Fanny Kaminski: Social Media Maven or Government Puppet Master?
So, let’s talk about Fanny Kaminski—a name that might ring a bell, or might just make you say, “Who?” Well, she’s apparently one of the most prominent women in Hungarian public life, spinning quite the web of influence. With a staggering turnover of HUF 801 million (yes, million with an ‘M’—not bad for a social media manager!), she’s raking in the cash like it’s going out of style.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; it seems her company, Triton Communications, responsible for polishing the Prime Minister’s gleaming social media presence, reported a cool HUF 637 million in sales last year alone. Who knew that just tweeting could be this lucrative?
A Marriage of Influence
Confused? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Fanny Kaminski is not just any social media director; she’s also got connections! She’s married to Árpád Habony, a former journalist who apparently has a flair for editing Facebook posts and posting pictures of the Prime Minister looking oh-so-serious with a puppy or whatever it is politicians do to humanize themselves. You know, the classic “I care about the people” kind of shots.
This makes her less of a simple businesswoman and more of a strategic player right in the heart of the government’s social media strategy. She’s not just posting cute cat memes; no, she’s curating the very image of the government itself. And if you think the posts might just be personal touches on an overarching strategy… you’d be absolutely spot on!
The Money Trail
Now, here’s the kicker: In 2022, Kaminski’s company contracted with Antal Rogán’s Cabinet Office for a whopping HUF 764 million 160 thousand (again, million with an ‘M’). But where’s the transparency? Since November 2022, we have no idea what new contracts—if any—have been formed. It’s like a game of hide and seek, except in this case, the only thing hiding is the information we should all be privy to!
“Triton’s contract to carry out communications tasks regarding the social media appearances of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office is not something they publish online.”
But no worries, Fanny is still around enough to bump elbows with the big guy. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be caught in a selfie with the PM?
Subcontracting Shenanigans
It would be remiss not to mention the charming creative twists at play here. It appears Kaminski doesn’t have to shoulder the entire burden of social media posting. There are whispers of subcontractors—smaller companies tasked to carry out the day-to-day content uploads. Oh, the irony! The government office is essentially farming out its social media presence to underlings while simultaneously racking in the dough. One such company, We Talk Digital, founded by the ever-popular former contestant of Megasztár, Gergő Almás, has skyrocketed in profit. From a modest HUF 34.7 million in 2021 to a staggering HUF 637 million last year, they must be doing something right!
“In other words, the ministry sends the news and pictures about the prime minister to this company, presumably not by direct order, but perhaps through Kaminski’s company!”
What Does This All Mean?
What does this all signify for ordinary Hungarians? Is political communication becoming a profitable side-hustle where likes and retweets translate directly into millions? Or are we just witnessing the evolution of democracy into a flashy digital age where finer points of deed are simply lost in the colorful world of social media?
Perhaps here lies the broader picture: control and influence. With Kaminski at the helm of these virtual communications, she isn’t just producing media content—she’s influencing public opinion, crafting narratives, and, let’s be real, possibly even redefining politics in Hungary as we know it!
So, as we sit here basking in this social media gold rush, let’s keep our eyes peeled. Because if the Prime Minister’s social media manager can stealthily rake in the bucks with a flick of the wrist, who knows who else is pulling the strings in this puppeteering art of communication?
And remember, folks, the next time you see a post on the Prime Minister’s Facebook page, just imagine the complex web of finance, influence, and maybe a touch of mischief behind it. Welcome to the world of Fanny Kaminski—social media maven or government puppet master? We may never know!
Fanny Kaminski, one of the most influential women in public life, had a turnover of 801 million, and another company responsible for the Prime Minister’s social media content produced 637 million in sales last year.
Kaminski Fanny, the company of the Prime Minister’s social media manager, produced HUF 800,840,000 in sales in 2023.
The amount is of course not surprising in light of the fact that the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, i.e. Antal Rogán’s ministry, contracted with Triton Communications Service Provider Kft. in 2022 for HUF 764 million 160 thousand. THE contract subject was:
Carrying out communication tasks related to social media appearances for the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office.
Kaminski is 100 percent owner of this company, and the after-tax profit for 2023 was HUF 115,160,000.
Who is this woman?
It has been known for years, even decades, that Fanny Kaminski is a key member of the Prime Minister’s press team and the first wife of Árpád Habony, a former journalist who edits the Prime Minister’s Facebook page and other social media platforms. We have already written about Kaminski, who is in 3rd place in the public life section of our 2024 list of influential women, many times: one of the most important elements of Orbán’s communication is Facebook and other social media platforms, the controller of which from this position – although his influence is obviously exposed to his boss – undoubtedly has a significant impact on also for Hungarian public speaking.
Of course, Kaminski’s relationship capital ties him one hundred percent to circles close to the government, and the messages created under his control can be considered political rather than media products. At the same time, its influence in government communication has been unbroken for years.
His company, Triton Communications Kft., established in 2019, whose main activity is PR and communication, already closed in 2022 with sales revenue of 260 million, of which the taxable profit was 46 million forints (despite the similarity of the name, the company has nothing to do with the private healthcare provider operating under the name TritonLife). Based on the financial data of the previous years, it could be stated that the 2022, 260 million sales revenue could already be earned by this Kaminski company with the above-mentioned government mandate of 3-4 months.
What is more surprising is that since November 2022, neither the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office nor the Prime Minister’s Office has published a list of contracts on which the agreement with Triton would have been renewed.
Thus, it is not currently known what assignment and how much remuneration he is working on Orbán’s side. Presumably, the fruitful working relationship has not been interrupted, as Kaminski can still be seen around Orbán a lot – he was also featured recently on photos and on videos with the prime minister.
At the same time, his four-person company still does not have a website, apart from a few articles about Kaminski, they only appear on the miniszterelnok.hu website, moreover in the data management informationaccording to which their task is currently the development, maintenance and content management of the Prime Minister’s website.
Are posts even more expensive?
Of course, it can be assumed that today it is not exclusively Kaminski who posts on the Orbán accounts – he presumably outsourced this part to smaller “subcontractors” himself. In fact, it was also revealed from the above-mentioned data management information: the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office also uses a sub-data processor: the task of We Talk Digital Kft. is to upload the content provided by the data manager to the social media sites.
In other words, the ministry of Antal Rogán sends news and pictures about the prime minister to this company, presumably not by direct order, but perhaps through Kaminski’s company, and We Talk Digital can post them on Facebook and Instagram.
According to the company information, the latter company was only founded in January 2021. Its owner is Gergő Almás, in 2021 they closed with a minimal profit despite a turnover of HUF 34.7 million. A year later, the staff grew to 13 people, with sales revenue of 228 million.
And last year there were already 14 people in the company and they made 637 million, of which HUF 165,839,000 was a taxable profit for the company owner.
They were born about that before articlesthat the company of the young entrepreneur Gergő Almás, who once stood out as a contestant on Megasztár, quickly became quite popular in NER circles. References the Prime Minister’s social media pages are not included, but Ráhel Orbán’s baby store, Odu Store Kft. and István Tiborcz’s hotels (from the castle in Tura, which is about to cease being a hotel, to the Andrássy mansion in Tokaj) worked with Almás’s company. The FTC, chaired by Fidesz party director Gábor Kubatov, and the Zoboki architectural office, which rebuilt the Karmelita monastery for the prime minister, also chose the company founded in 2021.
