Creative agencies Forsman & Bodenfors and KBS (Kirshenbaum, Bond, Senecal + Partners)-–both part of MDC Partners–will merge under the Forsman & Bodenfors name to form a new global creative offering.
With 700 employees across eight offices in North America, Europe and Asia, the new Forsman & Bodenfors will share dual headquarters in Sweden and New York. The agency will be led by a global board overseen by global executive chairman Anna Qvennerstedt and global CEO Guy Hayward. Silla Levin and Mike Densmore will continue to lead Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden and New York, respectively. The agency’s client roster includes Diageo, H&M, Hyatt, LG, P&G, Vanguard and Volvo, and will capitalize on the growing demand among clients for a modern, global creative agency that is specialized and nimble enough to achieve worldwide scale without sacrificing creativity, innovation and humanity.
Founded in 1986 in Gothenburg, Sweden, Forsman & Bodenfors has produced memorable creative campaigns, including Volvo Trucks’ “Epic Split” campaign starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and SK-II’s “Marriage Market Takeover.”
Established in New York City in 1987, KBS has been recognized for its creative technology-driven work such as BMW’s “All Eyes on Gigi” and Monster.com’s “Find Better” campaigns.
The new Forsman & Bodenfors includes several partners and subsidiaries:
- The Media Kitchen, a media partner agency of KBS, which will retain its name and offer integrated media planning and buying services.
- London-based company, Albion, a digital transformation and product innovation partner that will also retain its name.
- Happy F&B, an agency focusing on brand strategy and design.
- F&B Inhouse, focusing on digital activation solutions.
- F&B Factory, a brand performance agency.
- F&B Studios, a production company focusing on film, photo and postproduction.
“We’re thrilled to join forces with KBS, bringing our unique way of working to an expanded global family,” said Qvennerstedt . “ Forsman & Bodenfors’ culture of collaboration and flat team structure are designed to break free from the standard hierarchical agency model, which allows us to deliver outsized creativity. Because our teams work autonomously toward our clients’ aims, the only boss is the task itself, and we’re excited to apply our collective creative thinking for the benefit of our local and global clients.”
Hayward added, “Today in our business, exceptional talent is the key to unlocking creativity. Too often, clients are faced with having to decide whether to partner with award-winning creative agencies, tech-forward digital shops or strategic consultancies. By aligning a way of working that attracts and retains the very best talent with our blend of creativity, data, technology and media on a global scale, clients no longer have to choose.”
Forsman & Bodenfors maintains offices in Gothenburg, New York, Stockholm, London, Toronto, Montreal, Shanghai and Singapore.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More