Pythia Public is a consulting firm specializing in public relations and public affairs for political candidates, issue advocacy campaigns, and corporations. In 2022, Pythia Public was named the best political public relations firm in New York, citing its work for New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), Comptroller Brad Lander (D), and Common Cause. Pythia Public has worked on left-of-center issues and causes including tobacco bans, stronger environmental regulations, and expanded student loan forgiveness.

History and Activities

Pythia Public was founded in 2016 by Democratic operatives Evan Thies and Alexis Grenell. ¹ In 2022, Pythia Public was named the number one political public relations firm in New York by City and State New York. ²

Pythia Public works on political campaigns providing policy advice, press and media services, and campaign operations. ³ Pythia Public supplies research, writing, messaging development, internal communications, media relations, and paid media. ⁴ Pythia also works for corporations to navigate politics and the media by directing messaging and advocacy. ⁵

Pythia Public provides project management and strategy and acts as a general consultant to oversee a client’s team or other consultants for a candidate, issue campaign, or corporation. ⁶ Pythia oversees digital and earned media opportunities to craft messages for select audiences and media outlets. ⁷ It provides engagement with elected officials, leaders, and stakeholders through canvassing, phone banks, list acquisition, database building, and targeting. ⁸ It also creates, designs, and produces direct mail programs and television, radio, and digital advertising. ⁹

Clients

In 2021, Pythia Public co-founder Evan Thies was lead consultant on Eric Adams’s campaign for mayor of New York City. ¹⁰ Thies and Pythia Public developed Adams’s policy positions and proposals, strategy, messaging, and oversaw the communications strategy. ¹¹ Pythia Public also worked on the campaign for the city council progressive caucus founder Brad Lander for comptroller of New York City. ¹²

Pythia Public worked with the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids to enact a ban on flavored e-cigarettes in New York City. ¹³ Pythia produced radio, mail, and digital advertising and pushed for the ban through organizing activities. ¹⁴ Pythia Public worked with Lime to enact a law in New York legalizing electric scooters and bikes around the state and framing the issue as a matter of transportation equity. ¹⁵

Pythia Public’s client Seneca Lake Guardian, an environmental organization that works with Earthjustice, was successful in passing a state law placing a moratorium on cryptocurrency mining at fossil fuel burning power plants. ¹⁶ Pythia and Seneca Lake Guardian also succeeded in denying a renewal permit for the Greenridge Generation power plant for cryptocurrency mining with the state Department of Conservation, asserting that it was a threat to the state’s climate goals. ¹⁷ Pythia and Seneca Lake Guarding oppose new or expanded landfills and calls for the existing Seneca Meadows landfill to be shut down, citing a study of contaminated drinking water. ¹⁸

Additional Pythia Public clients include Common Cause, State University of New York, Safe Horizon, Hotel Association of New York, and Phoenix House. ¹⁹ Pythia Public has advocated for a New York law that provides full public service loan forgiveness for people who work for state, city, or nonprofit entities. ²⁰

Leadership

Evan Thies is co-founder of Pythia Public. ²¹ From 2009 to 2016, Thies was owner and president of the political consulting firm Brooklyn Strategies. ²² In 2009, Thies unsuccessfully ran for city council in New York City. ²³ Thies previously worked in the offices of then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and for Andrew Cuomo’s 2006 campaign for state Attorney General. ²⁴

Alexis Grenell is co-founder of Pythia Public. ²⁵  After the 2022 election, Grenell called Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s (D-NY) election defeat “well deserved,” calling Maloney a “snake.” ²⁶ Previously, Grenell spent six year as an independent consultant in New York City. ²⁷ From 2009 to 2010, Grenell was deputy director of Intergovernmental Affairs for then-state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D). ²⁸ From 2006 to 2009, she was director of communications for then-state Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D). ²⁹

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2. “The 2022 Political PR Power 50.” City and State New York. January 18, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.cityandstateny.com/power-lists/2022/01/2022-political-pr-power-50/360815/.
3. “What We Do.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/what-we-do/.
4. “What We Do.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/what-we-do/.
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7. “Our Services.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/what-we-do/.
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9. “Our Services.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/what-we-do/
10. “Mayor Eric Adams.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/mayor-eric-adams/.
11. “Mayor Eric Adams.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/mayor-eric-adams/.
12. “The 2022 Political PR Power 50.” City and State New York. January 18, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.cityandstateny.com/power-lists/2022/01/2022-political-pr-power-50/360815/; “About Brad Lander.” New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://comptroller.nyc.gov/about/about-brad-lander/.
13. “Flavored Tobacco.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/flavored-tobacco/
14. “Flavored Tobacco.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/flavored-tobacco/.
15. “Micro-Mobility.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/micro-mobility/.
16. “Pythia Public.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/company/pythiapublic/posts/?feedView=all.
17. “New York Denies Permit Renewal for Bitcoin Mining Company, Calling It Threat to State’s Climate Goals.” CBS News Moneyline. July 1, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bitcoin-mining-plant-greenidge-generation-new-york-state-permit-denial-climate-goals/; “Pythia Public.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/company/pythiapublic/posts/?feedView=all.
18. “SLG Calls on First Female Gov to Shut Down Landfill Dumping on Birthplace of Women’s Rights.” Seneca Lake Guardian. August 26, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. http://readme.readmedia.com/SLG-Calls-on-First-Female-Gov-to-Shut-Down-Landfill-Dumping-on-the-Birthplace-of-Womens-Rights/18879889; “SLG, 600+ Signatories & Earthjustice to DEC: NY’s Largest Landfill Must Be Included in Prohibition.” Seneca Lake Guardian. August 29, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. http://readme.readmedia.com/SLG-600-Signatories-Earthjustice-to-DEC-NYs-Largest-Landfill-Must-Be-Included-in-Prohibition/18881824; “FACT SHEET: Seneca Meadows Landfill: Poisoning Drinking Water Across New York State.” Seneca Lake Guardian. July 18, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. http://readme.readmedia.com/FACT-SHEET-Seneca-Meadows-Landfill-Poisoning-Drinking-Water-Across-New-York-State/18821785.
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21. “Who We Are.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/who-we-are/.
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24. Paybarah, Azi. “Thies Inc.” Observer. February 12, 2010. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://observer.com/2010/02/thies-inc/.
25. “Who We Are.” Pythia Public. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.pythiapublic.com/who-we-are/.
26. Grenell, Alexis. “In New York, Sean Patrick Maloney’s Out. Good.” The Nation. November 9, 2022. Accessed December 12, 2022. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/dccc-sean-patrick-maloney/.
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