• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, August 10, 2011

Ensemble, the Interpublic Group branded entertainment shop, has opened a Los Angeles office and has named Neil Hamel to run it as West Coast director, the agency has confirmed.

The new role is somewhat unique in that Hamel will retain his duties as a client lead at sister agency Initiative's Innovations division. In an internal memo circulated to IPG Mediabrands staffers, the move was described as a "partnership" between Ensemble and Initiative, given Hamel's new dual role.

At Ensemble, Hamel will report to President and CEO Scott Donaton while continuing to report separately to Initiative on Innovations matters.

IPG established Ensemble in 2009 to work with sister agencies such as Initiative and Universal McCann, to develop branded content for its clients. The firm also works with some of IPG's creative and full-service agencies like Gotham and Draftfcb, along with a few clients with no other ties to the holding company.

According to Donaton, Ensemble typically works on 20 to 30 projects at any given time, and he's been shuttling out to Los Angeles from his New York base every two or three weeks. "There are various reasons to open a West Coast office," he said -- especially since many of the industry's content creators, as well as some key clients like Hyundai/Kia, are based there. Having Hamel in place will also allow him to dial down his travel time.

Recent projects include a series of short films for UM client BMW called "Alter Egos" that supports the brand's 6 Series of convertibles. They are designed to tell stories about the interesting but lesser-known down-time activities of celebrities like Kevin Bacon and high-end jewelry designer David Yurman. The short films are scheduled to appear both online and on TV.

Another recent effort, for client Denny's, is a series of Webisodes entitled "Always Open," featuring comedian David Koechner in a series of conversations at a Denny's as Koechner and a celebrity guests, such as Jason Bateman, eat and banter.

Hamel says the dual job is appealing and doable, given the numerous "synergies" that exist between Ensemble and the Initiative Innovations unit. Both firms do branded content, for example, and share clients like Hyundai and Denny's. "It's really a way of bringing [the two firms] closer together," he said.

Donaton said he wanted Hamel to head Ensemble's West Coast office because of his "passion and belief in the future of content."