Complementary business strengths, an aligned desire to innovate and a catalyzing real estate opportunity were key factors that pushed boutique public relations firms Pereira PR and Spark PR and Publicity Inc. to sit down in March and discuss a merger. We individually realized that both companies were getting to a point where in order to get to the next stage, not necessarily in terms of physical growth but in terms of what we wanted to accomplish in the industry – working together would be an incredible thing, said Pereira founder Sara Padidar, née Pereira. More than half a year later, that conversation has culminated in the formation of merged PR company Talkshop Media, which just launched publicly with a staff of 12. But before plunging into the deal, Padidar, along with Spark founders Katie DunsworthReiach and Beth Boyle, hired Vancouver entrepreneur and consultant Judy Brooks to help them assess the whys and hows of a merger.