R/GA, which bills itself as the agency for the digital age, is extending its reach internationally. The New York-headquartered shop has opened a London office which will serve as the firm’s main European hub, administering full-service offerings in digital marketing and advertising.
“London was a natural choice for us, not only in catering to client needs, but also due to the history of creativity and digital expertise that has flourished in the city,” said Bob Greenberg, R/GA chairman/CEO. “Given the vibrancy of the market, our goal is to establish a strong footprint in Europe and maintain the consistent high quality of work for which we are known.”
R/GA gained a presence in London last year when it won the global Nokia Nseries account. Last week the Mobile Marketing Association honored R/GA’s Nokia Bluetooth campaign for best use of mobile marketing in a product/services launch. The Bluetooth-enabled posters, which appeared early this year in London Underground stations, invited commuters to download a Superfuture (London’s premier online city guide) map to their handsets. Once downloaded, the maps highlighted surrounding area hot spots, demonstrating the power of Nokia’s mobile multimedia computers.
The new office will follow R/GA’s mantra of integrating creative, technology and media, in addition to extending practices in mobile marketing, experience design, and universal planning. “Following the success of the Bluetooth campaign and together with ongoing support from the New York office, we are looking forward to adding another dimension [with the U.K. expansion] to R/GA’s rich working culture,” said Chris Colborn, the agency’s worldwide creative director.
The London office will also support other R/GA clients and build on local clientele. R/GA London expects to have approximately 20 people in the fold by early 2007. Previously, R/GA had been sharing office space in the U.K. with sister IPG agencies.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More