Hoping to address PR needs in light of shrinking budgets, Shannon Troughton has launched VoxPop Public Relations, in Indianapolis.
Troughton, who was most recently VP of corporate communications at US-based health insurer WellPoint, said the time was right for a smaller, more agile offering in the healthcare and technology PR sector.
“Companies can’t afford to pay $400,000 retainers monthly or even annually to get the same experience that I have, with no overhead,” said Troughton, who has served as director of communications for GE Healthcare, and VP of corporate and public affairs at Fleishman-Hillard. 
VoxPop has already secured clients such as dLife, the online diabetes community, MDdatacor, a clinical patient data provider, and Alaven Healthcare, an Atlanta-based specialty company focused on women’s health, gastroenterology and anemia.
VoxPop hopes to attract healthcare and pharma clients that have a unique technology to offer, specifically, notes Troughton, clients that “know how to talk to investors and shareholders, but need help with publicity,” she says. She began her career as a communications staffer for the late Missouri governor, Mel Carnahan.