Stagwell Boosts Investment in Real Clear Holdings, Names Jared Smith President

Stagwell·28 Sep 2026·

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M&A · Partnership Product / Tech Entertainment

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Summary · why it matters

Stagwell has increased its investment in Real Clear Holdings, the publisher of Real Clear Politics and creator of the RCP Poll Average, deepening its commitment to owned media. The transaction reflects Stagwell's confidence in trusted, independent media and its belief that RealClear is uniquely positioned to serve audiences in a fragmented information landscape. As part of the growing partnership, Real Clear Holdings appointed Jared Smith as president, reporting directly to CEO John McIntyre, and Kristen Elliott as Head of Commercial. Smith, a seasoned media executive who previously held senior roles at Yahoo, AOL, WWE, and HuffPost, has managed multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses across advertising, subscriptions, commerce, and search, while Elliott began her career at Condé Nast leading revenue and brand partnerships for Vogue.com before serving as Head of Revenue at Kargo. The investment will support adding top-tier digital media talent and a strategy to grow the Real Clear portfolio, develop new revenue streams, and expand audience engagement, including launching Real Clear AI and broadening events, audio, video, and subscription offerings. Real Clear Holdings, founded by John McIntyre and Tom Bevan, includes verticals such as Real Clear Defense, Real Clear Energy, and Real Clear Health, and has been trusted by policy decision-makers for 25 years.

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