Smart Strategy. Scalable Teams. Multi-Cultural Reach. Local, National and Global Impact.
At Accent Communications, we help nonprofit and for-profit organizations seize growth opportunities and navigate complex communications challenges with precision, cultural fluency, and business acumen.
Right-Sized Teams. Senior-Level Talent. No Waste.
Unlike traditional agencies, we don’t assign bloated teams or junior staff to bill hours. Instead, we build custom, project-specific teams designed around your goals, whether that’s effective media and community relations, launching a cause-related campaign, creating buzz around a new product, entering a new market, or managing a high-stakes issue.
We maintain a curated roster of trusted partners across the U.S., Latin America, and Brazil, allowing us to tap into region-specific expertise and scale quickly as needed. Whether you need bilingual media relations in Miami, on-the-ground support in São Paulo, or building relationships and gaining support for initiatives across multiple markets, we can bring the right talent for the job. But regardless of the market or makeup of the team, Accent leads every engagement with full accountability and strategic oversight. Our clients always have one point of contact and one standard of excellence.
This flexible, building-block style approach gives you:
Access to top-tier communications experts: strategists, media pros, crisis experts, multi-media content creators, graphic designers, media buyers, events planners and managers, multicultural specialists.
Built-in flexibility to scale up or down as priorities and needs shift, without having to go to multiple places for different things.
Significant cost savings without sacrificing quality or speed because there’s virtually no overhead.
Our Services Include
- General Market & Multicultural Media Relations
- Crisis Communications
- Strategic Messaging & Content Strategy
- Reputation & Issues Management
- Public Affairs & Stakeholder Engagement
- Social Media & Influencer Strategy
- Media Training & Spokesperson Coaching
- Video Production
- Corporate Event Planning and Management
Cross-Sector Expertise That Delivers
Accent Communications brings strategic insight to a wide range of industries. Our adaptable model allows us to create a team with industry-specific expertise to support organizations of all sizes in the private and public sectors.
We’ve successfully led initiatives for:
- Banking Financial Services
- Health Insurance Healthcare
- Hospitality Tourism (including hotels, destinations, restaurants, museums and theme parks)
- Higher Education
- Fashion Retail
- Port Logistics Transportation
- Government Agencies & Public Sector Initiatives
- Political candidates
- Nonprofit organizations
Our team understands the unique challenges, audiences, and reputational stakes of each industry we serve. We navigate their nuances with precision, devising strategies to fit your industry’s
pace, pressures, and priorities.
Values-Driven Work That Makes a Difference
We believe that expert communication can be a force for good. Accent partners with mission-driven organizations like nonprofits, advocacy groups, and community coalitions working to advance equity and justice. These aren’t just professional partnerships; they reflect our values.
Our work has supported campaigns for:
- Immigrant rights
- LGBTQ+ equality
- Housing justice
- Healthcare access
- And more.
We bring the same strategic rigor and media savvy to cause-driven campaigns as we do to corporate initiatives, helping purpose-led organizations shape the conversation, build credibility, and drive impact.
Multicultural Strategy That Moves Business
With deep expertise in both general and multicultural markets, Accent helps brands build real connections with diverse audiences. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, we bring cultural fluency, regional insight, and strategic clarity to every engagement.
Whether you’re expanding into new markets or deepening your reach in existing ones, we guide you through:
- Market entry strategy
- Executive visibility & thought leadership
- Crisis communications
- Integrated content, owned media and traditional media campaigns
Our team collaborates with partners in the U.S. and abroad for the befit of our clients, but we don’t hand off responsibility. Accent leads every project with full accountability, ensuring you benefit from localized insight without ever compromising on quality, consistency, or results.
Jeannette Rivera-Lyles
Founder
Hi! I’m a bilingual communications strategist driven by one simple goal: connecting people, brands, and messages across markets and cultures.
Before founding Accent, I spent two decades as a reporter, working with institutions like The Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, and MSN.com. That newsroom experience shaped how I see stories. They are not just headlines, but opportunities to spark connection, build trust, and leave a lasting impression.
Beyond work, I’m fueled by curiosity. I love traveling and discovering the hidden gems locals love. I sing because music (also books) keeps me grounded. At the heart of it all is my family. I’m a wife and the proud mom of two young adults who are, without a doubt, the most rewarding and meaningful project of my life.
The Accent Story
I didn’t set out with a grand plan when I founded Accent. What I did have was a clear sense of what I wanted, and what I didn’t.
I wanted the freedom to work with each client in a way that truly fits their needs, enhances their brand, and delivers real value, even if that means stepping outside the traditional agency playbook. Sometimes that means teaming up with other practitioners or core collaborators to build the perfect team because not two clients are the same. It may also look like tossing the press release aside in favor of a personalized pitch. Other times, it means leaning into influencer marketing instead of traditional media, or elevating visibility through thought leadership in big rooms, but also in smaller ones that may offer strategic value beyond its size.
What I didn’t want was the formulaic approach I saw coming from traditional agencies day in and day out during my two decades in the newsroom. The same news release with an “exciting announcement” followed by a quote from a “visionary” executive who is “humbled” by the announcement. Or pitches that fail to deliver news value, or that lack the elements necessary to build the narrative a news story needs.
Instead, I wanted to tell stories that stood out the moment they were shared, stories that came alive through the smart use of new media, video, photos, and graphics. Stories that feel fresh, engaging, and impossible to ignore.
Equally important to me was and continues to be for clients to see our value beyond media relations. Accent is a trusted partner you can rely on to help chart a clear path for growth. We’re here to anticipate challenges before they become crises, prepare you to respond with confidence if they do, and guide you in reaching and engaging not only external audiences but your internal stakeholders as well. Communication isn’t just about visibility. It’s about clarity, consistency, and trust. Those are the foundations that allow organizations to thrive.
That’s the heart of Accent.
Our Network of Experts
These PR pros are some of our core collaborators. We work with a wide network of senior professionals, allowing us to scale up or down as needed. We custom-build teams around each client’s specific goals, ensuring the right mix of expertise for every project.
Paul Gamache
Senior Communications Consultant
After a distinguished career in broadcasting, where he served as the face of Noticias Univision Orlando until 2021, Paul brought his media expertise to Accent Communications. As a senior communications consultant, he is the agency’s go-to media relations strategist, known for uncovering the perfect angle to pitch stories that resonate both locally and nationally.
In addition to his media savvy, Paul is a seasoned project manager who excels at orchestrating even the most complex initiatives, ensuring every moving piece receives the attention it deserves and is delivered on time.
Paul’s work and leadership have been recognized with numerous honors, including nominations and awards such as the Emmy Award, the prestigious Emmy Silver Circle Award, and the Don Quijote Lifetime Achievement Award.
A proud father and grandfather, he enjoys nurturing his own bonsai creations, painting portraits of intriguing faces like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Iris Apfel, teaching indoor cycling, and sharing his love for music and fashion.
Cristina Maria Calvet
APR - Core Collaborator
An Orlando native, Cristina is a versatile marketing and PR professional who excels at planning and executing multichannel campaigns. Whether the goal is to reach local, national, or international audiences — internally or externally — Cristina’s expertise and experience ensure the message lands effectively and with impact.
She is the founder and CEO of Wonderland, a full-service marketing and PR agency serving a wide range of industries, including health, hospitality, government, and retail.
Cristina is a two-time graduate of the University of Central Florida, earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a Master of Business Administration.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Cristina is an avid marketer, networker, volunteer, community advocate, and traveler. In the fall, you’ll most likely find her cheering on her beloved UCF Knights on the football field.
Wonderland is also one of Accent Communications’ valued core partners, with the two agencies complementing each other’s strengths to deliver even greater value for clients.
Laura E. Richeson
APR – Core Collaborator
Laura is a savvy professional with 20+ years of experience designing strategic communications and public relations campaigns. Originally from the Bethesda, Md. area, Richeson relocated to Central Florida in 1995 to focus on community relations and event management for Florida Hospital Healthcare System, now AdventHealth.
Prior to launching her own firm in 2010, Richeson Communications, Laura served as the senior vice president at an Orlando boutique agency for more than a decade where she managed national account teams for the successful creation and implementation of integrated marketing campaigns.
Her community involvement includes service as a long-term member and former marketing committee member of Visit Orlando, the former board chairperson for Boys Town Central Florida, alumna of Leadership Seminole and pro-bono consultant and volunteer for several non-profit organizations across Central Florida including Heart of Florida United Way.
Accent frequently partners with Richeson Communications, combining our strengths to deliver even greater value for clients. By working together, we’re able to bring a broader perspective, deeper expertise, and a more dynamic range of strategies to the table, always with the goal of creating the strongest outcomes possible.
Juliette Gebken
APR – Core Collaborator
Juliette is a seasoned PR professional who spent almost 15 years as part of PR & Corporate Communications in-house teams for global travel brands Universal Orlando Resort and Travel + Leisure Co.
At Travel + Leisure Co., she developed impactful brand partnerships and consumer activations to drive publicity for the company’s vacation ownership clubs. During her eight-year tenure at Universal Orlando Resort, Juliette was part of the PR leadership team at a time of incredible growth for the destination. She developed from the ground up UOR’s media relations efforts for the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American audiences, in addition to working with the team to lead the opening of more than 30 new guest experiences, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley and the water theme park, Universal’s Volcano Bay. She also led a variety of high-profile, large-scale national and international TV productions filming at the parks, including TODAY Show (NBC), Hoy Dia (Telemundo) and Mais Voce (Rede Globo, Brazil).
Most recently, Juliette led the PR, Executive Communications and Content Marketing team at one of the nation’s largest virtual K-12 schools. At a time when online education became the norm, her challenge was to fight the misconceptions brought by the pandemic through impactful storytelling that leveraged data, student stories and more.
Juliette founded JGM PR, currently servicing local, national and international clients.
Let’s Build Something Smarter and More Meaningful.
Whether you’re scaling your business, launching a new initiative, or advocating for change, Accent delivers communications strategy that aligns with your goals, vision and values.