• by Larissa Faw , October 14, 2015

The current demand for content from marketers is impacting many ad shops. There are the different 'tiers' of creative content that marketers must address. Brands such as Kraft Heinz are increasingly bypassing creative shops to source content production directly to production houses. And there are also aggressive moves from agencies to create in-house production operations.

Now, NB Content, an Australian-based integrated production studio is hoping to capitalize on this disruption by exporting its client-direct production model to the U.S. The firm believes that the process surrounding creative content production needs to be more nimble, economical, and quantifiably successful.  

Spearheading this U.S. invasion is Mark Sitley, a former agency production executive who’s worked at Euro RSCG (now Havas) in New York where he was also an executive creative director, Fallon Worldwide in Minneapolis and Chiat/Day in New York.  

As managing director for North America, Sitley will partner with NB Content Co-Founders Tom Marks, Scott Pioro, Dave Schmidt, Elise Trenorden and Mark Bradley to replicate the NB Content model to brands and agencies here. He will manage offices in Los Angeles and New York that will eventually total 25 to 30 full-time staffers, in addition to freelancers. Along with its capabilities in producing traditional ad content such as commercials, the studio also works in the areas of live event production, film, and music. 

Under its model, the agency assembles integrated teams that “push the boundaries of creativity and capability regardless of media platform or usage," says Sitley. "In reality, our goal is to ultimately help CMOs create increasingly effective and engaging messaging and experiences by helping be their brands’ problem-solvers regarding all their creative production and communication needs.”

The agency produces almost all of Fiat Chrysler's spots for Jeep, Fiat and other brands in both Australia and throughout Asia. "My priority is to change the way production is handled," says Sitley. "This can be done most effectively by aggregating many initiatives, on many platforms, at the same time and assigning the appropriate, smart, responsive teams to accomplish producing as much volume of integrated work as is economically possible given a marketer’s budget. Clients simply get more for their money, and have the content on hand to react quickly to changes in the media /sales landscape."