• by Amy Corr  @MediaPostOTL, July 31, 2014

FX has shifted its media account from Media Storm to Zenith Media without a review or pitch. Zenith Media is the incumbent agency for Fox Studios, and the move marks a consolidation of work. The account is valued at $15 million and the agency change will take effect Oct. 5.

A source tells MediaPost's Agency Daily the agency shift was due to "a lot of cost pressure." The source also says that while they are "disappointed by the news, they enjoyed a good relationship with FX over the years." Media Storm's most recent campaign promoted the FX series "The Strain." MediaStorm continues to handle work for the Fox Network and Fox Sports1, all of which was unaffected by the FX shift.

In an internal memo obtained by MAD, Antony Young, president of Water Cooler Group and Media Storm and Craig Woerz, managing partner and founder, informed staff:

"After 12 years in helping FX to grow its original programming slate, Media Storm’s relationship with FX is ending.

They have chosen to consolidate their spending with the Fox studios AOR assignment  They believe they can get lower fees for their agency services this way.  In the end, we couldn’t reach an agreement where we could provide the service and expertise profitably. 

As an independent agency and not part of a global holding company, we are in the enviable position of being able to make smart decisions that we know are right for our clients and business both today and long-term. We did not feel it right that any other Media Storm client should be forced to effectively subsidize another client.

We thank FX for the relationship and opportunity to work with them. We are proud of this partnership and the over 100 media campaigns we did together.  Our thanks to Stephanie Gibbons and Lance Reiss in particular. We started the company on the launch of FX’s first original show "The Shield," and has led significant success for the network including: "Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Sons of Anarchy," "American Horror Story" franchise and most recently, "The Americans" and "Fargo."  We have enormous satisfaction in contributing to that significant ratings and commercial success of the Network.  We really have been ‘Fearless’ together.

For Media Storm, we have a consistent track record of growth, and with this amazing team, fully expect to swiftly replace the income from this loss."