Why IPG and LeBron James' entertainment firm Spring Hill are teaming up

Interpublic Group has struck a deal with LeBron James’ entertainment company and brand consultancy, SpringHill Company, in a move to gain access to the firm’s growing lineup of diverse creators, including copywriters and entertainment development executives. The joint venture, called IPG x The SpringHill Company, will be announced today at Cannes and comes as marketers and ad agencies seek new ways to connect brands to pop culture. “IPG will have access to all of our creates and creative teams and our creative community. So what we are going to do is play a little bit of matchmaker,” SpringHill President Devin Johnson said in an interview. SpringHill, which is led by James and longtime business partner Maverick Carter, has been on a roll, pumping out recent films such as “Hustle,” the Netflix basketball movie starring Adam Sandler, as well as “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which starred James and ran in theaters last year. SpringHill’s production arm also handled the 2022 Super Bowl ad for Crypto.com that starred James. SpringHill also runs a brand consultancy called Robot whose clients have included “Fortnite” maker Epic Games. Epic is part of an investment group that late last year acquired a minority stake in SpringHill that valued the firm at $725 million. The group also included Nike, RedBird Capital Partners and Fenway Sports Group, whose holdings include the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. Cannes Lions 2022 Read all of Ad Age’s festival coverage here Check out our live blog here Terms of the IPG deal were not disclosed. While SpringHill is still free to work with other agency holding companies, “this is a unique JV we would not replicate with another holding company,” Johnson said. Output could range from custom branded content to experiential marketing plugging IPG clients into SpringHill programs such as “Unuinteruputed Live,” the event arm of SpringHill’s Uninterrupted division, which involves athletes in a range of entertainment and product initiatives. Uninterrupted’s projects have included a Procter & Gamble-backed film, called “These Hands,” which featured a father telling his football-playing son that his career opportunities are endless, and beyond sports, by featuring a prominent Black surgeon, artist and astronaut. The film is part of P&G’s “Widen The Screen” initiative that seeks to address systematic bias and inequities in advertising and media. “P&G approached us and just said they really wanted to do something impactful, and really gave us a blank slate,” Johnson said. Read more: P&G putting more money behind Black creators and media Johnson sees the IPG deal as opening up similar opportunities with the holding company’s clients. “IPG has a really strong roster of brands that are looking to do cutting-edge content. And for us, that is where we like to cut our teeth,” with brands that “want to take chances and take risks and create really authentic, entertaining and insightful content.” The venture comes as agency companies face more pressure to boost representation from diverse talent. SpringHill employees are about 70% BIPOC and 50% women, according to Johnson. He declined to disclose the company’s size, but media reports have pegged SpringHill as employing about 200 people. Interpublic CEO Philippe Krakowsky in a statement credited SpringHill with “changing the way the world thinks about the role of creators, by building one of the most powerful platforms for tapping into diverse talent and driving change.” He added that “IPG’s people, clients and communities will all benefit from close collaboration with The SpringHill Company as we look to spark important, and sometimes difficult, conversations, elevate voices that need to be heard and help our clients connect with new creative perspectives and purpose-driven projects.” The arrangement gives SpringHill access to IPG’s “audience data and analytics capabilities to better understand and inform new projects and deliver consumer-first insights that reach individuals and communities with precision and impact,” according to the statement. Leading the SpringHill joint venture for IPG will be Brendan Gaul, global chief content officer for IPG Mediabrands and global president of Traverse32, the IPG-backed independent development sudio; and Taj Tsonga, VP and creative executive at Traverse32. For SpringHill, leaders of the venture include Chris White, executive VP of brand partnerships, and Ricardo Viramontes, SpringHill’s chief creative officer. Lindsey Slaby, founder of brand consultancy Sunday Dinner, whose services include agency reviews, said that for IPG, the joint venture “is definitely an advantage in the new business process—they simply have to deliver on it. And I look forward to seeing it.” “The closer an agency can get their brand clients strategically placed into the right deals, the better they are servicing the current needs of that account,” she said in an email interview. But she added that ”creating content opportunities and partnerships is incredibly challenging and requires the right guidance from those who understand how to align brand values, business needs, and audience growth abilities in perfect symbiosis.” The IPG deal comes in the same week SpringHill announced a new partnership with Naomi Osaka to help the tennis star launch a media company called Hana Kuma, whose offerings will include scripted and unscripted television series, documentaries, anime and branded content, according to The New York Times. SpringHill’s role will include financing, operations and a producing partner, the Times reported. There’s reason we call ourselves an Empowerment Company. This incredible woman and the stories she is going to bring to life is EXACTLY what we about!!!Incredibly proud to call her my partner. @naomiosaka @makespringhill #MoreThananAthlete https://t.co/mellHFKP9Q— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 21, 2022

Why IPG and LeBron James' entertainment firm Spring Hill are teaming up

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