MARGOT™ was created to rethink PR, breaking the rules and challenging the rules of the game. Founded by industry veterans Carlos Casado and Valerie Boldrin, the boutique firm has made its mark at the intersection of entertainment, sports, and lifestyle, with a philosophy rooted in bold ideas, cultural fluency, and unapologetic authenticity.
From Miami to Mexico City, New York, and Los Angeles, the company has partnered with notable names like Sony Music, Warner Music Latina, Rolling Stone en Español, and Netflix talent, proving that storytelling done right doesn’t just shape brands but also shapes culture.
In this interview, Casado and Boldrin open up about building MARGOT™ from a kitchen table idea into a five-year success story, staying true to their values even when it meant walking away from opportunities, and how being “200 percenters” has given them a unique voice in the industry. What follows is a candid look at the vision behind the brand, a reminder that in PR, as in life, authenticity is the sharpest strategy of all.
VALERIE BOLDRIN
MARGOT was founded to challenge the traditional PR model, particularly in a city like Miami. What did “doing things differently” look like in those early days, and how has that evolved?
From the start, we wanted to demystify the traditional PR agency model that felt slow, rigid, and creatively limiting. We built a hybrid team of Swiss army knives—go-getters and storytellers who could move fluidly across entertainment spaces with passion and purpose. That DNA hasn’t changed; we’ve simply scaled smarter, bringing in people with diverse backgrounds and skill sets that allow us to stay agile, creative, and efficient while continuing to deliver work that reflects our original vision.
You’ve emphasized authenticity as a cornerstone of MARGOT’s identity. How has staying unapologetically yourselves shaped the kinds of clients and collaborators you attract?
Authenticity guides every decision we make, from the team members we bring on to the clients we take on. We only work with people and brands whose values align with ours and whose stories are real, because that’s the only way we can do our best work. This approach has allowed us to attract collaborators who trust us and give us the freedom to create while ensuring that every story we tell feels honest and meaningful.
Half of small businesses never make it to five years, yet MARGOT has grown stronger and more defined with time. What do you think has allowed you to reach this milestone on your own terms?
We’ve made it here by knowing exactly who we are and staying rooted in that. When we first sat at our kitchen table in Los Angeles in 2019 imagining MARGOT, we spent countless nights defining what we stood for so that when challenges came, we’d have a strong foundation to lean on. That clarity has allowed us to navigate hard moments, make intentional choices, and build a business that reflects our vision instead of chasing someone else’s version of success.
You’ve had a dynamic career spanning Netflix, Wellhub, beIN SPORTS, and now MARGOT. How did those experiences prepare you to build an agency with a distinct voice and mission?
Each role I had gave me a piece of what would become MARGOT, tapping into passions like TV, film, sports, lifestyle, and culture. Those experiences taught me to merge worlds creatively, whether it’s approaching an album release like a film campaign, producing an event, or shaping a comedian’s media footprint. They gave me a broader and more flexible way of thinking and ultimately made me a better founder who could shape an agency with a strong POV and storytelling at its core.
CARLOS CASADO
What was the moment you realized Miami needed an agency like MARGOT, and how has the city’s creative ecosystem both shaped your identity and been shaped by the work you’re doing?
We realized Miami needed an agency like MARGOT when we saw how often great ideas were being lost in the noise, either poorly told, poorly executed, or shaped by stereotypes. We knew we could not just watch from the sidelines. Moving our headquarters here was a commitment to making an impact in the city that gave us so much in our younger years. Miami forces you to think fast, stay culturally fluent, and adapt in real time, and that energy has sharpened our edge. At the same time, our work has helped shift the conversation toward deeper, more intentional storytelling that raises the bar for what brands and talent expect from PR.
Has staying true to your identity ever meant walking away from opportunities, and how did those decisions strengthen the agency?
Abso-effing-lutely. Saying no is as powerful and defining as saying yes. We have walked away from projects that did not align with our values or the relationships we want to build, even when it meant breaking contracts and taking a financial hit. When legacy drives your vision, protecting your peace of mind, your culture, and your reputation will always matter more than any short-term gain. That clarity attracts the clients who truly understand and appreciate not just what we do, but how we do it. Those are the only ones that matter.
Looking back on these five years, what’s one story you’ve helped tell that you feel truly represents MARGOT’s mission at its core?
As much as I would love to brag, and while we know our clients’ success is our success, the story that best represents us is our own. We have always believed you have to take care of your own house before you can build someone else’s. From the start, we made sure our principles, culture, and way of working were crystal clear, because those standards guide everything we deliver. Protecting that has shaped who we are, the clients we attract, and the work we put into the world. If we cannot live our mission, we have no business selling it.
From Copa América to Sony Music, you’ve worked across sports, music, and media. What lessons from leading large-scale campaigns do you bring to MARGOT’s more boutique model?
Working on large-scale campaigns taught me how to perform under pressure without losing sight of what matters most. In those environments, timing, precision, and the ability to adapt quickly can make or break the outcome. At MARGOT, we have kept that same level of readiness but applied it to a boutique model where we can be more hands-on, more intentional, and more connected to the work. The scale might be different, but the stakes often feel just as high, and the drive to deliver at the highest level never changes.
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