• by Larissa Faw , March 23, 2021

Connelly Partners (CP) is expanding its content development capabilities by acquiring VRX Studios, a content studio specializing in the hospitality industry.

Scott Madden, senior partner/director of strategy at CP will serve as managing director of VRX to bridge the two organizations strategically. He’ll work closely with VRX’s President/Chief Creative Officer Tinu Mathur.

VRX will stand as a sister company to CP, maintaining its name and home base in Vancouver, Canada. CP also has operations in Boston, MA and Dublin, Ireland.

This deal is designed to build upon CP’s travel and tourism expertise as the industry is rethinking how it reaches and supports both external audiences (consumers, suppliers, business relationships) and internal audiences (staff, stakeholders) for brands and destinations.

Further, both CP and VRX were looking for opportunities to grow their offerings for existing and new clients. While travel has been down, VRX has continued to work closely with its partners to accommodate their content needs.

VRX has worked with agencies around the world, and as a sister company to Connelly Partners, will continue to do so.

In its early years, VRX was the sole content provider for Expedia and was credited with pioneering new ways to capture, process and deliver visual content. The shop has held long-term partnerships with Hyatt, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, IHG, Fairmont, Wyndham, Shangri-La, Kempinski, Caesars Entertainment, Princess Cruises and Holland America, among others.

The 54-person team consists of 17 full-time staffers with the remaining 37 working as dedicated contractors across five continents.

More recently, VRX has diversified by bringing its expertise to the co-working office arena by forging a partnership with WeWork. In addition it recently launched Studio M, a new wellness focused practice supporting clients like Amica, a Canadain senior lifestyle community.