In Pursuit Of

Background

In Pursuit Of describes itself as a “full-service communications and marketing agency” with the mission to “advance policy, political and cultural changes.”¹

According to corporate registry files at the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), ² InPursuitOf, LLC, was registered in Virginia in 2017. While In Pursuit Of appears to have its primary office in VA, it was initially registered on October 21, 2016 in Delaware³—a state attractive to companies as it offers ”an opportunity to game the system and do it legally” with ways to minimize corporate taxes and to limit the record of personal identifying information on officers and accounts.⁴

In Pursuit Of served as the public relations firm for groups within the Koch network including Freedom Partners, which gave it $7,948,382 for “media” services according to its 2017 990 tax form.

In Pursuit describes itself as part of Stand Together, a “philanthropic community” serving as the primary arm of the Koch network. Stand Together formerly operated as the Seminar Network/Freedom Partners until a rebranding in 2019.⁵

James Davis, President at In Pursuit Of, is simultaneously listed as the executive vice president for marketing and communications at Freedom Partners. He formerly worked as communications director and chief spokesman for the Republican National Convention.⁶

Stance on Climate Change

In Pursuit Of has not issued any statements on climate change, and it’s specific activities on the subject have not yet been tracked.

Funding

2018

FEC data reveals that Americans for Prosperity Action, the Super PAC for Americans for Prosperity formed in 2018, paid out to In Pursuit of for media services in 2018. According to filings, AFP Action also had In Pursuit of, LLC on monthly retainer as of November 2018.⁷

Below is a breakdown of “independent expenditures” from AFP Action, going to In Pursuit of LLC, for services in 2018.⁸

View the attached spreadsheet for a complete breakdown, including expenditure details, of AFP Action’s Payments to In Pursuit Of, LLC (.xlsx).

Stance & Candidate	Total (2018)
Oppose	$2,076,102
NELSON, BILL	$1,030,104
MCCASKILL, CLAIRE	$475,616
BREDESEN, PHILIP	$433,000
TESTER, JON	$137,382
Support	$2,899,300
BLACKBURN, MARSHA	$2,615,075
ROSKAM, PETER	$58,000
PAULSEN, ERIK	$58,000
BRAT, DAVID	$56,769
SCOTT, RICK	$29,500
LOVE, MIA	$23,550
BUDD, THEODORE	$16,300
BLUM, RODNEY	$10,878
YOUNG, DAVID	$10,878
CHABOT, STEVE	$8,350
EMMER, THOMAS	$6,200
HURD, WILLIAM	$5,500
MCMORRIS RODGERS, CATHY	$300
Grand Total	$4,975,401

2017

According to its public 2017 990 tax forms, Freedom Partners paid In Pursuit Of $7,948,382 for media services.

Key Documents

Key People

Trump Administration

ProPublica reports the following people who worked at In Pursuit Of, LLC eventually went on to positions as the Trump Administration:⁹

Brittany Baldwin — Former Deputy Director of Writing. Went to White House Office.
Stephen J. Ford — Editorial Director. Went to Office of the Vice President.
Gary Michael Lawkowski — Sole Member. Went to Interior.

Staff

In Pursuit Of does not publicly list staff members on its website. Below is a partial listing of staff, based on a search of LinkedIn:¹⁰

Adam Gonzalez — Digital Assets Coordinator at In Pursuit Of.
Alex Kinzer — Account Strategist at In Pursuit Of.
Alexander Chaconas — Marketing Associate, In Pursuit Of.
Andres Malave — Director, Regional Communications at In Pursuit Of, LLC.
Anna McEntee — Regional Communications Manager, In Pursuit Of.
Ansley Bradwell — Communications Associate at In Pursuit Of.
Austin Andre — Email Marketing Strategist at In Pursuit Of, LLC.
Avery E. Boggs — Senior Vice President, Marketing, The Koch Network: In Pursuit Of, LLC.
Bridget Lappert — Regional Communications Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Brittany Buser — Graphic Designer at In Pursuit Of Marketing.
Cameron Atkins — Senior Graphic Designer at Stand Together & In Pursuit Of.
Christian Lockamy — Graphic Designer at In Pursuit Of.
Christopher Neefus — Director of Strategic Communications at In Pursuit Of.
Cody Holt — Digital Content Specialist at In Pursuit Of.
Dan Nelson — Consultant and VP of Marketing Communications at In Pursuit Of.
Devon F. Higby — Director of Production and Creative Operations.
Drake Springer — Director of Video Production at In Pursuit Of.
Elizabeth Aymond — Digital Marketing, In Pursuit Of.
Emily Gulbransen — Senior Account Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Emilye Bell — Digital Content Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Erik Telford — Senior Vice President at In Pursuit Of.
Fletcher Holtzclaw — Print Producer at In Pursuit Of.
Gabrielle Cipriano — National Press Secretary, Brand Communications, In Pursuit Of.
Gavin Taylor — Creative Administrative Assistant at In Pursuit Of.
Geoff Holtzman — Director Of Communications at In Pursuit Of.
Giovanni Rodriguez — Senior Editor/Animator, In Pursuit Of.
Gregory Ayers — Deputy Editorial Director, In Pursuit Of.
Israel Ortega — Senior Op-Ed Writer, In Pursuit Of. Spokesperson at The LIBRE Initiative.
James Davis — President at In Pursuit Of.
Jeff Brownlee — Research & Communications Strategist at In Pursuit Of.
Jeff Sidebottom — Digital Asset Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Jim Fellinger — Director of Strategic Communications at In Pursuit Of.
John Bicknell — Editorial Director, In Pursuit Of.
John Rich — Regional Communications Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Jon Evans — Deputy Digital Director at In Pursuit Of.
Jordan Banegas — Digital Media Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Joseph Brown — Digital Content Specialist, In Pursuit Of.
Joseph Capra — Communications Associate at In Pursuit Of.
Joseph Eule — Campaign Manager, In Pursuit Of.
Josh Kaib — Regional Digital Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Kacey Ahearn Schneider — Account Strategist at In Pursuit Of.
Kara Mask — Assistant Art Director at In Pursuit Of.
Katherine Harper — Graphic Designer at In Pursuit Of.
Kevin Brinegar — Regional Communications Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Kevin Schweers — Vice President, Communications at In Pursuit Of.
Khalil Karrakchou — Message Research Analyst, In Pursuit Of.
Lisa Johnson — Design Director at In Pursuit Of.
Lorenz Isidro — Regional Communications Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Matthew Mirus — Senior Website Developer at In Pursuit Of.
Matthew Rhodes — Designer at In Pursuit Of.
Meighan Kapke — Graphic Designer at In Pursuit Of.
Michael Decker — Senior Research Analyst at In Pursuit Of.
Michael Lurie — Senior Advisor at In Pursuit Of.
Michelle Johnson — Director Of Marketing And Advertising at In Pursuit Of.
Mollie Johnson — Digital Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Molly Harrington — Marketing Coordinator at In Pursuit Of.
Monica Klopp — Executive Assistant at In Pursuit Of.
Nicholas Thompson — Deputy Director, Messaging and Message Research, In Pursuit Of.
Nick Brown — Director of Strategic Media Relations, In Pursuit Of.
Nick Gay — Director of Creative at In Pursuit Of.
Nicole Tardif — Regional Communications Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Olivier Ballou — Senior Graphic Designer at In Pursuit Of.
Patrick Klinetobe — Deputy Director, Email Marketing, In Pursuit Of.
Rachel Tripp — Communications Specialist at In Pursuit Of.
Richard Lim — Podcast Host and Op-Ed Writer, In Pursuit Of.
Robert Keyes — Videographer/Editor at In Pursuit Of.
Samantha Reed — Account Strategist at In Pursuit Of.
Sarah Culver — Digital Strategist Intern at In Pursuit Of.
Sarah Fawson — Creative Operations Manager at In Pursuit Of.
Sarah Fuller — Digital Content Specialist at In Pursuit Of.
Scott Foster — Director at In Pursuit Of.
Sharon Koss — Regional Digital Strategist, In Pursuit Of.
Spencer Irvine — Press Assistant, In Pursuit Of.
Tori Venable — Regional Communications Director (Dec 2016 – Oct 2017).¹¹

Actions

September 2017

According to WHOIS records,¹² In Pursuit Of, LLC was listed as the registrant for the websites of both Americans for Prosperity (americansforprosperity.org) and Americans for Prosperity Foundation (americansforprosperityfoundation.org).¹³

June 6, 2017

A document obtained by Documented through a public records request revealed the names of hundreds of members of the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ,where corporations and special interest groups vote as equals with state legislators on “model” legislation. Names of the members were listed in a document that details the conference registrations for ALEC’s 44th annual meeting that took place in Denver, Colorado in July 2017.¹⁴

The document (see page 53) shows that Tori Venable, then-Regional Communications Manager for In Pursuit Of, attended the ALEC meeting as a “non-profit member.” She attended the Tax and Fiscal Policy task force meeting.¹⁵

According to LinkedIn, Venable worked for In Pursuit Of until October 2017 when she moved to become a State Director for Americans for Prosperity.¹⁶

Stand Together — In Pursuit describes itself as part of the Stand Together “philanthropic community.” Stand Together formerly operated as the Seminar Network.¹⁷

Contact & Address

In Pursuit Of has the following address listed on Freedom Partners’ 2017 990 tax forms, as well as on its “terms of use” webpage:¹⁸

IN PURSUIT OF, LLC
2300 WILSON BLVD STE 500
ALRINGTON, VA 22201

571-858-2958

Note that the above address and phone number also match the designated agent for copyright complaints for The Seminar Network. On 990 forms, The Seminar Network lists an address of 1320 N. Courthouse Road, Suite 500. According to Google maps, this address is also about a 0.3 mile (or 7-minute walk) away from In Pursuit Of, and directly across from the Charles Koch Institute.¹⁹

Google Maps also shows In Pursuit Of is just 0.4 miles away from the address previously listed for Aegis Strategic, another Koch consulting group, and just 0.2 miles away from the Charles Koch Institute itself.

Other Resources

Resources

1
In Pursuit Of homepage. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/tBApE
2
“InPursuitOf, LLC,” Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
3
“InPursuitOf,LLC,” State of Delaware Division of Corporations (file no. 6189356). Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
4
Suzanna Raga. “Why Are the Majority of U.S. Companies Incorporated in Delaware?” Mental Floss, March 11, 2016. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/UEeRK
5
In Pursuit Of homepage. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/tBApE
6
“James Davis,” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
7
Will Lennon. “The Kochs’ new super PAC sets its sights on midterms,” OpenSecrets.org, October 19, 2018.
8
Independent expenditures for Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. Retrieved from Federal Election Commission, June 11, 2019.
9
“In Pursuit Of, LLC,” ProPublica. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/OXgnu
10
“In Pursuit Of,” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
11
“Tori Venable,” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
12
Domain Whois record for americansforprosperity.org, Central OPS.net. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
13
Domain Whois record for americansforprosperityfoundation.org, Central OPS.net. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
14
“Revealed: Names of ALEC Lobbyist and Legislator Members,” PR Watch, March 16, 2018. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/LAXpQ
15
“2017 ALEC AM Members,” Retrieved from DocumentCloud. Contributed by Documented.
16
“Tori Venable,” LinkedIn. Accessed June 11, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
17
In Pursuit Of homepage. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/tBApE
18
“TERMS OF USE,” In Pursuit Of. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/FVUPE
19
“Terms of Use,” Seminar Network. Archived June 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/WsfJ1

DeSmog

DeSmog

In Pursuit Of

In Pursuit Of

Background

Stance on Climate Change