Kimberly Kane grew up in a world of social impact. After her dad left a marketing career to start a gang prevention program in Los Angeles, he commonly posed the same question to the family: “Why do the media always reach out to me for commentary when there are problems instead of focusing on the solutions people are creating?” “I thought, as a youngster, maybe that’s the kind of work I can do,” says Kane.
In 1998, Kane moved to Milwaukee to take a job as a TV journalist at TMJ4. On the 4 Your Health franchise, she told stories of life-saving treatments and prevention – the kind of solution-forward journalism her father wanted to see. As she grew her career, Kane grew her family, and she soon realized working as an award-winning news anchor wasn’t conducive to being an engaged mom of four.
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She founded her own firm, Kane Communications, in her basement in 2013. “I wanted to use the same research strategies I developed as a journalist to understand organizations’ problems and develop communications strategies to help solve them,” she says. Now a leading communications, marketing and public relations firm in Milwaukee and beyond, it helps clients craft messaging that serves the common good for their organizations and the community at large.
Kane Communications is one of three agencies in Wisconsin certified as a B Corporation for its commitment to sustainability and social good. Kane herself is also passionate about diversifying the marketing and PR workforce – the firm expanded its internship program in 2020 to focus on just that. “We’ve had a hard time hiring diverse employees because our industry is not diverse, so our focus is on building the future for our company and beyond,” she says.
Still, it’s not certifications or accolades Kane sees as her greatest accomplishments, but the way her work has transformed corporations, nonprofits and governmental agencies she’s worked with. “Many of our clients see communications as merely press releases and content, until we show them that we do those things to accomplish an outcome,” she says. “We talk about the problems that need solutions, we define what success looks like, and then we go for it.”
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