Bicoastal production company ArtClass is expanding into the Midwest with the acquisition of Kansas City-based video agency BicMedia. BicMedia now operates as the postproduction department and Midwest hub of ArtClass, which also has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Leveraging BicMedia’s full-service capabilities spanning live-action, animation, VFX, editing, and music and sound, the deal bolsters ArtClass’ hybrid production offerings for traditional commercials, shorts, branded content, and original IP.
According to Art Class executive producer Geno Imbriale, the acquisition positions his company to better serve its growing client base as a world-class fully integrated creative collective that can deliver quality work at scale.
“We’ve always had the gas needed to take a project from concept to post, but we wanted the full engine,” said Imbriale, who founded ArtClass with director Vincent Peone in 2018. “BicMedia has consistently impressed us with their ability to reach beyond their market delivering content for global brands with a forward-thinking approach. Not to mention, Kansas City is a budding hub that’s filled with talented creatives, editors, and designers.”
BicMedia previously served as preferred post partner of ArtClass, building on executive producer Corwin Carroll, Imbriale, and Peone’s longstanding relationship working together at top production and content creation shops in L.A. Carroll went on to join BicMedia, which was co-founded in 2002 by Austin Bickford, growing the company into a creative powerhouse in the Kansas City advertising and commercial production community with clients that included Condé Nast, Discovery, ESPN and Samsung.
In bringing BicMedia’s team of 20 into the fold, ArtClass nearly doubles its staff size, with Bickford and Carroll assuming the role of managing partner at the Kansas City outpost.
“As we began to outgrow the Kansas City market, a coastal expansion was already on our radar,” said Bickford. “Having collaborated with ArtClass through the years, however, joining forces with their crew made perfect sense as we felt like we could play well into each other’s strengths. We share a lot of core values when it comes to nurturing client relationships and making great ideas come to life, regardless of how big or small the budget is; and we are equally adept in the strategy, creative, and production aspect of making commercials and content for our brand and agency clients.”
Located in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, BicMedia boasts 7,500 square feet of office space along with a 10,000-square-foot soundstage for live-action shoots. Its facilities are equipped with a full LED lighting package and ARRI Alexa camera packages.
“It’s important for us to approach our business with a national perspective,” concluded Imbriale, “and that means doing more than tapping both coasts with a satellite office in another big market. BicMedia and Kansas City check all of the boxes for ArtClass to do just that. It’s a third home–in a city we love–that elevates our operations, widens our talent pool, and extends our reach into new markets, new partnerships, and untapped creative opportunities.”
