JEGI | CLARITY REPRESENTS BERTRAM CAPITAL IN THE SALE OF ITS PORTFOLIO COMPANY, CREATIVEDRIVE, TO ACCENTURE INTERACTIVE
New York, NY, August 13, 2020 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired CreativeDrive, a global, tech-driven content production company that simplifies, automates and scales the creative asset production process. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
JEGI | CLARITY (www.jegiclarity.com), the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors, with a global reach from New York, Boston, London, Sydney and San Francisco, represented CreativeDrive and Bertram Capital in this transaction.
The acquisition of CreativeDrive — which helps brands meet the ever-increasing pace of digital and commerce channel activation — will complement Accenture’s existing content, digital marketing, media and commerce service offerings. CreativeDrive’s client roster includes Estée Lauder, Michael Kors and Walmart, among other leading brands.
“Speed is today’s currency, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the massive disruption that brands are experiencing as consumers shift to online channels at an unprecedented pace,” said Brian Whipple, CEO of Accenture Interactive. “The acquisition of CreativeDrive is an investment in our clients and their future success — positioning us even more strongly to help them rise to this challenge and create a content revolution in a creative, cost-effective and agile manner.”
Founded in 2015, CreativeDrive has built a global network of on-premise content studios designed for fast and flexible creative asset production across all format types, including motion, photography, CGI and augmented reality. In addition, its proprietary CD Suite technology system automates key steps in the content creation lifecycle to connect the entire ecosystem of brands, markets, retailers and suppliers.
These capabilities, combined with the scale, speed and business expertise of Accenture Operations, provides companies with a comprehensive offering across content creation production and distribution.
Manish Sharma, group chief executive of Accenture Operations, said, “We help clients drive growth by providing them with agile and scalable solutions. CreativeDrive’s business model — offering the benefit of an in-house content studio model with proprietary technology — provides transparency, the ability to get products and services to market quickly, and data insights to enable success. Clients will benefit from our combined capabilities and we’re excited to have them join the Accenture family.”
Today’s brands demand the ability to create content with quality, consistency and scale across multiple markets, and CreativeDrive’s global footprint will support that need. Headquartered in New York City, with additional locations across the U.S., Australia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K., CreativeDrive has approximately 700 employees and over 400,000 square feet of fit-for-purpose studio space for managed production shoots and co-creation with clients.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Accenture to help clients meet their accelerated demand for personalized and compelling content at scale, particularly as many brands today struggle with a fragmented approach,” said Myles Peacock, CEO, CreativeDrive. “As part of Accenture, we’ll be able to create a holistic experience for brands — from content capture through cross-channel activation — and meet the radically evolving needs of brands today.”
About CreativeDrive
Headquartered in New York City, CreativeDrive is an independent global content creation company offering one of the largest studio networks in the world. It is comprised of a dedicated team of accomplished creative directors, filmmakers, photographers, directors, motion designers, engineers and specialists. Internationally allocated with 150 studios across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia, CreativeDrive is strategically based in economically and culturally forward cities that inspire its fresh, creative point of view for unmatched content in any format.
CreativeDrive produces innovative, brand building content that can be scaled, repurposed and used across channels, ensuring it is fully utilized for the benefit of its clients’ business growth and sales. For more information, visit www.creativedrive.com.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. We combine unmatched experience and specialized capabilities across more than 40 industries — powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. With 513,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture brings continuous innovation to help clients improve their performance and create lasting value across their enterprises. For more information, visit www.accenture.com.
Accenture Interactive is reimagining business through experience. We drive sustainable growth by creating meaningful experiences that live at the intersection of purpose and innovation. By connecting deep human and business insights with the possibilities of technology, we design, build, communicate and run experiences that make lives easier, more productive and rewarding. Accenture Interactive is ranked the world’s largest digital agency by Ad Age and has been named a Most Innovative Company by Fast Company. For more information, follow us @AccentureACTIVE and visit www.accentureinteractive.com.
About JEGI | CLARITY
JEGI | CLARITY is a leading independent investment bank serving companies in the global media, marketing and information sectors. With a global reach from New York, London, Boston, Sydney and San Francisco, we have closed more than 700 transactions during our 30+ year history. For more information, visit www.jegiclarity.com.
“We could not have selected a better partner to assist us in selling CreativeDrive, as JEGI | CLARITY brought extensive experience and a deep understanding of the digital content production market, coupled with longstanding relationships with all the relevant strategic buyers. Our process was complicated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the JEGI | CLARITY team took these obstacles in stride, working tirelessly to secure a successful outcome with our chosen buyer. We are extremely grateful for the perseverance exhibited by the JEGI | CLARITY team in getting this transaction to the finish line.”
– Jared Ruger, Partner, Bertram Capital