Studio Media Group, created by entrepreneur and investor Liam Lynch, has acquired the consumer fulfillment and marketing solutions company Palm Coast Data (PCD) based in Palm Coast, Florida and formerly owned by AMREP Corporation.

PCD will be helmed by the Studio Media Group leadership team. Ciaran Casey will oversee the business, supported by Katie Molony. Both are Co-CEO’s of the Studio Media Group, which includes Irish Studio bringing Irish communities closer through shared stories by offering a platform for voices within that community. Affinity brands within the group include IrishCentral, Irish Tatler, Food&Wine Ireland, Ireland of the Welcomes and British Heritage Travel.

Financial backing for the acquisition came from Studio Media’s investor base. The process was led by Ciaran Casey and Eric Brody (Studio Media Group) and supported by Husch Blackwell’s Senior Partner Phil Koutnik.

Commenting on the acquisition, Liam Lynch said: “The genesis of this acquisition came from our own experience as a client of PCD, which assists our media brands in serving our customer community. As investors in technology and media, we believe strongly that in this current time, content publishers, membership organizations and associations want more than ever for their consumers to feel a sense of community and membership to their brands that reflect the consumers’ values.”

Lynch continued: “We can harness the power of next-generation tools at Palm Coast Data to activate these communities across a mix of traditional & digital marketing, utilizing proven fulfillment processes and flexible, powerful business intelligence solutions. We look forward to working with industry veteran and leader, Rory Burke, and the PCD team on this exciting next chapter.”

Rory Burke, current President and CEO of PCD, will remain in his current role leading the team under the new ownership. He said “I am delighted to be working with the Studio Media leadership team to bring PCD into its next strategic phase. This is a great outcome for Palm Coast Data, its employees, clients and the community. Studio Media Group is a strategic buyer in that they are a media company with a stable of publications and a deep-rooted history of operational excellence. They are committed to investing in PCD, bringing to bear capital resources and an acute understanding of the issues that face our clients ”

Ciaran Casey said “I have been greatly impressed by the PCD team and their dedication to their portfolio of publishing and membership clients. PCD staff know their clients count on them to support crucial marketing strategies employed to grow customer relationships. As new owners and stewards, we look forward to building upon PCD’s long standing reputation of operational excellence by investing in solutions and technologies to further serve our clients’ needs.”

For further comment and requests please contact Laura Mc Hugh at [email protected].

About AMREP

AMREP Corporation, through its subsidiaries, is a major holder of land and leading developer of real estate in New Mexico.

About Studio Media Group

Studio Media Group was created by lead investor and Executive Chairman Liam Lynch to acquire and grow premium media brands and service providers.  Studio Media owns and operates Irish Studio, Studio Travel, and now Palm Coast Data.  

Studio Media’s mission is to combine digital, data, creativity & content. Core elements of its strategy is to combine all these to build great brands, within their portfolio and the partners they work with.

About Irish Studio

Irish Studio is the most trusted source for the Irish and Irish Diaspora communities around the world that informs, entertains and inspires audiences by providing premium storytelling and experiences through our video, events, print, social and digital platforms. Irish Studio is the parent company to IrishCentral, Irish Tatler, Food&Wine, Ireland of the Welcomes, Studio Travel & British Heritage Travel.

About PCD

Palm Coast Data provides a strategically engineered, multi-channel mix of digital, online and traditional technologies that acquire, retain and grow customer relationships – and increase revenue – for the nation’s leading magazine publishers, membership organizations, non-profit organizations, government agencies and other direct marketers.  Palm Coast Data performs fulfillment and contact center services, including subscriber list and database management, payment and order processing and accounting, subscriber mailing services, customer service and contact center management, data processing and business intelligence solutions, print and digital marketing solutions, and product fulfillment warehousing, processing and distribution.

Studio Media Team

Ciaran Casey

Co-CEO of Studio Media, Casey has served Irish Studio as Co- CEO. Prior to Irish Studio, Casey was appointed CEO of Harmonia in 2014, and managed the subsequent sale to Irish Studio late last year. Previously he has worked at senior levels in G.E. Capital, Smart Telecom PLC, First Active PLC and Bank of Ireland. He has also served on the board of many companies and is currently Chair of Magazines Ireland.

Katie Molony

Molony is Co-CEO of Studio Media. Molony was Irish Studio’s Global Chief Digital Officer before being appointed Co-CEO. Prior to this, she held senior positions within a number of high profile Irish and UK media companies. In her previous role, she was Group CEO of Maximum Media / JOE Media UK and before that Marketing Manager of The Irish Times. She also sits on the board of Business to Arts.

Liam Lynch

Lynch created the Studio group of companies, which includes Studio VC, a top performing venture capital fund.  It is focused on finding, mentoring and supporting resourceful entrepreneurs focused on media, internet, health, transportation, fintech, and AI. He serves as Executive Chairman of Studio Media.

He has managed, acquired, started, or invested in dozens of private companies. Previously, he served as an executive of the John Gore Organization, which owns and operates Broadway.com and other related companies.

Jack Kliger

Jack is the Chairman of Studio Media’s Advisory Board. He is an experienced Media Executive with a career that spans over 35 years. Jack has managed and reshaped some of the world’s iconic brands including Glamour, GQ, Elle, Parade, Car and Driver, Woman’s Day, TV Guide, and others. Jack served as the President and CEO of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. as well as chairman of the industry’s trade association, the Magazine Publishers of America. Jack also served as a senior adviser to TV Guide Magazine and other various well-known media brands. Jack recently sold British Heritage magazine to Studio Media.

Niall O’Dowd

O’Dowd is the Vice Chairman of Irish Studio.  He is a serial entrepreneur and publisher having founded IrishCentral, Irish America Magazine, the Irish Voice Newspaper, Wall Street 50 awards, the Top 100 Irish Americans, the Business 100 and more recently the Top 50 Women in Business and the Irish Legal 100 awards.