Singer Associates

Singer Associates
Formation2000
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California
President
Sam Singer
CFO
Sharon Rollins Singer
Managing Partner
Adam A. Alberti
Websitehttps://singersf.com

Singer Associates is a public affairs firm in San Francisco, California.[1] Founded by Sam Singer in 2000, the firm specializes in crisis communications.[2][3] Its clients have included energy companies such as ChevronTexaco and Calpine, as well as the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Ballet.[1]

History

The firm was founded by Sam Singer in 2000, after the sale of Kamer-Singer Associates to GCI Group in 1999.[1]

In 2022, the House Oversight Committee invited five PR firms, including Singer Associates, to testify on the role public relations firms have played in disseminating misinformation and disinformation about climate change on behalf of oil and gas companies. The firm did not show up to the hearing.[4][5][6] The committee published a report titled "The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change."

Singer Associates donated $2,500 to the campaign to recall, (now former) Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.[7]

Notable clients

Chevron

Richmond Refinery

Singer Associates operates the Richmond Standard, a website owned by Chevron that says they cover news about Richmond, California, where Chevron owns and operates an oil refinery.[8] The website began operations in 2014, shortly after a fire at the refinery that "led roughly 15,000 local residents in a low-income community to seek medical treatment."[5]

Permian basin

Permian Proud, which began operations in August 2022, is owned by Chevron and operated by Singer Associates.[9] The site features stories from New Mexico and West Texas, "where Chevron has substantial drilling interests" and which are "home to the nation's highest-producing oil fields."[8]

Ecuador

Singer Associates began working with Chevron in Ecuador in 2008 amid ongoing litigation from environmental organizations.[10] Singer Associates runs The Amazon Post, a site similar to the Richmond Standard, but focused on Chevron's interests in Ecuador. The site began operations in 2009.[8]

San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack

Singer Associates was hired by the San Francisco Zoological Society in the aftermath of an incident wherein a Siberian tiger mauled a teenage boy to death.[2] The subsequent investigation revealed that the tiger's enclosure wall was four feet shorter than recommended. In response, Singer Associates "urged the zoo to put up signs warning future visitors not to tease the animals" as they knew it would cause journalists to ask if the victim had been taunting the tiger prior to his death.[7]

Others

Wedgewood Properties

Wedgewood Properties is real estate redevelopment firm based in southern California that owned the house at issue in the 2019 Moms 4 Housing incident.[11]

Safe Embarcadero For All

Safe Embarcadero For All is a non-profit that was formed in 2019, and represented homeowners on San Francisco's embarcadero that wanted to stop a homeless shelter from being built nearby.[12] The group hired Singer Associates.[13]

Singer has also been hired by:[7][2][14][15][16]

Reception

Mother Jones reported that "Journalists have described Singer as 'the master of disaster' and 'one of the most influential behind-the-scenes shapers of public opinion in the Bay Area.'”[7] The San Francisco Chronicle described Singer "as one of the – if not the – premier mouthpieces and spin doctors for companies doing business in San Francisco."[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Profile: Press experience hones Singer's public affairs skills". PR Week. September 20, 2004. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Selna, Robert (January 7, 2008). "Sam Singer, zoo's crisis controller, keeps his cool when heat is on". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ Chan, Bonnie (October 31, 2014). "The 'Master of Disaster' shapes public opinion in Richmond and beyond". Richmond Confidential. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  4. ^ Cunningham, Nick. "House Committee Investigates the Role of PR Firms in Spreading Climate Disinformation | Sierra Club". www.sierraclub.org. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Hirji, Zahra; Taggart, Kendall (March 12, 2021). "A Large PR Firm Pledged To Fight Climate Change. Then It Took Millions From A Notorious Fossil Fuel Trade Group". Buzzfeed News.
  6. ^ Cunningham, Nick (August 26, 2022). "House Committee Poised for Potential Subpoena of PR Firm for Climate Disinformation". DeSmog. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Michaels, Samantha. "Oakland's merchant of bad vibes". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Chevron owns this city's news site. Many stories aren't told". NPR. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  9. ^ Taft, Molly (August 18, 2022). "Chevron Jumps Into Texas' News Desert With Stories About Puppies, Football, and Oil". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  10. ^ O’Hagan, Ellie Mae (March 18, 2014). "In the Chevron court case, ordinary Ecuadorians' voices don't seem to count". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  11. ^ Hahn, Rachel (May 12, 2020). "These Moms Fought for a Home—And Started a Movement". Vogue. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  12. ^ Brinklow, Adam (September 23, 2019). "Judge rules against homeowners trying to stop Embarcadero homeless center". Curbed SF. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  13. ^ Mojadad, Ida (July 10, 2019). "Angry Embarcadero Neighbors Make Good on Threat to Sue City Over Homeless Shelter". SFWeekly. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  14. ^ Selna, Robert (February 8, 2007). "Newsom to pay ex-aide's salary / Mayor to provide $15,000 monthly out of his pocket". San Francisco Chronicle.
  15. ^ TRAINA, CYNTHIA (February 15, 2025). "A logo in lieu of action". THE NEW FILLMORE. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  16. ^ Fingers, Dave at. "How a PR pro spun the Anchor story". Fingers. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  17. ^ Vo, Kim (January 6, 2008). "Sam Singer: He's the guy they turn to in a Bay Area crisis". The Mercury News. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  18. ^ "Cops tell Ninth Circuit to revive Hunters Point radioactive contamination case". www.courthousenews.com. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  19. ^ "Three SF Supervisors Say They've Received Death Threat Mailers After Garry Tan's 'Die Slow' Tweet". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. January 31, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  20. ^ Batey, Eve (February 11, 2020). "Tartine Owners Hire Controversial Crisis Flack to Fight Workers' Unionization Efforts". Eater SF. Retrieved April 17, 2025.

See also

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