Finn Partners appointed Kim Sizemore as its first head of integrated media, pulling talent from Wieden+Kennedy's Portland office where she ran media planning for brands including Nike and Coca-Cola. The role represents the 850-person independent's first C-level media position since its 2011 founding.

Sizemore spent nine years at Wieden+Kennedy, most recently as group media director overseeing planning, buying, and analytics teams across multiple accounts. Before that, she held media roles at Ogilvy and Digitas. At Finn, she reports to CEO Mike Pramik and will build a centralized media practice across the firm's 19 U.S. offices, integrating with its existing creative, digital, and public affairs divisions.

The hire marks a structural shift for Finn Partners. Until now, the agency handled media through decentralized teams embedded in practice groups—healthcare, technology, consumer—without unified leadership or shared planning infrastructure. Clients increasingly expect PR shops to manage paid-media activation alongside earned coverage, particularly in categories like DTC wellness and B2B software where media budgets often exceed creative production costs. Finn's prior setup left it competing for integrated assignments against holding-company siblings with dedicated media arms.

What makes Sizemore's move notable is the direction. Wieden+Kennedy remains among the 20 largest U.S. independent creative agencies by revenue, with a media discipline that includes direct relationships with platforms like Meta and Google. Finn Partners ranks among the 10 largest independent PR firms globally but lacks comparable media muscle. The talent flow suggests mid-tier independents can now compete for senior media operators without matching holding-company compensation, likely offering equity participation or faster advancement paths.

Operators should track whether Finn pursues media-led new business in Q2 2025, particularly in categories where PR budgets have contracted—technology, financial services, real estate development—forcing agencies to justify retainers through measurable performance channels. If Sizemore hires four to six senior media planners by summer, that signals Finn betting on media as a primary revenue driver rather than a defensive service addition. Luxury and travel marketers should note whether the practice prioritizes traditional channels—outdoor, print partnerships, branded content—or defaults to programmatic and social, which would indicate the firm misreading where high-net-worth audiences consume media.

Wieden+Kennedy has not announced a replacement for Sizemore's group director role. The agency's media team currently numbers approximately 40 staff across Portland, New York, and London offices.