One-Director Shop Secures National Representation Via PGM Artists
By Robert Goldrich
LOS ANGELES --Director Peter Kagan–who’s perhaps best known for his long, successful tenure at Stiefel + Company, which was acquired by bicoastal/international @radical.media in 2002–has launched bicoastal production house Streamline Content. He had most recently been at bicoastal Celsius Films.
Kagan has already wrapped his first project under the Streamline banner, a campaign for the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services promoting breast cancer awareness. Kagan bills his new venture as being based on a “low-fat production model,” meaning a shop with low overhead. He has tapped into PGM Artists, a New York-based firm headed by Phil McIntyre, for national representation.
Kagan reasoned that a lean operation gives him cost flexibility to offer to clients for traditional and emerging ad forms. He will also be more hands-on involved in his own entrepreneurial shop, leading to more direct creative interaction between himself and agency creatives.
Beginning his career as a still photographer, Kagan broke into live-action directing through work on such fashion accounts as Karl Lagerfeld. Kagan gained prominence through Stiefel+Company where he directed commercials for, among others, Nike, Chevrolet, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, JC Penney, Reebok, MTV, Saturn and Ford.
For the latter, he directed live commercials promoting the Ford Focus automobile for J. Walter Thompson, Detroit. The first flight of ads debuted during the MTV Music Video Awards in ’99 and starred Anabelle Gurwitch, who was then co-host of TBS’ Dinner & A Movie. The centerpiece spot in the campaign had Gurwitch preparing to pick up singer Ricky Martin after a concert. She held up two outfits and asked viewers to go to the Ford Focus Web site (which displayed photos of Gurwitch wearing each getup) and to choose which one she should wear. The spontaneously interactive TV model spurred on Kagan’s interest in new unconventional ad formats and was a catalyst for others to explore new ground.
Kagan’s experience also includes the music video discipline. He has helmed clips for such artists as Steve Winwood and Duran Duran.
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More