Expanding Into U.S. Tech, Top British PR Firm Freuds Buys Brew Media Relations for $15 Million

Heavy-hitting British communications strategy and public relations firm Freuds has acquired the high-profile boutique agency Brew Media Relations in a stock and cash deal worth $15 million.

The 10-year-old Brew — which was founded by well-known PR exec Brooke Hammerling in her West Village apartment and which is co-helmed by Los Angeles-based CEO Dena Cook — will continue to operate independently, open an office in London and get a seat on Freuds’ board.

(Disclosure: Hammerling is a personal friend to me and my kids, obvious to anyone who looks at her social media feed. That said, this is a big move into the U.S. tech market by an important international PR firm. That said, I am happy for Brooke. That said, it’s still a good tech news story. Enough info? Fine!)

The 20-person Brew has clients that include both big and small tech companies, such as Oracle, uBeam, Daqri, Maker Studios (acquired by Disney), SmartThings (acquired by Samsung) and Refinery29.

In an interview last night, Freuds’ founder, Matthew Freud, said that the deal was good for both firms, giving Brew more resources and bringing a more diverse portfolio of tech companies into Freuds.

“If I was ever going to build a business in America, it would be Brew, so I bought it,” said the ever-quotable Freud. “I paid retail for it and I have never paid retail for anything in my fucking life, ever.”

Please sir, may I have some more?!

Of course! Freud said that he met Hammerling at the tony TED conference years ago via — wait for it — Bono. “What’s not to love about what this stands for?” he said.

Freud said the $15 million deal will be half stock and half cash, with Hammerling and Cook taking some money off the table.

And although his company works with U.S. Internet firms in Europe, Freud said the purchase would give his firm a “very nice pipeline” of new and emerging startups in the U.S. As to whether that means he will be spending more time with the geeks of Silicon Valley, Freud declared, “I slightly hope not.”

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.