VVK PR + Creative

09/30/2026

On Saturday, our client The Children's Foundation of Michigan and The Detroit Creativity Project founder Marc Evan Jackson brought the sold-out inaugural charity event The Coney Detroit to the Detroit Opera House for a night of comedy, music and celebrity talent in support of youth arts. 🎭

Tim Meadows, Sam Richardson, J.K. Simmons and dozens of other celebrities led a variety show packed with local humor and Motown classics.

Organizers announced $2.72 million raised at the close of the show. The funds will support the growing Endowed Fund for Youth Arts.

VVK is proud to have helped tell this story.

📸 Photos by Sal Rodriguez

09/29/2026

A high school diploma doesn’t automatically translate into a stable job, and pretending it does leaves Detroit youth carrying the risk of a system that hasn’t kept up. 🎒🎓

🎙️ On the latest episode of the VVK Podcast, we sit down with Michelle Reaves (Executive Director, DAPCEP), Jessica Hauser (Executive Director, Downtown Boxing Gym), and Laila Bell (Vice President of Learning and Impact, The Skillman Foundation) to dive into what workforce readiness looks like on the ground, and what it takes to build real pathways into careers.

🔗 Watch the full episode here, and listen to it wherever you get your favorite podcasts: https://bit.ly/4xODAEE

09/25/2026

Congratulations to our clients on being recognized by Corp! Magazine on their list of Michigan's Inspiring Leaders!

This year's program, built around the theme "Purpose, Progress and Passion," honors the visionaries, executives and changemakers who are driving economic growth, strengthening communities and shaping the future of business across our state. We couldn't be prouder to see these four leaders among them:

👏 Melanie A. Markowicz – Executive Director of Midtown Detroit, Inc.
👏 Michelle Reaves – Executive Director of DAPCEP
👏 Darnell Adams – Vice President, Detroit Community Initiatives at Gilbert Family Foundation
👏 Katy Trudeau – President and CEO of Eastern Market Partnership

Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

09/24/2026

Happy birthday to our Senior Account Executive, Digital, Alan Helimsky! 🥳🎉

09/22/2026

Before she became DTE Energy's first female CEO, Joi Harris was a Detroit kid discovering engineering through DAPCEP. 💡

In a new Detroit Free Press feature, Harris credits our client, the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program, with shaping her career: "DAPCEP helped to open my eyes to what was possible for my career."

She's one of more than 150,000 young people DAPCEP has served since 1976. Today, the program has an alumni network of 75,000 engineers, scientists, and leaders across Detroit and beyond.

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/4cX5bfv

09/21/2026

☕🍂 Fall flavors, live on air! Representatives from our client, Haraz Coffee House, stopped by FOX 2 Detroit's cooking school to shake up two delicious drinks from their fall menu and highlight the Haraz atmosphere.

It's this kind of hospitality and craft that's fueled their growth to over 60 locations across America. Catch the full segment to learn how to make these drinks yourself here: https://bit.ly/4dIRr8j

09/17/2026

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. founded the Buffalo Bills, but Detroit was always home. And his connection to both cities went much deeper than football. 🦁🦬

Through our client, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Ralph left a legacy designed to make a lasting difference in Southeast Michigan and Western New York.

Just past half-time, the Foundation has already committed more than $1.2 billion across the two regions. And with less than a decade remaining before the Foundation spends down, some of its most important work is still ahead: investing its remaining resources while helping ensure the organizations, partnerships, and community assets built along the way endure long after the Foundation itself is gone.

Ahead of Thursday night’s Bills-Lions matchup, WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit sat down with Foundation President and CEO Dave Egner to look at Ralph’s Detroit roots, the first decade of his philanthropic legacy and what comes next.

Watch the interview here: https://bit.ly/4hbAMLR

Ahead of the Detroit Lions' game against the Buffalo Bills this week, Local 4 is taking a look back at an important figure linking the two teams: Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Dave Egner, CEO of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, joined the show on Tuesday to share more about why Wilson was such an influent...

09/16/2026

Happy Birthday to our Admin + Operations Manager, Jaymi Johnson! 🎂

Jaymi plays a vital role in keeping VVK running efficiently, bringing organization, reliability, and a positive spirit to everything she does. Join us in wishing her a fantastic day!

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years ago, our Executive Vice President of PR, Laura L'Esperance, witnessed the events of September 11th firsthand. This week, she sat down with WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit to reflect on that day — the devastation she saw, but also the extraordinary moments of compassion and kindness that emerged from it.

Laura shared how that experience ultimately shaped her career path, leading her to work with a nonprofit dedicated to empowering veterans of the 9/11 generation.

Her hope is that younger generations can look back on that day and recognize how a nation came together, and that answering the call to serve others is something worth honoring, not forgetting.

As Laura puts it: "It's important to remember this history, or else we'll be doomed to repeat it — and keeping storytelling alive is critical."

🎥 Watch Laura's full conversation with WDIV here: https://bit.ly/4dfW1e7

09/10/2026

We're proud to see our client The Somerset Collection featured in Crain's Detroit Business as it marks 30 years since the opening of its North side. 🛍️👏

The piece digs into how the Troy shopping destination is pulling in an estimated $1 billion in annual retail sales and 11-13 million visitors a year, even as a quarter of U.S. malls face closure by 2028. Somerset's exclusive retail mix, concierge-level amenities, and continued investment have kept it at the top of a shifting industry.

The article also highlights Somerset's community impact, including a new $300,000 giving campaign supporting 10 regional nonprofits and The Detroit Shoppe, which has raised more than $5 million for Michigan nonprofits since 2010.

📰 Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4ysDWSi