• by Larissa Faw , October 8, 2019

Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital is acquiring digital agency Firewood, which will become part of S4’s  MediaMonks.

Founded in 2010 by Juan and Lanya Zambrano, Firewood offers a broad range of digital capabilities including creative, strategy and planning, performance media and technology services. 

Headquartered in San Francisco, the 300+ person agency has recently been on a growth spree and now includes offices in Mountain View, CA, Sandpoint, NY, Dublin, London and Mexico City.

Firewood will continue to operate under its own name and in its existing offices. The leadership structure will also remain in place.

Firewood wasn't necessarily looking to lose its independence, explains Lanya Zambrano. “We weren’t actively looking to sell but had a lot of suitors since they noticed our explosive growth. We very carefully vetted companies in order to see if any would be a perfect match and were open to selling if all the requirements were fulfilled.” 

Requirements, she added, included “enhancing career opportunities for employees, retaining Firewood's culture, growing the company, diversifying industries of clients, and expanding more globally.”

For S4Capital, the deal is another strategic move towards delivering a digital-oriented first party data-driven content and programmatic offer with a unitary business model. “This merger is a further step in creating a new era communications services leader," stated Sorrell.