ClearStory International has been acquired by global digital marketing agency Core Optimisation.
Every story has a beginning.
Ours started in 2017 at a library desk in Dublin. I had just returned from a tech conference in Hong Kong after leaving my role as a PR Manager. I had no money, no clients, and no idea where to start.
As good stories unfold, we try to predict their outcome. We want to know: what happens next?
Since that day, we’ve lived a story full of sliding-door moments complete with nail-biting cliffhangers, adventures, triumphs, and, like everyone else, our share of setbacks. That’s what makes a good story. It’s never predictable.
Much has changed in the international media and PR landscape since we began. New opportunities are emerging alongside complex global challenges, and we want to be well-positioned to grow and compete. This is the evolution chapter.
ClearStory has been acquired by the amazing team at Core Optimisation. Core is one of Ireland’s most respected digital marketing agencies with a growing international presence. When I met their CEO, Caroline Dunlea, for the first time, she immediately understood our potential and shared in our mission to bring ClearStory’s capabilities to founders and CEOs around the world. They were a natural fit as partners for our next chapter.
Just as big events shape stories, so do great characters. I’d like to recognise some of them.
Our first client was Amarit Charoenphan, a Thai tech ecosystem superstar and co-founder of Techsauce, which has gone on to become one of Southeast Asia’s leading tech media and event platforms. From that first partnership with Aim to more than 200 founders and their teams since, we’ve been privileged to work alongside some of the most ambitious and brilliant minds shaping their industries. Many have become our friends, mentors, and confidants. We’ve created memories and moved mountains all over the world. I’m eternally grateful to each of them for putting their faith in us at such critical moments in their own stories.
And then there’s the central cast, the real engine of our story: the team, past and present, at ClearStory. Over these eight years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best and brightest minds in our industry. Nothing was ever impossible. No problem was too big. They are the heroes who made it all happen. It’s been an honour to build this company with them and I look forward to making many more great memories together.
“What happens next?”
We have big plans.
Alongside our new partners at Core Optimisation, we’re beginning a bold phase of growth to expand our capabilities, reach, and crucially, our physical presence in key markets across North America and MENA.
This is our inflection point.
I’m thrilled to remain on as Founder and lead the next phase of our international journey. But more on that soon 🙂
Thank you to everyone who’s been part of this story. We’re just getting started. Stay tuned, and let’s build what’s next together!
Onwards.
Buíochas ó chroí,
James McCann
Managing Director, ClearStory International
