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Kirath Pahdi

Steve Martin and Jamie Wynne-Morgan, who created and developed the award-winning M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment agency over a 20-year period, have joined MSQ to build a generation defining sport and entertainment agency group - MSQ Sport + Entertainment.

A team photo of the leadership team at MSQ Sports + Entertainment

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Creators and developers of the award-winning M&amp;C Saatchi Sport &amp; Entertainment agency over a 20-year period, Steve Martin and Jamie Wynne-Morgan, have joined MSQ to build a generation-defining sport and entertainment agency group - MSQ Sport + Entertainment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The new global agency will use the power of sport and entertainment to create deeper connections for brands, talent and rights holders with services spanning sponsorship strategy and activation, social content strategy and production, PR and communications, live experiential events and talent management. Callaway Golf has signed up as the agency’s founding client for strategic consultancy services with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Steve and Jamie will be backed by MSQ, our private equity funder, OEP, and our 1,200-strong talented team of strategists, creatives, data analysts and channel activation specialists from across all MSQ agencies globally, as they look to attract the best talent and the best agencies through a significant acquisition and organic growth strategy.&nbsp;
A number of acquisition targets in the US and Europe have already been identified and conversations with industry specialists are underway.&nbsp;&nbsp;
MSQ Sport + Entertainment’s proposition will be differentiated by creativity, amplified by technology and enabled by data. The agency will be powered by a proprietary data and insight tool developed by MSQ's insights agency, <a href="https://freemavens.com" data-new-window="true" title="Freemavens homepage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Freemavens</a>, called TRIBES.
TRIBES uses advanced analytics to harness and map&nbsp;digital&nbsp;conversations,&nbsp;content, and curiosity at the pace of culture. It enables clients to more deeply understand what makes their audiences&nbsp;tick and how to better connect with them with the right content, in&nbsp;the right place, at the right time.&nbsp;&nbsp;​
Joint Founding Partners of MSQ Sport + Entertainment, Steve Martin and Jamie Wynne-Morgan, said: “By building from the ground-up and with investment for exciting acquisitions, we can create a dynamic global agency that is truly reflective of the current and future opportunities in the ever-evolving sport and entertainment industry.”
Jamie Wynne-Morgan added: “Technology will be integrated into our offering to intelligently accelerate insights, understanding and approaches to enhance the skills of our team, by working closely with the best minds and tools in this space within MSQ.
“It’s MSQ’s people and its culture – it’s strong belief in investing in specialisms, its B-Corp accreditation and its incentivised model that delivers effective internal collaborative working and growth - that really appealed to Steve and I.”
Steve Martin said “The sport and entertainment industry is an emotionally-charged, fast-paced world.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is a huge opportunity for Jamie and I to build an agile, invested agency for the modern era. An agency that fuses technology and human expertise to keep pace with ever-evolving fan culture and behaviour in real-time to make sure brands never miss a moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;
“We believe it will be an attractive place for clients to work with and the best talent to work for.”
Peter Reid, Global CEO of MSQ, commented: “We’ve been looking at developing a world-leading sport and entertainment proposition for some time, that builds on the work currently going on within our agencies in tapping into talent and brands in this space.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“For us it was finding the right people with the right cultural fit and in Steve and Jamie we have that in abundance. They are two of the industry’s leading operators with a significant global track-record operating in an experience-driven space that is increasingly attracting greater consumer spend. We are thrilled to be working with them to create an agency that builds authentic connections between brands and cultural trends that are expressed through sport and entertainment. It is an area that is becoming increasingly critical for forward-looking brands and this new agency will deliver a significant increase in our capabilities in this area which is incredibly exciting.”
Steve and Jamie will be working alongside MSQ Executive Director, Kate Howe, to bring the agency vision to life.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/former-m-c-saatchi-chiefs-launch-global-agency-msq-sport-+-entertainment/1876332" data-new-window="true" title="MSQ S+E in Campaign magazine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This story first appeared in Campaign.</a>
<a href="https://msqsportandentertainment.com/" data-new-window="true" title="MSQ Sport + Entertainment website" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Check out the MSQ Sport + Entertainment website, here.</a>

Leading Sport and Entertainment Duo join MSQ to Create New Global Agency

M3 Labs will bring together all of MSQ’s group-wide production expertise for the first time, uniting the capabilities under one entity with teams operating across the globe.

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MSQ has launched a new global end-to-end Ai and People-Powered production agency, M3 Labs, to help businesses Make, Manage and Measure their marketing content, with data, tech, media and sustainability at the core of its operations.
M3 Labs will bring together all of MSQ’s group-wide production expertise for the first time, uniting the capabilities under one entity with teams operating in London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Singapore.
As agencies continue to decouple capabilities – resulting in disparate services and more layers for clients to navigate – M3 Labs will focus on joining the disciplines up by putting production at the heart, recoupling data, creative and media to deliver culturally relevant content faster and more effectively.
The agency will combine MSQ’s brand and creative studio expertise with its cutting-edge Ai and tech tools, incorporating bespoke workflow management systems, sustainable platforms and MSQ’s Data offer to ensure speed and cost reductions and more valuable outcomes.
M3 Labs will be led by global managing director, Darren Khan, and executive chair, Mark Cramphorn, with support from production leaders across MSQ. They will report to MSQ executive director, Kate Howe.
Darren joined MSQ in July last year to launch MSQ’s Source offer, which uses an instantly accessible community of content creators around the world to connect clients with the best director, creator and influencer talent. The approach means that content can be developed with the same production rigour but in faster and more sustainable ways and Khan – who is also an Advisory Board member of AdGreen – has already worked with the likes of Expedia and Land Rover to produce campaigns.
Prior to MSQ, Darren was the founder of remote production business Travlrr. He had also been the managing director UK &amp; Europe for Genero, and led commercial teams at Bauer Media and ITV.
Mark has held senior positions at some of the world’s largest agencies, including Bartle Bogle Hegarty, TBWA, Publics and EDC, and most recently has been consulting on various projects with Khan and MSQ.
Amongst the specialists within MSQ supporting M3 Labs will be global production leads Robin Shek and Andy Edmonds, operations director Dasha Dollar-Smirnova and head of content Neil Bennett.
Robin is the co-founder of Brave Spark, MSQ’s Creative Studio, which has produced award-winning campaigns for the likes of Zalando, Asics and Trivento. In addition to supporting M3 Labs, he will retain his role at Brave Spark, joining-up the studio’s additional in-house production expertise when necessary.
Andy became the general manager of MSQ Asia in March 2022, having previously been Media.Monks’ APAC senior regional growth director. He has worked closely in that time with MSQ’s production teams in Singapore, notably Elmwood, and will run the M3 Labs offer across the region.
Dasha has worked at some of Europe’s foremost production networks, overseeing transcreation, digital and video content at agencies including Hogarth Worldwide, OLIVER and Prodigious Worldwide. She has been leading transcreation and product development projects at MSQ since November last year.
Kate says, “Joined-up Thinking has sat at the heart of MSQ’s recent success and by joining up the brilliant production talent we have across the group with our ever-evolving range of market-leading products and services, we believe we have a truly industry-leading audience-led production solution. Our suite of capabilities means we can create more targeted messages to the right audiences at the right time, saving clients time and money without compromising on quality, all whilst providing the more sustainable and measurable outcomes that brands crave.”
Darren says, “M3 Labs will help brands connect more effectively with customers by creating more assets, optimised and personalised in more efficient ways, at greater speed and, crucially, with sustainability baked in from the start. Our sustainable production results in a 35% cost saving and an 80% reduction in carbon emissions, which is a win for our clients and a win for the planet.”
Mark says, “Developments in Ai and tech have transformed the world of production, and MSQ’s breadth of knowledge and product development in this area allows us to join up our expertise and provide a cutting-edge solution that genuinely delivers on what clients need. Whether marketers are struggling with the personalisation of their content, want to reduce waste or increase the sustainability of their production process, M3 Labs can bring in the right specialists and tools at the right time to help them thrive in this ever-changing production landscape.”
Launching a sustainability-driven production business is another key step in MSQ’s sustainability journey. The group achieved B-Corp accreditation in May 2023 and has set formal Science-Based Targets, signing up to the Million Tree Pledge and appointing a Chief Sustainability Officer. MSQ also publishes its progress in sustainability through a dedicated Sustainability Report, providing an in-depth look at the business’ total emissions and emissions per head, as well as breaking down its Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.
This article first appeared on LBB Online <a href="https://www.lbbonline.com/news/msq-launches-end-to-end-sustainable-production-agency-m3-labs">here</a>.