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The exciting move marks significant MSQ expansion stateside and global scale for SPCSHP brand.

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Next generation independent creative, technology and media company&nbsp;MSQ&nbsp;has acquired leading New York-based creative agency&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spcshp.com/">SPCSHP</a>. The acquisition more than doubles London-based MSQ’s presence in the U.S., increasing annual revenues in North America to $100MM and accelerating its&nbsp;ability to deliver agile, multi-disciplinary solutions that- fuses together data, tech and creativity to build effective brand momentum for its clients.&nbsp;&nbsp;
MSQ’s ambitious international investment strategy to grow organically and through acquisition is backed by leading private equity groups One Equity Partners and LDC as it creates hubs of scale in North America, the UK and Europe – where entrepreneurial agencies can thrive, collaborate and provide joined up thinking to their clients.&nbsp;
Previously known as Big Spaceship, SPCSHP is an independent creative agency famous for its innovative digital marketing strategies and solutions. With this acquisition, SPCSHP gains access to MSQ’s global network of best in class agencies, allowing it to provide a broader set of marketing solutions to its roster of&nbsp;Fortune&nbsp;100 brands and better position itself for growth. Founder and Chairman Michael Lebowitz and CEO Ranae Heuer will continue to lead SPCSHP as part of MSQ’s U.S. team, with SPCSHP's 140 colleagues joining MSQ’s 1,200 colleagues operating across 13 global offices.&nbsp;
“SPCSHP is a shining light in the U.S., and its success is of huge credit to Michael, Ranae and the team. They have consistently delivered innovative creative work, executing integrated campaigns for their long-standing brand partners to a wide audience,” said MSQ Global CEO Peter Reid. “The agency’s increasing scopes of work and recent wins are a testament to their value in the industry, and we’re delighted to have them as part of our group.”
Founded by Lebowitz almost 25 years ago, SPCSHP is one of the U.S.’ most successful digital creative agencies. It recently became Dairy Queen’s U.S. creative agency of record and has held a similar position with JP Morgan Chase and Starbucks for five and seven years respectively. SPCSHP has also worked with Google for more than 15 years, setting the standard for long running brand and agency relationships in an ever-changing industry. Other clients include PepsiCo and Early Warning Services.
“SPCSHP represents most of my professional life and nearly half my life overall. I'm massively grateful to the many people who helped build it to what it is today,” said SPCSHP Founder and Executive Chair Michael Lebowitz. “As we began considering who to partner with for our next phase of growth last year, MSQ emerged as the clear choice. I believe Peter and his team have the right alchemy of ambition and creativity to open up a world of opportunity to our clients and our crew.”
Acquiring SPCSHP marks the latest move in MSQ’s U.S. expansion plans. In the last two years, Smarts (PR and creative), BraveSpark (creative production agency), MMT (web and digital product development) and Walk-In Media (full service media) have joined established U.S. sister agencies The Gate (creative and CRM), Stein IAS (B2B media) and Elmwood (branding and design) under the MSQ portfolio. North America President Aaron Lang, who oversees MSQ’s U.S. operations, will work closely with Lebowitz and Heuer.&nbsp;
“This acquisition really ignites our growth in the U.S. and what solutions we’re able to deliver to clients,” said MSQ North American President Aaron Lang. “We are excited about the future opportunities stateside and across the globe that we can unlock with SPCSHP as part of the MSQ family.”&nbsp;
“We are seeing market demand for ideas at scale, and becoming part of the MSQ global network will be a game changer for us and our clients,” said SPCSHP CEO Ranae Heuer.
The news of SPCSHP’s acquisition follows the creation of MSQ Sport + Entertainment, led by former M&amp;C Saatchi’s Steve Martin and Jamie Wynne-Morgan, to build a global sport and entertainment agency.&nbsp;
Terms of the SPCSHP deal were not disclosed.

MSQ Acquires New York-Based Creative Agency SPCSHP as it Continues Stateside Expansion

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>