WPP has acquired a majority stake in SET Management, LLC (SET Creative), a brand experience agency based in Portland, Ore., with offices in New York and Los Angeles. The deal allows WPP to grow its Branding and Identity group already comprised of retail and brand consultancy, FITCH, and global brand agency, Brand Union.
SET was founded by Sabina Teshler, who was recently selected with only 12 others in the U.S. for the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program. Teshler and SET’s management team, including president and chief strategy officer Alasdair Lloyd-Jones and COO Kurt Kujovich, will report to Simon Bolton, co-leader of WPP’s branding and identity division.
SET was born out of a Nike relationship in 2009 focused almost exclusively on production in retail. It has since broadened well beyond production to include strategy, creative, digital and design. Its client roster includes Nike, Jordan, Arc’teryx, BMW, Fab.com, Google Glass, Red Bull, Uniqlo, and Victoria’s Secret PINK.
To strengthen its capability in live events and expand its offer into Europe, SET recently acquired Flourish, a best-in-class live experience agency based in London, and with clients including Google, Bentley and BP. Effective immediately, the London-based entity will be renamed SET Live, concentrating on events, exhibitions and environments. The U.S. offices continue to operate under the SET brand name.
Bolton, group CEO of WPP’s branding and identity agencies, FITCH and Brand Union, will also oversee SET and SET Live. “SET creates world class physical and digital brand experiences, making it an ideal partner to Brand Union and FITCH,’ said Bolton. “The three agencies provide a complementary set of services, from brand strategy, to retail, design and events, collectively creating a roadmap for agile omni-channel brands.”
Teshler said the new relationship with WPP “will enable us to support our clients across a wider international footprint, as we continue our mission to create world class physical and digital experiences for brands.”
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