Stagwell (STGW) Announces the Launch of Unreasonable Studios (UNR), A Full-Service Creative Production Company
- Integration of multiple production agencies under one roof streamlines operations and enhances service delivery
- Impressive client portfolio including major brands like Nike, Louis Vuitton, Marriott, and Starbucks
- Strong global presence with 200+ employees and 1,200+ contractors across 60 countries
- Proven track record with prestigious awards including Academy Award, BAFTA, and Emmy Awards
- Currently producing three major feature films demonstrating high-value content capabilities
- None.
Insights
Stagwell's integration of production assets into Unreasonable Studios enhances service offerings and strengthens client relationships with premium brands.
Stagwell's formation of Unreasonable Studios (UNR) represents a strategic consolidation of its creative production assets—Anomaly Content & Entertainment, Locaria, and Wolfgang Studios—under unified leadership. This integration aligns with the company's broader strategy of creating centralized content production services to improve operational efficiency and scalability.
The new entity has already secured an impressive client roster including Nike, Louis Vuitton, Marriott, Carhartt, Starbucks, and Topgolf, demonstrating market validation for this consolidated approach. UNR's dual capability to produce both high-value entertainment content (including three feature films currently in production for major platforms like Netflix and IMAX) and high-volume brand assets positions it uniquely in the competitive agency landscape.
With 200+ full-time employees and 1,200+ contractors across 17 global offices, UNR has substantial production capacity. The integration appears designed to create economies of scale while maintaining premium creative quality, as evidenced by client testimonials from Carhartt and Marriott highlighting long-term relationships and high-quality output.
This move aligns with industry trends toward integrated production models that can efficiently deliver content across the full marketing funnel while maintaining creative excellence. For Stagwell, this restructuring potentially creates opportunities for cross-selling services to existing clients while streamlining operations and reducing redundancies across previously separate production units.
The newly integrated offering delivers on Stagwell's promise to provide industry-leading capabilities for its clients, media networks and agencies across the network and around the world
"At Stagwell, we've been taking steps to invest in efficient, centralized content production services that help us scale client deliverables in record time," said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn. "Today, I am proud to announce that we are seeing the meaningful impact of our investment as we stand up our own award-winning production unit to strengthen creative content deliverables, while differentiating ourselves in the marketplace."
UNR features both original and branded entertainment, live action commercial work, editorial photography, digital and social media across the funnel, breakthrough creator content and robust post production, motion and design capabilities, and adaptation and localization technologies and services.
"UNR Studios occupies a rare position in the industry," said Justin P. Barocas, CEO & Executive Producer. In unreasonable fashion, we bridge the gap between the entertainment and brand worlds, going from high-value to high-volume at high speed, delivering everything from original documentaries for distributors like Netflix to generative tech driven scaled content for global brands – all under one roof." UNR began welcoming brand clients in 2024, including Nike, Louis Vuitton, Marriott, Carhartt, Starbucks, and Topgolf.
"For the past decade, we've been fortunate to collaborate closely with Ace on branded content and consumer engagement activations," said Susan Hennike, Chief Brand Officer, Carhartt. "We're excited to build on that partnership and tap into their expanded capabilities in entertainment and talent partnerships, now as Unreasonable Studios."
On the high value side, ACE was a pioneer in connecting brands and original entertainment, working with partners like Universal, Netflix, IMAX, Hulu, NatGeo, Disney+, Patagonia, Hoka, Budweiser, Bose, Uber Eats, Carhartt and Coca-Cola on feature films & episodic series. UNR will scale this effort and is already in production on three feature films; SAIL, which chronicles the 2024 America's Cup competition, directed by Frank Marshall (The Beach Boys, the Jurassic Park franchise, Twisters) for IMAX in partnership with Louis Vuitton & Skydance Sports; LEARNING TO FLY, which explores the world of Ultra running through the eyes of pro-runner Jim Walmsley and pro-photographer Aisha McAdams, directed by Max Lowe (Torn), financed by Hoka; and THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF MORIAH WILSON, about pro-cyclist Mo Wilson whose epic rise was cut short when she was murdered in
"The focus is quality from end-to-end," says Evan Hayes, Head of Original Entertainment & Production, "regardless of genre, channel or format, on a global scale." The Unreasonable team has earned several esteemed awards across the spectrum of entertainment and advertising including an Academy Award, a BAFTA, five Emmy Awards across Primetime, Daytime and Sports categories, Critics' Choice Awards, Clios, a Cannes Lion, and multiple Webby Awards, among others.
"We've been partnering with UNR (formerly ACE) for the better part of a decade on a selection of our premium, luxury and lifestyle brands. They've always demonstrated a deep understanding of our brands, our audiences and the travel/hospitality category at large mastering every brief sent their way. Some of our most exciting work has come from this collaboration including our recent branded series featuring Westin's Heavenly Bed, a co-production with goop called "Sleep Training for Grownups" starring Gwyneth Paltrow. They always bring strong insights, partnerships and unconventional approaches to content and production," shared Nicole Taylor, Senior Director, Global Brand Marketing at Marriott International.
UNR has 200+ full-time employees and 1,200 + contractors housed in more than 60 countries, with offices in
About UNR Studios
Unreasonable Studios (UNR) is an award winning, full service creative production company that supports agencies, brands and distributors alike across all media, genres, channels and formats globally at scale. You can find more about their projects at www.unreasonablestudios.com.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger holding company built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 45+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.
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