WPP launches new content agency headed by former Ensemble boss Justin Ricketts
WPP has launched production agency Agile Content Productions, designed to take on IPG Mediabrands’ Ensemble, and tapping the founder of that agency, Justin Ricketts, to lead the new business.
Justin Ricketts named CEO of Agile Content Productions
Ricketts, who founded Ensemble in 2010 and was CEO for six years, finished up at the business in March this year following a restructure by IPG Mediabrands boss, Danny Bass, which saw him bring in MCN’s Melissa Fein as CEO.
WPP AUNZ group business director Rob Currie said the company saw a huge opportunity in the content space and that Ricketts would be joined by managing director Grant Anderson, another former employee of Ensemble.
“Agile will sit firmly within our over-reaching strategic focus on horizontality, with a motivation to fully integrate itself within the group and focus on collaborating and working with them to develop and produce audience first video content,” Currie said.
“Our view is that our clients want specialists, but need a more effective model to work with multiple agencies.”
Ricketts said the Agile model would be founded on innovation and disruption in the way that it developed and delivered content.
“This is a new type of proposition that fits well with an increased client demand for quality, audience-first video content as the landscape evolves and brands need to find new ways to reach and engage consumers,” Ricketts said.
“Video is the most effective channel inside digital and we believe brands can play a larger role in inspiring all forms of audience-first content, including TV.
“Agile will have a ‘laser focus’ on creating and producing video and animated social content to engage audiences. The sole purpose of Agile is to help the operating companys who need to create and produce audience-first content more effectively. This will be achieved in partnership with Agile.”
Prior to Ensemble, Ricketts was the general manager – consulting, with Octagon Australia for just over five years.
Since finishing up with Ensemble, Ricketts spent two months as the content and marketing consultant with United Weapons Master and in June was appointed a non-executive director and strategy consultant for VE Interactive.
Anderson was head of content at Ensemble and also a former executive producer, commercial content, for Network Ten.
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