New Firm At Dawn Campaigns Launches with a Mission: To Keep Pace with Emerging Media and Internet Culture

WASHINGTON – New public affairs firm At Dawn Campaigns officially launches today with the expressed mission of pioneering strategies that keep pace with new and emerging media and internet culture.

At Dawn Campaigns specializes in building digital communities, engaging leading content creators and streamers, and delivering strategic messages across the platforms shaping today's narratives – including YouTube, Twitch, Reddit, and Discord. The firm also designs and executes livestream events and fundraisers, converts digital engagement into grassroots mobilization, and develops proprietary technology solutions that power it all.

The firm is led by a team of seasoned political campaign and public affairs veterans, including co-founders and partners Erik Balsbaugh, Sam Drzymala, and Chris Ortman, and prioritizes hiring and contracting creators and staff who are fully native to digital spaces.

“The media environment has fundamentally shifted, yet too many are still trapped in outdated models. Audiences are everywhere – not tied to one channel. A 20-second clip can reach millions, and a livestream can mobilize thousands to take action. Creators now drive and shape narratives, while leaders and journalists scramble to chase trends.”

Over the past year, At Dawn Campaigns has been behind some of the most innovative media programs in the digital politics space, including:

• Streamer Accelerator: Launched a first-of-its-kind program to help small- and mid-sized livestreamers grow their audiences and cultural relevance. Following a successful pilot with partners Project Bullhorn and Bridges Media, the accelerator will expand with new cohorts in 2026.
• “Yes on 50 LIVE”: Partnered with California Gov. Newsom to produce a landmark fundraising livestream supporting Proposition 50, raising over $750,000 in three hours.
• Lina Khan on a Popular Gaming Podcast: Facilitated a breakout interview with former FTC Chair Lina Khan on the Lemonade Stand podcast hosted by Atrioc, DougDoug, and Aiden – introducing critical economic policy to a largely young, male audience.
• SOTU Livestream: Produced a livestream around last week's State of the Union address at the DNC Studios, which included top progressive content creators and elected officials.
• TwitchCon Creator Roundtable: Convened live content creators at TwitchCon for a candid conversation with Gov. Newsom on issues impacting the creator economy and their audiences.

“It's no secret that the internet drives culture – and that culture drives politics. What many people don't realize is that the future of politics is already playing out right now in corners of the internet they've never visited. To be effective, you have to be in these spaces, understanding how narratives take shape in real time.”

At Dawn Campaigns has collaborated with political leaders, including Sens. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren; Reps. Maxwell Frost, Ro Khanna, Ted Lieu, and Leader Hakeem Jeffries; former Rep. Adam Kinzinger and former FTC Chair Lina Khan, among others.

On livestreams and podcasts, At Dawn Campaigns has partnered with dozens of influencers, including Brian Tyler Cohen, Adam Mockler, Vaush, Destiny, Elizabeth Booker-Houston, Dean Withers, Atrioc, DougDoug, Nmplol, Pokimane, Valkyrae, AustinShow, PoliticsGirl, and many more.

“Audiences today consume media from the moment they wake up until they drift off to sleep – but consumption is not attention, and attention is not trust. Trust is built through authenticity and familiarity, and At Dawn Campaigns is focused on the creators, media outlets, and platforms that are earning it.”

In the last election cycle, At Dawn Campaigns was the primary vehicle for gaming media outreach, producing live content targeting young and primarily male voters by partnering with streaming influencers. In addition, members of the team were instrumental in the White Dudes for Harris livestreams, which generated widespread media coverage and raised millions of dollars for the Harris for President campaign.

About At Dawn Campaigns

At Dawn Campaigns is building tomorrow's campaigns. From politics to public affairs, we are pioneering strategies that keep pace with new media and internet culture.

We build digital communities on emerging platforms, and when necessary, channel online energy into offline grassroots action. We lean into live content, because audiences crave the authenticity it demands – scripts be damned. We help our partners reach corners of the internet they didn't know existed, or at least don't visit. Because we live there.

Our team includes public affairs veterans, coalition builders, long-time political hacks, operatives at the cutting edge of digital media, strategic communicators, tech geeks, content creators, and our fair share of terminally online digital natives with expertise in cringe detection.

In the last election cycle, At Dawn Campaigns was the primary vehicle for gaming media outreach, targeting the young and mostly male voting demographic that is key to future electoral success. We also teamed up with content creators to produce livestream events that garnered tens of millions of views. Innovate, iterate, repeat.

Now, we are working with campaigns, candidates, causes, foundations, media companies, and content creators – and shaping what winning campaigns do next.

www.atdawncampaigns.com

For press queries, please contact: Chris Ortman, Chris@atdawncampaigns.com