A small boutique PR agency loft, publicists at a long shared table, a wall of pinned tear sheets, a rack of garment bags

Every press request answered within the hour. Every pitch followed up before it goes cold.

A small crew of AI agents takes the office work off your agency: the reply to every editor, producer, and client who writes in, the follow-up on every pitch nobody answered, every RSVP that hasn't come back, and every sample that hasn't been returned, and the embargo dates, retainer renewals, and invoices nobody should have to carry in their head. All of it in your agency's voice, none of it sent until you say so, and your publicists get back to the relationships.

Built for PR, publicity, and communications agencies of two to fifteen people: entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, food, and tech. Runs alongside Muck Rack, Cision, and the tools you already use.

Book a free 45-minute assessment

Why this exists

Most boutique agencies run on a founder, two or three publicists, and an assistant who does everything else. The founder pitches, manages the clients, sells the next retainer, and answers the inbox. The publicists each carry six clients and a list of two hundred contacts. Every day the inbox fills with an editor asking for high-res, a producer asking if a client is available Thursday, a client asking why they weren't in the piece, a sample that went out six weeks ago and hasn't come back, an RSVP list that's half confirmed two days before the event, and the pitch that went to forty people and got two replies. All of it waits for the publicist who's on the phone. Very few agencies have the help the job needs: someone on the inbox, someone chasing the pitches and the RSVPs, someone watching the embargoes and the money. The reason is the math, almost never effort. That kind of help is a salary, and a retainer at this size doesn't carry one.

A pitch goes out Monday, gets no reply, and never gets a follow-up, which is where most placements come from. An editor's request for assets sits for a day and the story runs without the client. A sample worth $800 never comes back because nobody chased it. An embargo lifts at 6 a.m. and nobody set the reminder. A retainer renewal comes up with no results recap ready, and the client uses the moment to leave. An invoice sits at 60 days because the founder didn't want to ask the client during a launch. None of it is hard. There's just too much of it, and all of it waits for the same four people.

At some point we stopped thinking the answer was “find the margin for one more account coordinator” and started thinking there had to be a better way for a small agency to support itself. That's what Second Unit is.

It isn't for every agency. If you have account coordinators, an office manager, and a finance person, you don't need this. If you don't, and the same four people are doing the publicity and running the agency, we built this for you.

The pitch that went to forty editors got two replies. The follow-up that would have gotten six more never went out. Nobody had the hour on Thursday.

The same crew we run our own business on

Second Unit is built and run by Noettic Labs, a Los Angeles studio that builds with AI to solve real business problems. We build products that do real work, and we install crews that do it inside your business: the quotes, the follow-ups, the renewals, the records, the reports, the paperwork that keeps a company moving and keeps its best people from doing any of it.

The crew on this page is the system we use to run our own business. We sat down with the people doing the best work with agents, kept what held up under a real week, and wrote it into the job cards and rules every crew ships with. An install is that system, set up on your business, by hand, on a call.

Second Unit is one of several products from Noettic Labs. See what else we've built.

What we built for you

Job CardPress Desk
One Job
Job
Draft a reply to every editor, producer, and client email within the hour, in the agency’s voice, pull the right asset, and route the ones a publicist must see.
Reads
The general inbox and each publicist’s shared inbox, the asset library, each client’s messaging and embargo rules, the event list.
Writes
A draft reply, a contact log entry, a task for the right publicist.
Never
Sends. Gives a quote or a comment on a client’s behalf. Confirms a client’s availability. Shares anything under embargo or NDA before its date.
Reports to
Your Second Unit Lead, in the daily status.
Checked by
You, before anything goes out.

Second Unit is a service. There's no software for you to learn. We install a small crew of AI agents in your own accounts, one job each, and train each one on how your agency works: your voice, your clients, your lists, your rules. A press desk that drafts a reply to every editor, producer, and client email within the hour, pulls the right asset from the library, and routes quote requests and anything under embargo to a publicist. A pitch and RSVP follow-up agent that chases every pitch that got no reply on your schedule, every RSVP that hasn't confirmed, and every sample that hasn't come back, until each one lands or dies. An embargo and retainer tracker that holds every embargo date, event, retainer renewal, and invoice in one record, drafts the monthly results recap from the coverage log, and drafts the note before anything is late. The crew works alongside Muck Rack, Cision, Airtable, your coverage tracker, and whatever you already run; that stays your system of record. Between them they take hours of office work off every week, and you approve every one before it goes out.

A word about AI, because in PR the voice is the product. These agents stay on the office side of the agency. They answer the email, chase the pitch, and remind you of the date. They never write a pitch from nothing, never give a quote or a comment on a client's behalf, never confirm a client's availability, and never share a word of anything under embargo before its date. The angle, the pitch, and the relationship with the editor stay with the publicists. Every draft is read by a person at the agency before it leaves.

The name comes from film. On a set, the second unit shoots everything that doesn't need the director: the establishing shots, the inserts, the driving scenes. The director keeps the scenes that need them. Same deal here. The agents take the replies, the chasing, and the dates. You keep the editors, the clients, and the story.

A publicist with a clipboard just off a red carpet at a small premiere, photographers behind her
Two days before the launch dinner. Every RSVP that hasn't confirmed has a nudge drafted, every editor who asked for assets has them in a draft, and the embargo reminder is set for 6 a.m. Thursday with the approved release attached.

Three jobs, one agency

Draft · not sent
ToAlexis Grant, The WeekenderSubjectRe: High-res and a quote for the Saturday piece

Hi Alexis, thank you, and glad the piece is moving. The high-res images are in the link below: six interior shots and two of the chef, credited to Lena Moreau. Captions are in the folder.

On the quote: I've flagged your question to Dana, who handles Harbor Kitchen, and she'll have something to you by end of day. If your deadline is earlier than that, tell me and I'll chase it.

The opening date is still embargoed until Thursday at 6 a.m., so if the piece runs Saturday you're clear.

Best,
Jordan, Lantern PR

Press Desk

Every email from an editor, a writer, a producer, a client, a photographer, or an event vendor gets a drafted reply within the hour, in your voice, from your rules: which assets may go out and with what credit, what's under embargo and until when, what a client may be described as doing, what needs a publicist. It pulls the right image, bio, or fact sheet from the library and attaches it. It never gives a quote and never confirms availability; those go to the publicist the same hour, with the deadline noted.

Reads: the inboxes, the asset library, each client's rules, the event list. Writes: a draft with the asset, a log entry, a task. Never: sends, quotes, confirms availability, breaks an embargo.

Thursday morning, in your drafts

Harbor Kitchen, the 39 who didn’t reply · a new angle, two lines
Solstice, the 9 samples · return label attached
Launch dinner, the 17 unconfirmed · one line, a plus-one offered
Meridian, the 17 who didn’t reply · the spring rate hook
Ava Chen, the 6 · a second angle, one line
1 pitch marked closed, logged
Five campaigns read, 88 follow-ups drafted, one closed out, nothing lost.
Pitch and RSVP Follow-up

Every pitch that goes out gets a follow-up on your schedule, day 3 and day 8, in your voice, with the second angle the publicist chose, to everyone who didn't reply, and it stops the moment someone does. Every event RSVP that hasn't confirmed gets a nudge at 7 days and 2 days. Every sample that's out gets a return request at 30 days with the label attached. It tells you every Monday which pitches are dead and which are warm. Most placements come from the follow-up nobody sent, and the fix is a note that gets sent.

Reads: your pitch log, the RSVP list, the sample log. Writes: follow-up drafts, a status per pitch and per event. Never: changes an angle, adds a contact, sends.
Draft · 30 days out
ToDana Whitfield, Harbor KitchenSubjectSix months in: the coverage, and what’s next

Hi Dana,

Our six-month retainer comes up for renewal on the 1st, and I wanted you to have the full picture before we talk. The recap is attached: 23 placements since the opening, including the three you cared most about, 1.2 million combined reach, and the two broadcast segments from the spring.

For the next six months we'd like to shift from opening coverage to the chef profile and the holiday program, and I've put a short plan on page two. Same retainer, and we'd welcome the conversation about scope either way.

Can we find 30 minutes next week?

Best,
Jordan

Embargo and Retainer Tracker

Every embargo date, event, client retainer, and invoice goes into one record, and every placement goes into the coverage log as it lands. The agent sets the embargo reminders and drafts the morning-of note with the approved release attached, drafts the monthly results recap for each client from the coverage log, drafts the renewal conversation 30 days before each retainer ends with the recap attached, and drafts the invoice reminder at 15, 30, and 45 days. You stop finding out from the client, the editor, or the bookkeeper.

Reads: the calendar, the coverage log, the contracts, the billing record. Writes: the record, a reminder, a recap draft, a renewal draft. Never: changes a date, a scope, or a fee, sends.

Want a different agent first, or the whole crew at once? Client Updates, Coverage Desk, Event Desk, and Marketing are all on the menu. Ask on the call.

Meet the crew

Each agent is set up for one job, the way you'd brief a new account coordinator on day one: the instructions for that job, the rules it works inside, the skills it needs, and nothing else. Your press desk knows every client's rules and every asset. Your follow-up agent knows every pitch that's out. Your tracker knows every embargo and every renewal date.

Start with one. Add the next when you're ready. The Second Unit Lead comes with any setup and ties them together.

Needs youThe reply to Alexis Grant at The Weekender about assets and a quote
ApproveNot now
Done today17 tasks · 4 agents
Daily status sent, one thing waiting on youSecond Unit Lead
Drafted 19 replies to editors and clients, 3 quote requests routedPress Desk
Followed up on 4 pitches, 17 RSVPs, 9 samplesPitch and RSVP Follow-up
Harbor Kitchen retainer renews in 30 days, recap and note draftedEmbargo and Retainer Tracker
  1. Second Unit LeadIncluded with any setup

    Your first agent. Runs the daily status, keeps your queue to one request at a time, and walks you through changes to the other agents so you never need us for a small tweak.

  2. Press DeskLaunch agent

    Drafts a reply to every editor, producer, and client email within the hour, pulls the right asset, and routes quote requests and anything under embargo to a publicist.

  3. Pitch and RSVP Follow-upLaunch agent

    Chases every pitch that got no reply, every RSVP that hasn’t confirmed, and every sample that hasn’t come back, on your schedule, until each one lands or dies.

  4. Embargo and Retainer TrackerLaunch agent

    Keeps every embargo, event, retainer, and invoice in one record, drafts the monthly results recap from the coverage log, and drafts the renewal conversation 30 days out.

  5. Client UpdatesOn the menu

    The weekly note to each client on what went out, who replied, and what ran, so they stop asking why they weren’t in the piece.

  6. Coverage DeskOn the menu

    Logs every placement as it lands with the link, the reach, and the client, and drafts the thank-you to the writer the same day.

  7. Event DeskOn the menu

    The invitation from your template, the RSVP list, the confirmation with the details, the day-before reminder, and the thank-you after.

  8. MarketingOn the menu

    The agency’s own case study for each campaign, the quarterly note to past clients, and the new-business page copy, from your own words.

Once you say yes: what you get in the first week

Nothing is left for you to figure out. This is what we set up, and when.

  1. Day 1Installed and Running.

    Your Second Unit Lead and your Press Desk are set up on your own accounts, interviewed on your voice, your clients, and your rules, and one real editor email is answered before we end the call.

  2. Day 2The Inbox Stops Waiting on the Publicist.

    Every new email has a drafted reply within about an hour, with the right asset and nothing it shouldn’t say. Your team reads, edits if they like, and sends.

  3. Day 3First Check-in.

    We read the week's drafts together, note what you changed, and tighten the rules so the next ones need less of your hand.

  4. Day 7Your First Number.

    How many drafts went out untouched. It's the one figure we track from here, and it tells you whether this is keeping your publicists on the phone with editors instead of in the inbox.

A launch in week one? Your Press Desk drafts every asset reply the hour it comes in, and your follow-up agent chases the pitch on day three while your team runs the event.

How it works

  1. Assessment.

    A free 45-minute call. We find the tasks that are eating your agency's week and match them to the agent that can take them over.

  2. Install.

    Everything works from day one, and you don't set up a thing alone. We help you sign up for Grok Bot, and for Notion if you don't have it yet, both on your own accounts. Then, in one screen share, we install the agents, connect your email and calendar from your side, and run the interview that teaches them your voice, your clients, your lists, and your rules. We walk you through the whole thing and check every piece before we hand them off to you.

    Runs on
  3. Two Weeks of Tuning.

    We read the drafts with you every few days and tighten the agent until most go out with no edits. Then a monthly check-in, and the next agent setup when you want it.

  4. Most agencies are running within a week of the assessment.

Everything that comes with a crew

One price, once. Beside each piece is what the same work costs when you buy it as a person's time. Rough US figures, so you can see what you're getting.

We start four new businesses a month.By hand, on a call, so each one gets the tune-up it needs.
What's in the BoxThe Three-Agent Crew
  1. The Assessment45 minutes with us to find the tasks eating your week and the agent for each.
    $250
  2. Install DayOne screen share. Agents installed in your own accounts, email and calendar connected from your side.
    about $1,200
  3. The InterviewYour voice, your prices, your rules, written into every agent before it drafts a word.
    about $600
  4. Three Launch AgentsPress Desk, Pitch and RSVP Follow-up, Embargo and Retainer Tracker. The same three jobs as hires.
    $5,000 to $12,500 a month
  5. Your Second Unit LeadDaily status, one request at a time, and the walkthrough for every small change.
    included
  6. Two Weeks of TuningWe read the drafts with you on days 3, 7, 10, and 14, and tighten the rules each time.
    about $1,000
  7. Job Cards and Rules, Yours to KeepEvery agent's instructions on paper, in your Notion, so the crew stays with you.
    about $500
Bought as people and consultants, the first month aloneabout $8,500 to $16,000
Your crew, once$2,500 to $6,000
Then about $50 a month in software, paid to Grok Bot and Notion.
The Tune-up Guarantee.

If most of your drafts aren't going out untouched by the end of the two-week tune-up, we keep tuning at no charge until they are.

What it costs

Priced to the size of your agency, and settled on the assessment call, not before. A two-person shop sits at the low end of each range. An agency of fifteen sits at the high end.

Setup, per agentRange
One Agent, Set Up and Tuned
The assessment, the install, the interview, and two weeks of tuning.		$1,000 to $2,500
The Three Launch Agents Together
Press Desk, Pitch and RSVP Follow-up, Embargo and Retainer Tracker.		$2,500 to $6,000
The Whole Crew
All eight agents, installed a week apart so each gets its tuning.		$6,500 to $16,000

Then Pick One of Two Paths

Ongoing Care

$100 to $750 a month per agent, scaled the same way. A monthly check-in, tuning as your agency changes, support when something's off, and the next agent when you want it. Ninety days minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice.

Setup Only

No monthly fee. Your Second Unit Lead agent walks you through changes to the other agents yourself, and when you'd rather we did it, we're on call by the hour.

The assessment call is free, and there's nothing to decide until it's done. You pay for your own software: about $30 a month for Grok Bot and about $10 a month per seat for Notion, paid to them, not to us.

What the Same Help Costs as People

Rough US figures for hiring the equivalent, so you can see what you're getting. These are estimates.

If You Hired People$60,000 to $150,000a year
  • Account coordinator$45,000 to $58,000 / yr
  • Junior publicist$50,000 to $65,000 / yr
  • Office manager$52,000 to $68,000 / yr
  • Part-time bookkeeper$1,500 to $3,000 / mo
  • Freelance events coordinator$2,000 to $5,000 / event

Before payroll taxes, before benefits, and before they've learned how you like things done.

Your Second Unit Crew$2,500 to $6,000once, the three launch agents$6,500 to $16,000once, the whole crew
  • Works every day, launch week and awards season included
  • Trained on your voice, your clients, your lists
  • About $50 a month in software, paid to Grok Bot and Notion
  • Ongoing care from $100 a month per agent, or setup only with support on call
  • Yours to keep. If we part ways, the crew stays with you

Three agents for about one month of one salary.

What the agents won't do

What changes

The editor who asked for high-res at 9 has it in a draft by 9:30, credited and captioned. The pitch that went out Monday gets its follow-up on Thursday to everyone who didn't reply, and the placements come from there. The renewal conversation starts 30 days early with the recap attached, instead of the week the client decides to leave.

You still write the important emails. You just stop writing all of them.

Book a free 45-minute assessment Not ready? Read what the agents won't do and see exactly what they read, write, and never touch.
A PR agency founder at a loft office table talking with a client holding a lookbook
Every pitch that went out is a follow-up someone has to send.