From Hollywood to Cowtown: Elizabeth Menes Named Director of Story at Kwedar & Co.

Promotion Underscores Firm’s Belief That Narrative — Not Noise — Drives Results for Clients

(Fort Worth, Texas) — Kwedar & Co., a boutique strategic communications firm known for earned visibility and thoughtful storytelling, has promoted Elizabeth Menes to Director of Story. Menes, who joined the firm in early 2020, has been a steady creative force behind many of the agency’s most compelling narratives.

Lauren Kwedar Cockerell, Founder & President of Kwedar & Co.

“Elizabeth has an uncanny ability to crack open complexity and find the soul of a story,” said Lauren Kwedar Cockerell, founder and president of Kwedar & Co. “She’s more than a great writer — she’s a generous partner who sharpens our thinking and elevates our work every day. This promotion puts a name to the leadership role she’s been stepping into for some time now.”

As Director of Story, Menes will lead long-form content strategy and narrative development across the firm’s client portfolio. Her process begins with the groundwork — conducting research and in-depth interviews — then turns those findings into press releases, op-eds, thought leadership, content pillars and award submissions. She also coaches the team and their clients on messaging clarity and storycraft and leads writers’ room sessions that surface the emotional and strategic heartbeat of each client’s message.

Menes brings a rare blend of editorial judgment and production-level rigor from a career that spans New York, Los Angeles and North Texas. A Harvard graduate with a degree in history, she worked in advertising, branding and marketing on both coasts, served as literary manager for Los Angeles’ Vox Humana Theater Company, and honed her writing craft at the industry-renowned UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. As a story analyst at Creative Artists Agency — where projects were first “packaged” around powerful ideas — she became the go-to analyst for non-obvious source material, consistently finding the narrative thread in articles, self-help and history titles, and obscure biographies. She was later tapped by Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, as a trusted “great with story” collaborator.

“I’ve always had a feel for narrative,” Menes said. “Growing up, my sister and I would land on a show midstream, and she’d ask, ‘Who are those people, what’s going on?’ I’d pretend to be annoyed, then lay it all out for her, because I could always spot the narrative — the most compelling path through the material. I’ve spent my career sharpening that instinct in rooms where story carries the stakes.”

Menes’ elevation signals the firm’s conviction that story is a strategic asset, especially as AI accelerates content production. “AI is great at form, but it’s terrible at choosing what truly matters,” Menes added. “Our job is to find the narrative — in Hollywood terms, to be the showrunner for each client, making sure we know the essential message, and we’re keeping it front and center. That’s just as important in business as it is in media.”

Her narrative insight at Kwedar & Co. has lent power to client work in manufacturing, insurance, architecture, retail, nonprofit and more, helping leaders articulate who they are, where they’re going and why it matters.

“Elizabeth makes everything sharper, clearer and more human,” said D’Arla Tyler, Director of Public Relations and Client Services at Kwedar & Co. “She brings warmth and rigor to every draft, and her strategic lens makes her an invaluable partner across accounts. Our clients — and our team — are better because of her.”

“Hollywood was glamorous, sure — but this is better,” Menes said. “At Kwedar & Co., I work with an amazing team of communicators and strategists. Best of all: the stories we put together make a real difference in people's lives.”

ABOUT KWEDAR & CO.

Kwedar & Co. is a strategic PR and marketing firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 2017 by Lauren Kwedar Cockerell, the firm specializes in helping business owners and executive leaders grow their visibility and influence through earned media, digital and content marketing, and high-level communications strategy. With a team of experts who understand both business outcomes and storytelling, Kwedar & Co. supports clients across a variety of industries in North Texas and beyond. 

For more information, visit kwedarco.com.

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