What we did
Media Relations
Executive Thought Leadership
M&A Communications
Growth Story Development
Industry
Background
EP Wealth is one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the country, headquartered in Southern California with offices across the nation. The firm was founded in 2005 by childhood best friends as a two-person firm. Achieving consistent growth in the early years, the firm supercharged its growth after it accepted a minority investment from Wealth Partners Capital Group in 2017. Shortly thereafter, EP Wealth partnered with Gregory to gain visibility, increase its brand awareness and market share and showcase its thought leadership.
EP’s leadership team recognized that a comprehensive PR and marketing program would help drive further growth and recognition within the industry and, in particular, among its target M&A partner and client bases. Gregory launched EP’s media relations program in 2018, when the firm was starting an acquisition run that would define the next eight years. The PR objective was to establish EP Wealth as a nationally recognized firm, rather than one known primarily in Los Angeles, and build credibility among prospective advisors and acquisition partners, investors following the sector, and clients. It has since grown into one of the largest independent RIAs in the country, with more than 60 offices across 23 states.
With Gregory’s support on the PR and storytelling front, EP Wealth has grown from $5 billion to surpassing $50 billion in AUM in less than a decade.
Challenge
At the time of engagement, EP Wealth was a small, regional firm, with offices in the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, and the firm was poised to apply its client-first approach to a larger span of clients. Their ultimate goal was to become a national firm, with offices on both coasts and all major regions. A firm that grows by acquisition has to win over several audiences at once. Advisors and owners considering a sale read the trade press and want to know who they would be joining. Clients in each new market need to trust a brand that just arrived. Likewise, investors and competitors track every deal.
EP needed each acquisition, from Reno and San Diego in 2018 and Seattle and Phoenix in 2019 to Nashville, Michigan and Chicago in 2025, to land in the outlets those audiences read. It also needed credible voices beyond its founders who could speak to markets and the industry as the firm got bigger. As the firm grew roughly tenfold, the volume of news to tell outpaced what any single announcement could carry.
Our team worked closely with the EP leadership to design and execute a strategic media relations plan that garnered national attention and recognition as a top acquirer in a crowded marketplace. In addition to its growth story, we sought to spotlight its internal thought leaders, a strategy that allowed more individual voices to emerge within the industry, showcase the firm’s in-house talent and position the firm as a destination for top, like-minded professionals.
Solution
Gregory built a sustained media relations program around three tracks, each supported by the coverage record.
The first track is deal and milestone announcements. About 170 placements, roughly one in five, cover EP’s acquisitions and expansions. Trade outlets such as Financial Advisor, Financial Planning, Citywire and InvestmentNews picked up deals as they closed.
The second track is market commentary. Adam Phillips became EP’s most-quoted voice, with 130 placements in outlets including TD Ameritrade Network and Yahoo Finance, where his market analysis reached some of the largest audiences in the record.
The third track is a deeper bench of spokespeople, spotlighting a wide range of voices – from executive leaders to client-facing advisors. This gives reporters a range of views, opinions and ideas all linked to the EP Wealth narrative. The program closed 2025 with 180 placements, its biggest year, as the firm moved toward $50 billion in 2026.
Impact
EP’s coverage grew with the firm. Headlines track the climb from a firm that topped $4 billion in 2018 to $6.5 billion in early 2020, $31 billion in January 2025 and $40 billion by the Ares announcement that September. Surpassing $50 billion in mid-2026, the coverage record documents that growth in the outlets advisors, sellers and investors read.