The Martin Agency, with offices in Richmond and New York, is setting up shop at 3 Grosvenor Gardens in London.
“Our London office is part of our strategic growth plan, and we’re delighted that it represents our first expansion into international markets,” said Matt Williams, CEO of The Martin Agency. “Several factors combine to make the timing right for our entry into the London market. We have an exciting new global assignment for a client we hope to be able to announce soon and having a London office will help in our management of both our ManpowerGroup and Education First accounts. We also have several projects in the new business pipeline that have the potential to help us grow this new office quickly.”
The Martin Agency is currently in discussions with top candidates for an executive creative director and other management team members to lead the London office. Ian Davidson, Martin’s managing director–international, and longtime London resident, will lead the office in the meantime. Additionally, the agency will be relocating award-winning creative director Brian Williams from the Richmond headquarters to London.
“London is obviously one of the world’s great creative markets,” said Joe Alexander, chief creative officer for The Martin Agency. “Personally, I’ve long admired the care and craftsmanship that goes into every aspect of the work here. The design, the type, the copy, the art. It’s something we’ve always prided ourselves on, as well. But the proof will be in the size of our ideas and the quality of the execution. Those are the only things that matter.”
The Martin Agency’s London office will accommodate about 15 to 20 employees.
SAG-AFTRA Calls For A Strike Against “League of Legends”
"League of Legends" is caught in the middle of a dispute between Hollywood's actors union and an audio company that provides voiceover services for the blockbuster online multiplayer game.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called a strike against "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing that Formosa Interactive attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on an unrelated title.
Formosa tried to "cancel" the unnamed video game, which was covered by the strike, shortly after the start of the work stoppage, SAG-AFTRA said. The union said when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge.
"League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. The company provides voiceover services for the game, according to SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against โ a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law."
Formosa did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "League of Legends" developer Riot Games said that the company "has nothing to do" with the union's complaint.
"We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, 'League of Legends' has only asked Formosa to engage with union... Read More