Argonon, the superindie production group with a presence in London, New York and Los Angeles, is expanding in the branded content realm with the acquisition of U.K.-based video agency Nemorin Film & Video.
Nemorin’s client base includes global brands NBCUniversal, Nat Geo, Hugo Boss, McDonalds, Amazon and American Express.
The acquisition brings Nemorin founder and CEO Pete Fergusson, one of the pioneers in the branded content space, and COO and content director Graham Hayday, a branded content veteran, into the group. The deal was closed for Argonon by COO Laura Bessell.
Argonon CEO James Burstall has identified branded entertainment as a growth market for the group and the acquisition of Nemorin is expected to open new revenue pipelines, including developing and creating original IP, branded content and co-productions which will include collaborations with Argonon’s production companies on both sides of the Atlantic.
“There is a paradigm shift within the creative industry as the business model evolves, new revenue streams emerge, and traditional budgets come under increased strain,” Burstall said.
“COVID-19 has forced us to fundamentally change our business and our strategic response to the rapidly changing entertainment ecology is to create the world’s first hyper-converged global superindie. The acquisition of Nemorin will power our ambitions in branded entertainment, supercharge our focus in digital growth markets and generate opportunities to both maximie and develop IP.
“We’re mapping out an ambitious path into 2021 and beyond, and our investment in Nemorin — following our recently announced U.S. expansion plans — will drive future growth and diversification of revenue streams,” continued Burstall.
Nemorin CEO Pete Fergusson said: “Our business is founded on a love of content and a passion to make creative films for a variety of audiences, across all digital platforms, devices and screens. Digital is in our DNA and we’re delighted to join a world class global production group with a track record of creative and commercial success, who share both our appetite to embrace new opportunities and ambitions for growth. The deal offers an ideal platform to elevate Nemorin to the next level.”
Argonon is home to several production companies including Leopard USA (“House Hunters International”), Bandicoot (“The Masked Singer U.K.” pictured), Leopard Pictures (“Worzel”), BriteSpark Films (“Dispatches”), Windfall Films (“Unearthed”) and Like A Shot (“Abandoned Engineering”).