Havas has acquired a majority stake (51%) in Uncommon Creative Studio, a five-year-old independent creative agency based in the U.K. The deal–which values the future potential of Uncommon at £80-120 million ($103 million-$155 million) considering their projected growth plans–reflects Havas’ longstanding commitment to investing in creativity to develop meaningful brands. The Uncommon founders will retain a material stake in the business (49%), maintaining their entrepreneurial involvement and sharing best practice across Havas and media, entertainment and communications parent company Vivendi. Alongside Havas London, Uncommon will further strengthen Havas’ presence in the U.K. It will also offer an important opportunity to expand the creative network in the United States, building and accelerating on Uncommon’s already strong roster of major U.S. clients. Uncommon will retain and grow its brand globally, while collaborating with Havas’ network and world class entertainment brands thanks to Vivendi, such as Canal+, Universal Music Group and Gameloft, to drive creativity across a bigger canvas…..
Hollywood’s Oscar Season Turns Into A Pledge Drive In Midst Of L.A. Wildfires
When the Palisades Fire broke out in Los Angeles last Tuesday, Hollywood's awards season was in full swing. The Golden Globes had transpired less than 48 hours earlier and a series of splashy awards banquets followed in the days after.
But the enormity of the destruction in Southern California has quickly snuffed out all festiveness in the movie industry's high season of celebration. At one point, the flames even encroached on the hillside above the Dolby Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards.
The fires have struck at the very heart of a movie industry still trying to stabilize itself after years of pandemic, labor turmoil and technological upheaval. Not for the first time this decade, the Oscars are facing the question of: Should the show go on? And if it does, what do they mean now?
"With ALL due respect during Hollywood's season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have gathered to victims of the fires and the firefighters," "Hacks" star Jean Smart, a recent Globe winner, wrote on Instagram.
The Oscars remain as scheduled, but it's certain that they will be transformed due to the wildfires, and that most of the red-carpet pomp that typically stretches between now and then will be curtailed if not altogether canceled. With so many left without a home by the fires, there's scant appetite for the usual self-congratulatory parades of the season.
Focus has turned, instead, to what the Oscars might symbolize for a traumatized Los Angeles. The Oscars have never meant less, but, at the same time, they might be more important than ever as a beacon of perseverance for the reeling movie capital.
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