# M. Harris & Kern

> M. Harris & Kern is a Chicago marketing and creative-services firm founded by former Chicago Tribune business columnist Melissa Harris. Its veteran-only network builds campaigns, brands, editorial products, websites, films and public-relations programs for government, nonprofit, health, research and business clients. The agency's differentiator is an editorial one: find the tension, cut the clutter and give an audience one memorable thing to do.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, United States
- **Founders:** Melissa Harris (Founder and CEO)
- **Products:** Brand and marketing strategy, Editorial and content, Public relations and media, Design, digital and data visualization, Video, animation and audio production
- **Notable:** The American Academy of Pediatrics Superhero Moment PSA was viewed more than 30 million times on television and more than 9 million times on Google and Facebook., The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists newsletter audience grew by more than 217% after an analytics-informed editorial and paid-marketing program., The Copi campaign received coverage in every major U.S. media market, earned Silver Anvil and Anthem recognition, and the company reports more than 32 million pounds of Copi removed from Midwest waterways.

## Products & services

- **Brand and marketing strategy** — Audience research, positioning, naming, messaging and campaign strategy, including the agency's Ambition Works creative-strategy process.
- **Editorial and content** — Writing, editing, newsletters, reports, white papers, books, podcasts and website content led by former journalists.
- **Public relations and media** — Media strategy, press materials, outreach, training and launch support for institutions, initiatives and public-interest campaigns.
- **Design, digital and data visualization** — Websites, interactive tools, report design, infographics, visual identity and explanatory data products.
- **Video, animation and audio production** — Public-service announcements, documentaries, social video, animation, editing and podcast production.
- **Just Curious** — A conversational science newsletter in which writers question researchers about subjects ranging from indoor air to quantum computing.
- **Everybody Needs an Editor** — A practical writing guide by Melissa Harris and Jenn Bane, published by Simon & Schuster, that extends the firm's editing philosophy beyond client work.

## Achievements

- The American Academy of Pediatrics Superhero Moment PSA was viewed more than 30 million times on television and more than 9 million times on Google and Facebook.
- The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists newsletter audience grew by more than 217% after an analytics-informed editorial and paid-marketing program.
- The Copi campaign received coverage in every major U.S. media market, earned Silver Anvil and Anthem recognition, and the company reports more than 32 million pounds of Copi removed from Midwest waterways.
- Merriam-Webster recognized Copi as a new word.
- The Banned Stand sold out of every title at AnitaB.org's Grace Hopper Celebration, attended in person by more than 20,000 people.
- The H2NOW river-monitoring project won a 2022 Chicago Innovation Award and made the front page of the Chicago Tribune twice.
- The Cards Against Humanity Saves America work earned Clio recognition and Shorty Award honors.
- PRSA named the American Academy of Pediatrics Vaccine Confidence Campaign a 2026 Silver Anvil winner; M. Harris & Kern was one of the agency partners.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — The American Academy of Pediatrics Vaccine Confidence Campaign won a PRSA Silver Anvil for integrated communications; M. Harris & Kern was credited with The FrameWorks Institute, Precision Strategies, Upswing Research & Strategies and psa3.
- **2026-04** — The firm supported Pritzker Traubert Foundation's announcement of HealthCatalyst Chicago, a $5 million workforce initiative designed to train and place 1,000 Chicagoans into healthcare careers over three years.
- **2025-09** — The company's Just Curious science newsletter continued publishing conversational explainers, including an interview about what Chicago violence data actually shows.
- **2024-09** — Simon & Schuster published Everybody Needs an Editor by Melissa Harris and M. Harris & Kern creative director Jenn Bane.

## Links

- Website: https://www.mharris.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/m-harris-kern

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/m-harris-and-kern
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-20