Targeted Communications Global
Stagwell-owned US communications firm registered under FARA since 2025 for Israel's Foreign Ministry and Government Advertising Agency, paid nearly $9.9 million by Havas Media Germany in late 2025
| Targeted Communications Global LLC
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Limited liability company (Delaware, organised 12 March 2019) |
| Headquarters | 2311 Wilson Boulevard, Floor 2, Arlington, Virginia, United States |
| Industry | Political communications, media relations |
| Parent | Targeted Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of Stagwell Marketing Communications LLC and Stagwell Global LLC |
Targeted Communications Global LLC is a US communications company owned by Stagwell. It registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) on 3 March 2025 (registration number 7553), first for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 29 August 2025 it worked for Israel's Government Advertising Agency (LaPam) through Havas.[1][2] In October–December 2025 it received $9,892,335.58 from Havas Media Germany. Its largest disbursement was nearly $2 million for advertising with X Corp.[3]
Registration
The registration names Katherine Reynolds as the responsible individual. It says the firm "is owned by Targeted Holdings, LLC, which is a subsidiary of Stagwell Marketing Communications LLC, a subsidiary of Stagwell Global LLC".[1] Its first exhibit, dated 18 February 2025, said the company was "taking direction and control from, but does not have a contractual agreement with" the Foreign Ministry. It was to be paid by its affiliate SKDKnickerbocker, LLC.[4] The official it dealt with at the ministry was Oren Marmorstein of the Public Affairs Division.[4]
The ministry was terminated as a direct principal on 29 August 2025. A new exhibit that day said the company would act under "a subcontractor agreement with its client, Havas". The principal is now recorded as "LAPAM (through Havas Media Group USA LLC)", and the LaPam official named is Guy Getz, "Head of Advertising Department".[2][5]
Havas order
A Havas order dated 27 April 2026 was filed in July 2026. It sets out "US Strategic and Creative Consulting" at $1,545,000 a month for September–December 2025. It adds advertising of $1,082,496.63 (October), $1,431,839.95 (November) and $1,198,000 (December).[6]
Receipts and disbursements
For the six months ending 31 March 2026, the company reported seven payments from Havas Media Germany between 28 October and 30 December 2025, totalling $9,892,335.58. Disbursements came to $3,584,196.40.[3]
| Recipient (as filed) | Total (US$) |
|---|---|
| X Corp. (advertising) | 1,976,014.31 |
| Unnamed "U.S.-Based Consulting Firm" | 750,551.94 |
| Breakpoint Media LLC (production) | 480,978.08 |
| Unicepta GmbH (media review and analytics) | 160,150.00 |
| Breitbart News Network, LLC | 40,000.00 |
| Garret Brubaker dba Brubaker LLC | 39,000.00 |
| Benjamin Ross dba Ben Ross Consulting | 30,000.00 |
| Casbah Pictures, Inc. | 25,137.00 |
| Taylor Royall, Inc. dba Taylor Royall Casting | 24,544.80 |
| RSH Voice Management, Inc. | 15,575.00 |
| Delaney E Del Gallo | 15,000.00 |
| The Daily Caller Inc. | 7,500.00 |
| Marathon Strategies, LLC | 7,200.00 |
| Quite Frankly Productions USA, Inc. | 6,165.27 |
| K24 Creative LLC | 4,500.00 |
| Catarina Bannier | 1,000.00 |
| Extreme Reach | 700.00 |
| Advertising Digital Identification | 180.00 |
| Total | 3,584,196.40 |
An earlier supplemental statement, filed in December 2025, reported no receipts for its period. Its political-activity schedule listed contacts with Fox News in September 2025.[7]
Registered staff
Eleven short-form registrations were filed for staff and consultants working on the account. Their stated occupations show that the team came mainly from the Stagwell-owned Republican digital firm Targeted Victory. It also included a partner of SKDKnickerbocker and the founder of Breakpoint Media, a production company that the registrant then paid.[8]
| Name | Occupation as filed | Connection | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Martin Schmitt | Managing Director (Targeted Victory) | Consultant | 3 March 2025 |
| Matthew Gorman | Executive Vice President (Targeted Victory) | Consultant | 3 March 2025; 29 August 2025 |
| Jerrod Dobkin | Founder (Breakpoint Media) | Consultant | 29 August 2025 |
| William Nathaniel Knapp | Partner (SKDKnickerbocker) | Consultant | 29 August 2025 |
| Rebecca Heisler | Vice President (Targeted Victory) | Consultant | 2 September 2025 |
| Kathryn Bryan Walker | Vice President | Employee | 2 September 2025 |
| Celia Bote | Managing Director (Targeted Victory) | Consultant | 3 September 2025 |
| Eleanor Wallace Hockenbury | Managing Director (Targeted Victory) | Consultant | 3 September 2025 |
| David Sable | Marketing Executive | Marketing Executive | 29 September 2025 |
| Annelise Butler | Director (Targeted Victory) | – | 29 September 2025 |
Breakpoint Media LLC, founded by the short-form registrant Jerrod Dobkin, received $480,978.08 in six payments for "Production" between October 2025 and January 2026.[8][3] The supplemental statement also lists personal political contributions by registered staff. These include William Knapp's gifts to Kinney for DC ($1,800) and Rebecca Bennett for Congress ($500), Matt Gorman's to Torres for Congress ($500), and David Sable's to the Torres Victory Fund ($1,000) and, earmarked through ActBlue, to Shannon Taylor ($1,000).[3]
Media contacts
The firm's FARA filings itemise its contacts with news organisations. The first exhibit lists 24 contacts between 19 and 24 February 2025, all described as "Media placement". The outlets were Fox News (including Fox News Radio), CNN (including the booker for Jim Sciutto), NBC (including Kristen Welker), MSNBC, CBS, ABC, Newsmax, the New York Post, the Daily Mail and the Daily Wire.[4] The supplemental statement for the six months to 31 March 2026 lists 117 contacts between 1 October 2025 and 8 January 2026, mostly described as "TV Booking", "Media Pitch" or "PR Management". The outlets contacted most often were Fox News (21, plus 4 with Fox News Radio), CNN (15, plus one listed as "CNN/Newsweek"), NewsNation (10), Newsmax (8), the California Post (7) and the BBC (4). Others included Bloomberg, ABC News, NBC News, the Los Angeles Times and local television stations in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Houston.[3] In that statement the principal is described as "Government of Israel, Ministry of Tourism (LAPAM) (through Havas Media Group USA LLC)", but all seven payments are recorded as coming from Havas Media Germany.[3]
The firm's earlier supplemental statement, for the six months to 30 September 2025, lists a further 60 contacts between 2 and 30 September 2025. Most were with Fox News (27), CNN (7), the New York Post (5), Jewish Insider, NewsNation, NBC and the BBC (3 each).[7] Combining the two statements, Responsible Statecraft counted 48 contacts with Fox News, 22 with CNN, 13 with NewsNation and 10 with Newsmax.[9]
The same statement says the firm distributed informational materials through advertising campaigns, press releases, radio and television, email and social media. It answered "No" when asked whether it had filed a copy of each item with the FARA Unit, and "No" when asked whether it had labelled each item with the statement required by Section 4(b) of the Act.[3]
The Havas order's figures (4 × $1,545,000 plus $3,712,336.58 in advertising) add up to within $1 of the $9,892,335.58 received.[6][3]
Press coverage
In July 2026 Responsible Statecraft reported the $9.9 million paid to the firm. It said the firm had bought "nearly $2 million in ads on the social media platform X, $40,000 in conservative media outlet Breitbart, and $7,500 in the Daily Caller". A spokesperson for The Daily Caller told the outlet: "We had no direct transaction with either the Government of Israel or Havas Media Group. The ad buyer was listed as LAPAM and our rep was unaware of what that entity was."[9] (Critical.)
The same report said the firm oversaw a now-dormant campaign called "Freedom Not Terror". The campaign began posting on TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook in October 2025, and its YouTube videos had more than 224 million views in total. The report noted that Matthew Gorman, a registered agent on the contract, is an NBC contributor, and that Meet the Press does not disclose his work for Israel. It also said that David Sable, the vice-chairman of Stagwell, wrote two blog pieces for the Times of Israel that did not disclose his registration as a foreign agent. On the two payments of $500,000 and $250,000 to the unnamed "U.S.-based consulting firm", Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute said: "It's also very odd that all the other receipts of Israeli money are disclosed except this one."[9] (Critical.)
The Guardian reported in August 2026 that the Freedom Not Terror website carries the line "Paid for by LAPAM". It said a 30-second video, posted as unlisted on YouTube in October 2025, had been viewed 28.1 million times, while the campaign's TikTok account had 425 followers. The paper also noted that Havas Media Germany paid the firm $9,892,335 between October and December 2025.[10] (Journalistic.)
See also
- SKDKnickerbocker
- Stagwell
- Targeted Victory
- Havas Media Germany
- Government Advertising Agency (Israel)
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Targeted Communications Global LLC, Registration Statement (FARA no. 7553) FARA eFile, US Department of Justice, 3 March 2025. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Targeted Communications Global LLC, Exhibits A and B (LAPAM through Havas Media Group USA LLC) FARA eFile, 29 August 2025. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Targeted Communications Global LLC, Supplemental Statement for the period ending 31 March 2026 FARA eFile, 30 June 2026. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Targeted Communications Global LLC, Exhibits A and B (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) FARA eFile, 3 March 2025. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ Targeted Communications Global LLC, Amendment to Registration Statement FARA eFile, 30 June 2026. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Targeted Communications Global LLC, Exhibit B: executed agreement and Havas order FARA eFile, 2 July 2026. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Targeted Communications Global LLC, Supplemental Statement FARA eFile, 11 December 2025. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Short Form Registration Statements filed for Targeted Communications Global LLC (FARA no. 7553) by B. M. Schmitt (3 March 2025), M. Gorman (3 March 2025; 29 August 2025), J. Dobkin (29 August 2025), W. N. Knapp (29 August 2025), R. Heisler (2 September 2025), K. B. Walker (2 September 2025), C. Bote (3 September 2025), E. W. Hockenbury (3 September 2025), D. Sable (29 September 2025) and A. Butler (29 September 2025) FARA eFile. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Nick Cleveland-Stout and Julian Cooper, Israel targets X users, right-wing media with $2 million ad push Responsible Statecraft, 22 July 2026. Critical.
- ↑ Jason Wilson, Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda The Guardian, 26 August 2026. Journalistic.