The hire reflects ATTN:’s broader evolution from a social publisher into a hybrid business centered on branded content and agency services.
The company’s combined branded content and agency services are now its largest business, according to CEO and cofounder Matthew Segel. While its media business is not its economic engine, the skill sets it requires give ATTN: a competitive advantage when it comes to brand storytelling, Segal said.
“Being able to take the learnings we have as a publisher and apply those to the world—both from a technique perspective and a worldview perspective—is a hugely competitively advantaged lane for us,” Segal said.
That positioning is becoming more relevant as brands navigate a complex cultural and political environment, he added.
“Brands need to stand for something—not necessarily something political—but they have to articulate the value they provide in society,” Segal said. “Helping them distill complex issues into something simple and understandable is what we’ve always done.”
Public affairs and niche media
As part of its next phase, ATTN: plans to invest more heavily in public affairs work, targeting clients such as universities, trade associations, government agencies, and healthcare systems seeking help with narrative-building on social platforms. The company already counts the state of California among its clients for mental health storytelling.
ATTN: is also incubating new niche social brands and exploring the launch of additional owned-and-operated media properties, while continuing to produce original content for brand and streaming partners.
For Hernandez, the current market environment, marked by geopolitical tensions and brand caution, creates an opportunity rather than a constraint.
“A lot of brands are running away from complexity,” he said. “ATTN: has been able to turn that into a tailwind by helping them communicate in ways that actually resonate.”
