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The Innovative Agency ft. Anson Sowby

What a tough year for everyone. (Tough does not describe it.)
Some agencies have done well, though. Some of the lessons they’ve learned are translatable beyond 2020.
A recent guest on The Innovative Agency, our very own Anson Sowby, Cofounder and CEO at Battery, shared how to thrive in uncertain circumstances.
What is talked about:
&#8211; Growing and scaling an independent agency
&#8211; How being a serial entrepreneur affects your 2nd agency
&#8211; Takeaways from 2020 beyond the pandemic

Click <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-be-a-serial-entrepreneur/id1419747902?i=1000504394914">here</a> to listen to the episode.

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Battery Announces New Hire Right Before the Year Ends

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<div class="field-item even">LOS ANGELES &#8212; Battery, an agency which creates campaigns for such clients as Netflix, Activision, Royal Bank of Canada and the NBA’s L.A. Clippers, has hired Danielle Tarris as its head of production, a new position at the shop. Tarris reports directly to Battery co-founder and chief creative officer Philip Khosid.</div>
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Tarris comes to Battery by way of 72andSunny where she held roles as group EP in Los Angeles, and then head of production at 72andSunny Amsterdam where she started the agency’s in-house editorial and film studio, and oversaw production projects for Google, O’Neil, Smirnoff and various new business pitches.
Khosid said of Tarris, “She arrives at the perfect moment as Battery continues winning new business and launching campaigns for a wide range of consumer brands. Danielle is not only a proven leader but she is a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion and we are thrilled to have her join the executive leadership team at Battery. ”
Tarris grew up in advertising at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, starting as a print producer on Nissan, Sony PlayStation, and various other brands. She eventually migrated into the film department and produced films for Energizer, Visa, Gatorade, and Pepsi. After six years at Chiat, she jumped to 72andSunny and led productions on K-Swiss, Activision, Nike, Samsung, Target Back to School, Target Holiday, Totinos, LA24, Tillamook, and Starbucks. At 72andSunny Amsterdam, Tarris helped establish and build a far reaching, integrated production department, cultivating global collaboration between brands and production. She also has been an active supporter of industry initiatives and organizations that focus on the diversification of the advertising talent pool, such as AICP’s Double the Line Initiative.
“What I love about Battery is their confidence and philosophy of getting out of the way of their creative production partners, letting them innovate, challenge and run with ideas,” said Tarris. “That is so important for a creative company. It’s a culture of trust, and freedom. I am determined to keep that culture rolling along as we look to the future and the next wave of innovation in commercial production. I’m always looking for a great collaboration of progressive minds and the next challenge waiting around the corner.”
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Battery Announces Four New Senior Hires Amid Agency Growth

LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ &#8212; Nearing one year since its acquisition by global communications company Havas, <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2748007-1&amp;h=8657516&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fbatteryagency.com%2F&amp;a=Battery+Annex" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Battery Annex</a>, a marketing, advertising and design agency founded to create advertising that&#8217;s as sought-after as entertainment, today announced four senior hires as part of its recent growth. Three creative directors — Michelle Nam and Drea Schneider, both from 72andSunny, and Joe Sgro, formerly of RPA and DDB Chicago — join the agency to fortify its creative offering. In addition, Sean McNamara, who led strategic growth at Sid Lee, comes on as head of strategy.
Since becoming part of Havas&#8217; Annex network, Battery Annex has flourished. The agency has delivered on work and wins to double its billings. As a result of the revenue increase, it has also expanded headcount and office space within its Sunset Boulevard headquarters, located in Hollywood, California. This success comes on the heels of broadened relationships with clients, such as the Royal Bank of Canada (including multiple TV and digital campaigns across Canada and the U.S.), the L.A. Clippers, Epic Games and Netflix.
<div id="attachment_164" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-164" src="https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/4newsrhires-1024x576.jpeg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/4newsrhires-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/4newsrhires-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/4newsrhires-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/4newsrhires.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Top row: left &#8211; Joe Sgro, right &#8211; Michelle Nam; bottom row: left &#8211; Drea Schneider, right &#8211; Sean McNamara</div>
&#8220;The last year has been awesome and we&#8217;re lucky to have these incredible people joining us. We have continued delivering work that disrupts and makes a meaningful impact in culture while leveraging the global resources from Havas that have led us to new opportunities and exciting growth,&#8221; said Anson Sowby, CEO of Battery Annex. &#8220;As part of this growth, we&#8217;ve bolstered our Battery family with these world-class creative and strategic teams to continue the positive momentum and extend our footprint around the globe.&#8221;
With more than 12 years of experience each, Nam and Schneider have both created culturally impactful work for iconic brands including Target, Google, T-Mobile and Netflix. Nam most recently served as a creative consultant to help launch WAYB, a family travel gear company co-founded by a former Patagonia CEO. At 72andSunny, she helped innovate a first-of-its-kind immersive AR experience at Target stores with Google tech and led a mentorship program to expand and diversify the creative class with Da Vinci Schools.
Schneider helped launch the search engine Microsoft Bing at JWT NY. Following that, she spent the next four-and-a-half years at 72andSunny L.A. While there, she produced multiple campaigns for Activision&#8217;s Skylanders game and Target, including holiday, back-to-school, wedding and baby campaigns.
Sgro began his career at DDB Chicago, finding success working on Bud Light and Budweiser, and creating two top-ranked Super Bowl ads. He also wrote for the award-winning Real Men of Genius campaign. He then moved to Santa Monica, California, where he joined Secret Weapon and wrote Jack in the Box ads. In 2014, he joined RPA and co-created the walking snack monster Toomgis for AMPM. In 2016, Sgro went back to freelancing and helped BBH produce its Be Pop Cultured campaign for E! News.
McNamara has over 20 years of experience working with some of the world&#8217;s most respected brands. Prior to Battery, he led strategic growth at Sid Lee, where he expanded the agency&#8217;s West Coast presence and launched a practice dedicated to entertainment clients like Netflix and new media partners like Tik Tok. Previously, as chief strategy officer at Omelet, he led the agency through sixfold growth over five years, working with Microsoft, Walmart, Sony, and Whole Foods Market. That followed a detour into the startup world as CMO of venture-backed Brilliant Bicycle Co. and a leadership role at social impact agency enso, working with mission-driven brands like Google, social movements like the Equal Rights Amendment and nonprofits like Public Counsel.
&#8220;Michelle Nam, Drea Schneider and Joe Sgro are three of the top creative forces in the industry, and we&#8217;re thrilled to add their points of view to our dynamite team,&#8221; said Philip Khosid, CCO of Battery Annex. &#8220;Adding Sean McNamara to the mix perfects the ultimate combination of insights-based creativity and enhances our critical thinking — which is necessary for content to be successful and make a difference.&#8221;
&#8220;The Battery Annex team is creating some of the most exciting and coolest work in the Havas North America network,&#8221; said Paul Marobella, Chairman and CEO, Havas Creative North America. &#8220;This is translating into great client wins, recruitment of more top talent and a very bright future. We couldn&#8217;t be happier to have Battery Annex in the Havas family.&#8221;
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LIA Shortlist Features PUBG Pan-demonium

We’re proud to announce that Battery’s work on the PUBG “Pan-Demonium” campaign has made the LIA shortlist in the Scripted Short Film category. Check it out <a href="https://2019.liaentries.com/shortlist/?id_entry=103748&amp;id_medium=25&amp;id_submedium=0&amp;id_category=549&amp;view=details&amp;range=s&amp;page=2&amp;keyword=&amp;medium=&amp;category=&amp;award=&amp;country=&amp;title_brand=&amp;credits=&amp;company_name=&amp;city=&amp;proceed_simple_search=false&amp;proceed_advanced_search=false">here</a>!

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Crash Team Racing Boasts The Best Launch in Franchise History

Battery client Activision Blizzard enjoyed its most successful launch of the franchise, according to industry-tracking firm the NPD Group. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled was also the #2 best-selling game in the US for the month.

<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-172" src="https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Crash.jpg" alt="" width="812" height="675" srcset="https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Crash.jpg 812w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Crash-300x249.jpg 300w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Crash-768x638.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px" />
Battery client Activision Blizzard enjoyed its most successful launch of the franchise, according to industry-tracking firm the NPD Group. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled was also the #2 best-selling game in the US for the month. Read the article <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2019/07/18/crash-team-racing-nitro-fueled-has-the-best-launch-in-franchise-history/">here</a>.

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Battery founders featured on today's HAVAS download

LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ &#8212; Nearing one year since its acquisition by global communications company Havas, Battery Annex, a marketing, advertising and design agency founded to create advertising that&#8217;s as sought-after as entertainment, today announced four senior hires as part of its recent growth. Three creative directors — Michelle Nam and Drea Schneider, both from 72andSunny, and Joe Sgro, formerly of RPA and DDB Chicago — join the agency to fortify its creative offering. In addition, Sean McNamara, who led strategic growth at Sid Lee, comes on as head of strategy.
Since becoming part of Havas&#8217; Annex network, Battery Annex has flourished. The agency has delivered on work and wins to double its billings. As a result of the revenue increase, it has also expanded headcount and office space within its Sunset Boulevard headquarters, located in Hollywood, California. This success comes on the heels of broadened relationships with clients, such as the Royal Bank of Canada (including multiple TV and digital campaigns across Canada and the U.S.), the L.A. Clippers, Epic Games and Netflix.
&#8220;The last year has been awesome and we&#8217;re lucky to have these incredible people joining us. We have continued delivering work that disrupts and makes a meaningful impact in culture while leveraging the global resources from Havas that have led us to new opportunities and exciting growth,&#8221; said Anson Sowby, CEO of Battery Annex. &#8220;As part of this growth, we&#8217;ve bolstered our Battery family with these world-class creative and strategic teams to continue the positive momentum and extend our footprint around the globe.&#8221;

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RBC Future launch featured in The Drum

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#STOPTHESPREAD

Convincing ordinary people to go to unordinary lengths to help stop the spread of coronavirus, and ultimately save lives, requires a response that’s as audacious as the crisis itself.

Convincing ordinary people to go to unordinary lengths to help stop the spread of coronavirus, and ultimately save lives, requires a response that’s as audacious as the crisis itself. So with all deference to those kerned logos, statements of support, and calls for unity, we went for stopping power. Literally.
<a href="https://batteryagency.com/portfolio/stopthespread/">Learn more about the campaign here</a>

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New Work: Netflix | Raising Dion

To help promote Raising Dion, we concepted an idea that infused some of the most popular Netflix series: Queer Eye, Lost In Space, and Bird Box, with Raising Dion’s young star Ja’Siah Young.

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Battery's Clippers Work Shortlisted at One Show

We’re proud to announce that our work for the Clippers has been shortlisted at The One Show.
The One Show is the world’s most prestigious awards show recognizing the best creative work in advertising, interactive, design and branded entertainment. The brightest creative minds from advertising agencies, digital agencies, design agencies, production companies, consumer brands and non-profit organizations from around the world enter every year.
<a href="https://www.oneshow.org/viewentries/?id=59350" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Check it out here!</a>

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Havas Network Makes Campaign US Agency of the Year Shortlist

Battery’s Havas Network has made the 2019 Campaign US Agency of the Year Shortlist. Fingers crossed for the January event — check out the shortlist here!

Battery’s Havas Network has made the 2019 Campaign US Agency of the Year Shortlist. Fingers crossed for the January event — check out the shortlist <a href="https://www.campaignlive.com/article/revealed-campaign-us-agency-year-2019-shortlisters/1667672?DCMP=EMC-CONCampaignBreakingNews">here!</a>

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Battery Celebrates Pan-Demonium's Multiple Creativity Awards

We’re proud to announce that Battery’s work on PUBG Pan-Demonium has taken home multiple creativity awards this year, including LIA, Clio Entertainment, and the ProMax Games awards. 

We’re proud to announce that Battery’s work on PUBG Pan-Demonium has taken home multiple creativity awards this year, including LIA, Clio Entertainment, and the ProMax Games awards. Read the full press release <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/havas-battery-annex-takes-home-110000129.html">here</a>.

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Battery Launches Campaign for Seoul Sausage

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L.A. based creative advertising agency Battery teamed with animation house Stoopid Buddy Stoodios and actor/comedian Donald Faison to launch a marketing campaign free of charge for Seoul Sausage, a popular L.A. food brand that is struggling to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign was developed as part of the Battery initiative “An Idea for L.A.,” which called on local businesses in need of a marketing makeover to apply for help. Battery selected two of the most deserving companies among hundreds of submissions: Seoul Sausage and Rhythms of the Village, an African cultural center in Altadena that has been enriching the L.A .community for over a decade with a focus on African culture and education.
The Seoul Sausage campaign is the first of these pro-bono campaigns to launch.  It is a series of short comic spots created by Battery that has debuted online featuring Faison performing hilarious voiceovers as a talking Korean BBQ sausage. Best known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/NBC comedy-drama Scrubs, the role of Murray in both the film and TV series Clueless, and most recently as Alex Evans in ABC’s Emergence, Faison also has offered his services pro-bono for the Seoul Sausage project.
Right now, countless mom &amp; pop companies and local independent businesses that are critical to the cultural fabric of Los Angeles are scrambling for survival. More than 90% of L.A. businesses employ fewer than 20 workers. It’s home to more minority and women-owned businesses than any other city in the country. The lucky few who were able to get small business emergency loans under the Paycheck Protection Program cannot spend it on marketing. That’s where “An Idea For L.A.” came in.
“At Battery, we’ve all staked our own careers and livelihoods on the power of creativity to solve big problems,” said Philip Khosid, chief creative officer at Battery. “So we’re stepping up to pay it forward to Seoul Sausage and to the city that gave us the opportunity to build the business of our dreams, with the one thing we know works. Because we get it.”
“The pandemic has thrown up roadblocks for great businesses in so many ways,” said Stoopid Buddy Stoodios co-founder Matthew Senreich. “We were honored to help Seoul Sausage through the Idea For LA program with Battery to get their message of delicious Korean Sausage to the people. Through the help of Donald Faison and our crack Buddy Builds team, we were able to bring the Seoul Sausage to life.”
Winners of The Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race season 3, Seoul Sausage used the prize money to open a brick and mortar Seoul Sausage Company restaurant in Los Angeles’ Sawtelle area. They later expanded to an additional store in Oxnard and a location in L.A.’s Little Tokyo District. Besides their signature KBBQ wieners (The Kalbi Pork and The Sweet and Spicy Chicken), Seoul Sausage became widely known for a new take on a Korean classic, Kimchi Fried Rice (made into deep-fried balls) and for its unique Korean BBQ burger and Korean Fried Chicken. Seoul Sausage later morphed into a large-scale catering outfit.
In March 2020, after coming off of its largest month of revenue, the Kim brothers’ business disappeared due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Seoul Sausage pivoted to an online presence with a food-gifting concept called #foodequalsfamily that promoted families eating together at home by delivering “Korean Essentials” care packages. This ultimately evolved into their current venture: selling their most popular menu items as food delivery kits which overnight made the Seoul Sausage menu available for overnight shipping nationwide.
“This year, 2020, completely wiped us out,” said Yong Kim. “We gave ourselves one month to mope and feel sorry for ourselves. Since then, we have pivoted our business entirely and rather than playing defense, we flipped the switch into offense mode. We’re hungrier than ever and at this point have nothing to lose. Watch out for us.”
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Credits
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Client Seoul Sausage Agency Battery Philip Khosid, chief creative officer; Anson Sowby, CEO; Scott Brown, executive creative director; Joe Sgro, Andy Lam, creative directors; Mike Parseghian, head of brand; Zach Hill, brand director. Production Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Toby Bryan, director, puppet fabricator, art director, puppeteer; Leigh Kelly, producer; Morgan Demeter, DP; Steven Kan, camera operator; Jenny McKibben, editor; Mike Spitzmiller, VFX. Audio MixBoombox Post Color Stephen P. Arkle, colorist.
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Listen to Battery CEO Anson Sowby On the 7:47 Podcast

Our CEO Anson Sowby discusses the value of hard work, gratitude, and empathy on Chris Schembra’s 7:47 podcast.

Our CEO Anson Sowby discusses the value of hard work, gratitude, and empathy on Chris Schembra’s 7:47 podcast. Check it out <a href="http://www.747club.org/podcast/2019/10/30/anson-sowby-the-value-of-hard-work">here</a>!

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Battery's PUBG Pan-Demonium Makes Clio Entertainment Shortlist

We’re proud to announce that Battery’s work on the PUBG “Pan-Demonium” campaign has been shortlisted in the Clio Entertainment Awards in the Editing: Audio/Visual Technique category. 

We’re proud to announce that Battery’s work on the PUBG “Pan-Demonium” campaign has been shortlisted in the Clio Entertainment Awards in the Editing: Audio/Visual Technique category. Check it out <a href="https://clios.com/entertainment/winner/games-audio-visual-technique/pubg/pubav-65270">here</a>!

LIA Shortlist Features Pan-Demonium!

We’re proud to announce that Battery’s work on the PUBG “Pan-Demonium” campaign has made the LIA shortlist in the Scripted Short Film category.

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The Results Podcast Interviews Our CEO Anson Sowby

Battery’s CEO Anson Sowby talks about the risks and rewards of starting a business, working with high profile clients, and the value of collaboration.

Battery’s CEO Anson Sowby talks about the risks and rewards of starting a business, working with high profile clients, and the value of collaboration. Check it out <a href="https://theresultspodcast.libsyn.com/013-anson-sowby-the-big-daddy-of-small-ad-agencies">here</a>!

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The WSJ Reviews the Impact of Battery + Havas

The Wall Street Journal announces the Battery + Havas deal and hails their cultures of creativity.

The Wall Street Journal announces the Battery + Havas deal and hails their cultures of creativity. Read the article <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/havas-acquires-majority-of-battery-ad-agency-known-for-netflix-work-11561015920">here</a>.

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CEO Anson Sowby Featured on Innovative Agency Podcast

Listen to our CEO Anson Sowby talk about agency business models and staffing on this week’s episode of the Innovative Agency Podcast here!

Listen to our CEO Anson Sowby talk about agency business models and staffing on this week’s episode of the Innovative Agency Podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/43-on-demand-staffing-what-hollywood-can-teach-us-about/id1419747902?i=1000447947880">here</a>!

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Ad Age Applauds Battery + Havas

AdAge’s writeup praises Battery’s gaming and streaming expertise in its commemoration of the Battery + Havas deal.

AdAge’s writeup praises Battery’s gaming and streaming expertise in its commemoration of the Battery + Havas deal.  Check out the article <a href="https://adage.com/article/special-report-cannes-lions/havas-buys-majority-stake-la-indie-agency-battery/2179106">here</a>.

Battery Now Part of the Havas Annex Network

CANNES, France–(<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/" rel="nofollow">BUSINESS WIRE</a>)–Havas Group announced today it has acquired a majority stake in <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.batteryagency.com%2F%23home&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Battery&amp;index=1&amp;md5=fbd92359243f310b4d0733c1ea4c6d7c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">Battery</a>, a highly acclaimed, culture-driven creative agency based in Los Angeles, California, with a specialized focus on gaming and streaming entertainment to bring those storytelling sensibilities to other industries. Born from the simple idea to create advertising that is as sought after as entertainment, the creative shop was co-founded in 2013 by Anson Sowby and Philip Khosid.
Battery was honored as a Small Agency of the Year by Advertising Age in 2018, 2016 and 2015, and named 2018 Boutique Agency of the Year by ThinkLA, a nonprofit trade association that brings awareness to the creative community in Southern California. In addition, Los Angeles Business Journal ranked the agency as one of the Top 50 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Los Angeles County for three consecutive years, and the shop made the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing U.S. Private Company list for 2018.
Battery will become part of the <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fannexneversleeps.com%2F&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Annex%2C&amp;index=2&amp;md5=6fbbfe794dfb4eab402055db1ccc0ca6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">Annex,</a> Havas’ fast-growing global network designed to help brands tap into the business of culture, and be renamed Battery Annex. The acquisition gives the Annex a larger presence in the Los Angeles creative community and enhances its capabilities in gaming and streaming entertainment. Battery Annex brings an unparalleled understanding of Hollywood marketing to both Havas and Vivendi, providing more opportunity to create and deliver cutting-edge content and meaningful brand experiences as consultants of culture.
Battery Annex will remain headquartered in Los Angeles with Sowby as CEO, leading a team of more than 50 current employees. Battery has grown to more than $10 million in revenue and works with top gaming, entertainment and financial clients, including Activision Blizzard, 2K Games, Athlon Games, PUBG, Netflix, Warner Bros, CBS, Disney, NBCUniversal, and Royal Bank of Canada.
The Battery acquisition is part of a global strategic effort to expand the Annex network and fully leverage the cultural power of both Havas and Vivendi. As Havas continues to foster rapid growth of the Annex in the U.S., the Group has also announced the opening of a second international Annex location, Annex Bastille, in Paris, France. In addition, plans are in place to extend Battery into the Canadian market by becoming part of the Havas Village in Toronto.
Today, the Annex employs 200 people worldwide across its three U.S. offices in Chicago, New York City and Atlanta, and one office in Singapore. Annex clients include Adidas Originals, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Bloomingdales, Gushers, Clif Bar and Company, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and more.
Yannick Bolloré, Chairman &amp; CEO Havas Group, said: “Convergence of advertising, entertainment, music and gaming remains a priority of Havas and Vivendi, and the Annex is a main part of our evolution. It’s exciting to watch this truly unique client offering come to life through Havas’ acquisition of Battery, which continues to help set Havas apart from the other holding companies.”
“Our Annex model is focused on helping global brands tap into the business of culture,” added Paul Marobella, Chairman and CEO of Havas Creative North America, and co-founder of the Annex network. “Gaming, Hollywood and streaming entertainment are critical elements of modern culture, and we believe the Battery team is one of the best in the world at creating brand engagement through these passion points. We couldn’t be happier to welcome Battery to the Havas and Annex families.”
Battery co-founders Anson Sowby, CEO, and Philip Khosid, CCO, said: “When we founded Battery, we had no financial backing and one client. But we knew we’d be successful if we eliminated layers, championed early/fast client collaboration and understood the value of intuition. It’s the mutual love and passion for pushing boundaries that makes our partnership with the Annex the perfect fit. We know Battery will be able to keep doing what we do best, and that’s delivering simplicity, fearless creativity and relentless will—now with the support of additional resources to scale.”
Numerous Battery campaigns, events and experiences have received industry awards, including Cannes Lions, Grand Clios, Webbys, Addys, Promax, Tellys, The One Show, London International and D&amp;AD Pencils. The agency is most recently known for their standout campaign “Netflix is a Joke,” which won a Film Cannes Lion, Grand Entertainment Clios, D&amp;AD awards and Ad Age’s Small Agency Campaign of the Year. Battery collaborated with Netflix to launch this campaign with a disruptive strategy, firmly planting it’s comedic flag.
R&amp;D Venture Partners acted as financial advisors to Battery on the transaction.
About Battery
Battery’s mission is to create advertising that’s as sought-after as entertainment. Honored as an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year in 2018, 2016 and 2015, as well as being recognized as a Top 50 Fastest Growing Private Company in Los Angeles County three years in a row, Battery creates global advertising campaigns for such brands as Netflix, Royal Bank of Canada and Activision Blizzard. More information can be found at <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.batteryagency.com%2F&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=www.batteryagency.com&amp;index=3&amp;md5=12957f1461abc1fb21116b87b2867325" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">www.batteryagency.com</a>.
About Havas Group
Havas is one of the world’s largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group employs 20,000 people in more than 100 countries and operates through its three business units covering all communication activities. Havas Group integrated Vivendi in December 2017. Havas Group’s mission is to make a meaningful difference to brands, to businesses and to people. To better anticipate client needs, Havas has adopted a fully integrated model through its 60 Havas Villages around the world. In these Villages, creative, media and healthcare &amp; wellness teams work together, ensuring agility and a seamless experience for clients. Further information about Havas Group is available on the company’s website: <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.havasgroup.com%2F&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=havasgroup.com&amp;index=4&amp;md5=a873fe7b00fd801363a1630380bda057" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">havasgroup.com</a> 
#MeaningfulDifference
About The Annex
Culture never sleeps. In order to be on the pulse of what’s happening, you have to be part of it and live it—every single day. That’s why we created the Annex, consultants of culture shaping tomorrow’s trends. Launched in Chicago, the Annex is Havas’ fast-growing global network designed to help brands tap into the business of culture. The network of 200 people is comprised of creators, influencers and leaders who are not only fluent in contemporary conventions but are also the architects and instigators of what’s cool and important. Visit us at <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.annexneversleeps.com%2F&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=annexneversleeps.com&amp;index=5&amp;md5=f728d575b0fd9839f3906e75df17e2a1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">annexneversleeps.com</a> or follow us on Twitter <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fthe_annex_%3Flang%3Den&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=%40The_Annex_&amp;index=6&amp;md5=0f09071f32f7398512737001de511430" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">@The_Annex_</a>, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTheAnnexofChicago%2F&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Facebook&amp;index=7&amp;md5=6dbcc1fa7db547ee0090da9c638ced79" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">Facebook</a> and Instagram <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fthe.annex%2F%3Fhl%3Den&amp;esheet=52002471&amp;newsitemid=20190620005182&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=%40The.Annex&amp;index=8&amp;md5=40fa71ac438e54b5e841f3601e0879b4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect">@The.Annex</a>.
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Read original article <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190620005182/en/">here</a>.

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Battery Launches Activision's Latest Campaign

Check out the work <a href="https://admin.batteryagency.com/portfolio/crash-team-racing-nitro-fueled/">here</a>.

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Pan-Demonium Wins a Webby!

PUBG’s success isn’t just a flash in the pan, Pan-Demonium just won a Webby!

PUBG’s success isn’t just a flash in the pan, Pan-Demonium just won a Webby!
<a href="https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2019/video/branded-entertainment/games/pan-demonium/">Check out the publication here.</a>

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AgencySpy Features Battery's Latest Work With Jackbox Games

Los Angeles agency Battery debuted its first work for Chicago-based game developer Jackbox Games, promoting the company’s Jackbox Party Pack 7 (video above).
“We chose Battery to be our first advertising partner because of their deep expertise in gaming and streaming entertainment,” Jackbox Games CEO Mike Bilder said in a statement. “The work they are producing right out of the gate is heady, to say the least, and perfectly suited to targeting our core demographic and expanding our reach to new audiences.”
“The Jackbox Party Pack games are all about people coming together in person or over Zoom to laugh and have a good time,” Battery creative director Joe Sgro added. “The games themselves put everyday people into absurd situations, which makes for the best kind of memories…weird ones.”

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AgencySpy covers Battery's work with Borjomi water

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If you think you’ve had mineral water, you may not have tried Borjomi, which comes from the rock layers of the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia (the country, not the state). Let’s go ahead and say that it’s an acquired taste, as the water is chock full of minerals (and over 45% of your daily sodium intake per bottle).
Agency Battery, with Exervus on media, created some tongue-in-cheek ads that show that Borjomi, based in Ukraine, is not for everyone. The position is “Tastes Like Nature,” and it certainly does, especially if it’s not refrigerated. When cold, though, it is pretty tasty. At least to half the people in the ads.
“Borjomi is originally the golden standard of natural mineral water in Eastern Europe,” said Nataliia Revika, IDS Borjomi International global brand portfolio director. “When we came to explore U.S. market opportunities about a year ago, we found out that despite very high competitive clutter, there are not many brands with such a high unique mineral content. That’s why it creates a special personalized taste experience for trialists: some consumers feel it’s like seawater and some say it’s a smooth taste with a hint of minerals.”

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Activision Teams Up With Battery on New Campaign for Highly Anticipated Release of 'Crash Bandicoot™ 4: It's About Time'

LOS ANGELES, September 30, 2020 (Newswire.com) &#8211; Activision and Battery, the creative advertising agency that makes game-changing campaigns for a variety of top global consumer brands, have teamed up on the launch of a campaign for Crash Bandicoot™ 4: It’s About Time. The highly anticipated video game is the first original game to the Crash franchise in more than 12 years. The new campaign breaks today, the game will drop on Oct. 2, 2020.
“Crash is back with new levels, new moves, new powers and epic boss battles never seen before,” said Michelle Bresaw, VP of Product Management and Marketing. “To help give everyone a heads up and get Crash fans ready for what’s ahead, we are teaming up with Battery, our longtime advertising partner and a true creative leader in gaming entertainment marketing.”
“Fans are finally getting the all-new Crash game they’ve been waiting for, and it’s about time,” said Battery Creative Director Drea Schneider, who worked on the campaign with fellow Creative Director Michelle Nam Fischer. “Crash 4 picks up where the original trilogy left off in the ‘90s,” said Nam Fischer. “So we wanted to bring back some of what made those commercials so great, but through a modern lens.”
The popular rap artist and Crash fan Quavo makes a guest appearance in the “New Drop” trailer in which Crash crashes a sneaker drop at a sneaker store and encounters the rapper. Crash spots Quavo as a genuine fan, with his blinged-out Aku Aku chain, and starts to call out the new powers and features in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time as Quavo responds back with his signature ad-libs.
ABOUT BATTERY
Battery&#8217;s mission is to create brand impact with work that cannot be ignored. The company has been awarded &#8220;Small Agency of the Year&#8221; by Advertising Age three times and, in 2019, Havas bought a stake in Battery. We operate across five offices creating campaigns for forward-thinking clients, including Netflix, Activision, Royal Bank of Canada and the L.A. Clippers. For more information, visit <a href="http://admin.batteryagency.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">batteryagency.com</a>.
Credits
Agency
&#8211; CCO: Philip Khosid
&#8211; Head of Brand &#8211; Mike Parseghian
&#8211; Executive Creative Director: Scott Brown
&#8211; Creative Director/Design: Drea Schneider
&#8211; Creative Director/Writer: Michelle Nam Fischer
&#8211; Jr. Writer: Ashanna Molokwu
&#8211; Producer: Tyler Divine
&#8211; Brand Manager: Liberty Padre
&#8211; Brand Coordinator: Elijah Patterson
Production
&#8211; Production Company: Tool of North America
&#8211; Director: Alex Richanbach
&#8211; DP: Polly Morgan
&#8211; Editor: Josh Salzberg
&#8211; Colorist: Arianna Shining Star
&#8211; Color: Apache
&#8211; VFX House: Cosmo Street
&#8211; SFX House: Phil Barrie

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"You can get lost in social media, and the 'new age' of badass Black creatives are just a scroll away."  

Our own Ashanna recently spoke with Ad Age about change that is needed within agencies and what they must do to make a meaningful shift.

Our own Ashanna recently spoke with Ad Age about change that is needed within agencies and what they must do to make a meaningful shift. <a href="https://adage.com/article/agency-news/racism-much-more-slurs-its-deliberate-exclusion-uncomfortable-conversations/2277996">Click here to read more</a>.

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Adweek Covers Battery's Work With Women's Soccer

Today’s front page on Adweek features Battery’s work to help break the mold of Women’s Professional Soccer and interviews one of our very own, Drea Schneider.

Today’s front page on Adweek features Battery’s work to help break the mold of Women’s Professional Soccer and interviews one of our very own, Drea Schneider. <a href="https://www.adweek.com/agencies/los-angeles-womens-soccer-angel-city/">Read more here!</a>

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Battery's Campaign ‘THE VAULT’ for Epic Games Store Launches Platform Past 61 Million Users

See the full story <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/06/23/2052075/0/en/Epic-Games-Store-Partners-with-Battery-and-Havas-Media-for-Creative-and-Media-Duties-for-The-Vault-Free-Game-Campaign.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/06/23/2052075/0/en/Epic-Games-Store-Partners-with-Battery-and-Havas-Media-for-Creative-and-Media-Duties-for-The-Vault-Free-Game-Campaign.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1593189075881000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFLvPIcuB93oGqJeRtNZCJARJgfRw">here!</a>
<h1 class="article-headline">Epic Games Store Partners with Battery and Havas Media for Creative and Media Duties for “The Vault” Free Game Campaign</h1>
<h2 class="subheadline">Bold campaign pushes Epic Game Store to over 61 Million Monthly Active Users on PC</h2>
NEW YORK, June 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) &#8212; Battery and Havas Media announce today that the Epic Games Store joined forces with the Havas Group for creative and media duties on an unprecedented user acquisition campaign “The Vault”. The pair executed the media, strategy, and creative development for this global campaign through an integrated approach to increase global awareness and drive new user acquisition.
“The Vault” campaign, which ran from May 14th through June 18th, featured a major, top-secret free game giveaway each week that players could acquire and keep forever. Media focused on digital and got placed across 21 markets, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Russia, to name a few.
“Since launching the Epic Games Store, we’ve always wanted to create a huge event around our very successful Free Games weekly program to give something awesome to players worldwide, and we decided to go big. We invested in acquiring the rights to give four of the biggest games in the world away free. We needed an agency partner who could execute big for us globally. Battery’s deep experience in gaming plus Havas Group’s media capabilities fit the bill. The results have exceeded our expectations,” said Steve Allison, GM Epic Games Store. “In 2020, we’ve been growing at a historic rate. Epic Games Store partners have a huge audience of players to sell their games to and receive 88% of the revenue, instead of only 70% as on other platforms.”
As a result of “The Vault” campaign, the Epic Games Store set many new user milestones, including average Peak Concurrent Users (PCCU) on PC of 13 million and Monthly Active Users (MAU) on PC of over 61 million.
Battery led creative out of Los Angeles and Havas led Media out of Chicago through Havas Group’s Village approach. Through this integrated approach, Havas Media and Battery will continue to drive more meaningful moments for Epic Games’ legions of fans.
“We are incredibly proud of this launch and the opportunity to partner with Epic Games, a true paragon of the gaming industry,” said Lisa Evia, President, Havas Media overseeing Chicago and Canada. “By crafting a meaningful media experience, we were able to authentically connect the brand with gamers and drive extraordinary performance and growth for the Epic Games Store on a global scale.”
“Battery was thrilled to partner with the Epic Games Store during this time to deliver incredible free games and value to players worldwide. We’re honored to help the Epic Game Store with this global initiative,” said Mike Parseghian, Partner/Head of Brand Management.
About Epic Games 
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite, Battle Breakers, Unreal, Gears of War, Shadow Complex, and the Infinity Blade series of games. Epic&#8217;s Unreal Engine technology, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D platform, is freely available at unrealengine.com. The Epic Games Store launched in 2018 to give developers the best revenue share from sales of their games and offers a curated library of games plus gives players free games weekly that they can keep forever. Visit the Epic Games Store at epicgames.com. Epic Games Publishing puts developers first by offering best-in-class resources, technology and terms, with expansive creative freedom so that talented developers can make the best game possible.
About Battery 
Battery’s mission is to create brand impact with work that cannot be ignored. Founded in Los Angeles in 2013, the company was awarded “Small Agency of the Year” by Advertising Age three times over the last five years and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Fastest Growing Private Companies in LA three years in a row. Battery creates global advertising campaigns for forward-thinking clients, including Epic Games, Netflix, Royal Bank of Canada and the L.A. Clippers. For more information, visit batteryagency.com.
About Havas Media 
At Havas Media Group we believe that more meaningful media can help build more meaningful brands. Our media agencies are home to more than 10,000 specialists and are the most dynamic and advanced in their markets. With offices in 144 countries worldwide, our teams also offer best-in-class services in the fields of programmatic buying, mobile, data consulting, performance marketing, out of home and geo-local, and social media. For more information, visit havasmedia.com or follow Havas Media USA on Twitter (@HavasMediaUSA).
Contact: 
Havasmedia@digennaro-usa.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf98fe65-f5ff-41df-9792-380ad08c3590
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8faf842a-e4f7-49bf-b44e-16e953db5008
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24f8da3f-0b76-4ae8-8e4b-1dccbffe5502
A video accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/afb99ddb-3508-4d6e-883e-9b800c30ba96
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ESPN Features Battery In Clippers Article

We are delighted to see our name pop up in the ESPN article about LA’s basketball giants Clippers & Lakers.

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<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-153" src="https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn.jpg" alt="" width="1125" height="2135" srcset="https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn.jpg 1125w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn-158x300.jpg 158w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn-540x1024.jpg 540w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn-768x1457.jpg 768w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn-809x1536.jpg 809w, https://admin.batteryagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/clippers_espn-1079x2048.jpg 1079w" sizes="(max-width: 1125px) 100vw, 1125px" />
Read full article <a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/28261311/how-lakers-clippers-rule-staples-center-their-own-ways">here</a>.

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