundreds of earned media hits to seeing legislation become law. Our growing team of experienced professionals continues to prove that thoughtful and strategic communications is essential for helping organizations to achieve their policy goals.”
Tyminski brings with her over half a decade of experience in and around the Texas government. Most recently, she led the Texas Workforce Commission‘s Crisis Communications response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to her experience crafting and implementing communication strategies, Talan is a member of the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson Women’s Campaign School and serves on the City of Austin’s Minority-Owned Business Women-Owned Business, Small Business Enterprise Procurement Program Advisory Committee.
The firm’s growth comes on the heels of an incredibly successful Legislative Session. The 87th Legislative Session was unprecedented in its complexity and challenges because of COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri, which did not deter the firm from having its most accomplished Session to date.
In total, Mach 1 assisted clients in dozens of public testimonies in front of House and Senate Committees, gained over 200 Session-related media hits for clients and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in publicity value.
While The Mach 1 Group’s efforts resulted in enormous success for all clients, some of the firm’s particularly notable wins include:
- Building a statewide coalition in response to the February freeze that garnered the support of 13,000 Texans and sent more than 7,000 direct messages to public officials.
- Designing and managing a comprehensive public affairs campaign for a health care advocacy group that included persuasive messaging that shaped robust legislative briefing materials, mobilized advocates, and landed over fifty pre-Session and mid-Session earned media hits.
- Organizing and founding the Texas Cancer Survivors Coalition to bring a united voice to the Capitol on behalf of cancer survivors and their support networks.
- Running an offense and defense campaign to highlight the value of an industry scapegoated by the opposition in the media, successfully reshaping the narrative to reinforce the importance of the group’s value through thoughtful messaging, critical legislative briefing materials, patient advocate mobilization and nearly 20 pre-Session and mid-Session earned media hits.
- On behalf of two higher education institutions, the Mach 1 Group successfully advocated for Senate Bill 5, one of the most significant expansions of broadband access in Texas state history.
- Working with some of the state’s leading education entities on the rollout of a statewide higher education poll, resulting in statewide television and print coverage.
The Mach 1 Group expects to continue its success, moving into the first Special Session scheduled for July 8, 2021.
For more information about The MACH 1 Group, visit www.themach1group.com.
About the Mach 1 Group
Mach 1 is a nationally-recognized, award-winning Austin-based firm serving organizations and individuals whose interests are in the public realm. A certified Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), being 100 percent female-founded and owned, the firm’s team is comprised of communications experts with decades of experience successfully navigating media attention, crisis response, reputation management, branding, legislative and regulatory initiatives and campaigns.
