About Us
418 Communications is a boutique public relations firm based in Lexington, Kentucky.
We specialize in developing and executing tailored PR campaigns for our clients, placing a strong focus on generating meaningful earned media coverage for clients and their initiatives.
Though based in the southeast, we represent clients from California to New York, and everywhere in between.
The Team
We operate primarily as a husband / wife team. Though our team is small, our work is anything but small. The results we achieve for our clients put us in the same category as some of the nation's largest and most prominent PR agencies. And, because we're small, our clients have the added benefit of actually knowing us. No employee turnover, no assistants, no middle men. When you work with us, you're working with us.
Emma McKinstry
Emma began her career in public relations in New York City, at a boutique agency that offered her real, hands-on experience from day one. During her years in New York, Emma represented clients in the arts, education, healthcare, non-profit, and publishing industries. She routinely secured coverage for clients in top tier national, regional, and trade publications.
In the summer of 2014, Emma left (so she thought) public relations to devote her time fully to a side hustle she had started years before: an eponymous jewelry line.
While working on 'emma mckinstry', Emma found that much of her time was still spent focused on media relations, an essential component of her company's growth strategy. As the result of her efforts, Emma's jewelry was featured in such national publications as InStyle, Redbook, Ladies' Home Journal, Glamour.com, and The Cut (NYMag.com), as well as in countless fashion and lifestyle blogs.
Ultimately recognizing that public relations - and not jewelry - was her true calling, Emma closed down emma mckinstry in 2016 and replaced it with her next entrepreneurial endeavor: 418 Communications.
Originally from Connecticut, Emma now lives in Lexington, KY with her husband (see below!) and their two young boys.
Coley McKinstry
Born and raised in Lexington, Coley spent more than a decade working for a financial services firm in Chattanooga, TN and New York City before he joined Emma at 418 Communications.
Over the course of his career in finance, many of Coley’s responsibilities revolved around communications. In his role as Managing Director, Coley was often in the position of communicating challenging or complicated scenarios to clients and colleagues alike. This experience has served Coley well in public relations, equipping him to communicate with the media effectively and efficiently, regardless of the subject matter.
Since joining 418 Communications, Coley has applied his business skills to PR seamlessly. He has a demonstrated track record and consistently generates coverage for clients in outlets including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe, as well as notable regional and trade publications, among other outlets.
After several years in the Big Apple, Coley is happy to have returned home to Lexington, where he now lives with his wife Emma (see above!) and their two young boys.
For select projects, we partner with Henry Miller, Principal at High Impact Partnering, a New York City-based consultancy firm. Henry has more than 30 years' experience in communications and public affairs - managing the reputations, visibility, and public policy issues of corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.