JWT North America has acquired Digitaria, a full-service digital agency based in San Diego and with satellite offices in Dallas, New York and Los Angeles. Purchase price was not disclosed. Dan Khabie retains his title as Digitaria CEO and will report to David Eastman, JWT North America CEO and worldwide digital director.
Founded in 1997, Digitaria has turned out such notable work as the NFL’s international site NFL-360.com, the Best Western To Go! iPhone app, and the U.S. Soccer site ussoccer.com. The 100-person shop has such clients as Qualcomm, NBC, Dreamworks and ESPN.
Digitaria retains its name and will operate as a unit of JWT North America, helping to serve JWT’s clients as well as its own existing clients using its proprietary “Digital Brand Migration” approach. The company specializes in transferring brands to multiple digital platforms such as websites, mobile devices, touch screens, social media applications and kiosks.
“JWT’s network offers a quality and scale that no other agency provides,” said Khabie. “JWT management is energized about having us join the team and we are thrilled to be a part of the organization.”
Headquartered in New York, JWT is a global network with more than 200 offices in over 90 countries employing nearly 10,000 marketing professionals.
Mindy Kaling and Kate Hudson Take On Pro Basketball In Netflix Series “Running Point”
In Mindy Kaling's new Netflix series, "Running Point, " Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, the new president of the Los Angeles Waves, a pro basketball team that's been run by her family for years. Hudson's character has to prove herself as a woman in a man's world not only to her passed-over brothers, but also to players whose egos need checking and other executives who don't take her seriously.
If Isla's story rings a bell, take a look at the list of executive producers on the 10-episode season dropping Thursday: Among them is Jeanie Buss, the president of the Los Angeles Lakers, who was embroiled in similar turmoil over control of the storied NBA franchise after the death of her father, Jerry Buss.
Buss not only has given the show her blessing, it was her idea said Kaling. Buss was a big fan of "The Office" and approached Kaling with the premise about five years ago. Kaling ended up as the co-creator, writer and executive producer alongside Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen.
"She's in a very serious, stressful job but she loves comedy. She does not take herself seriously," Kaling says of Buss. "That's really rare when someone has that much power and that much to lose."
Jeanie Buss' blessing
In fact, Kaling said, Buss wanted the show to be funny and had "no ego" about using her real life as inspiration.
"She's had some extremely interesting things happen to her as the president of the Lakers. Some of it is she literally dated the coach for many years and she's like, 'Do whatever you want,'" Kaling says, referring to Buss' former relationship with Phil Jackson. "To get that kind of carte blanche, I'd never heard that from someone who is so famous and, you know, pretty private."
Shortly after the news... Read More