Havas and Wellcom partner on global production network

Havas has announced a partnership with Innocean-owned creative production network Wellcom Worldwide to launch a global production business called Havas Studios.

Employees from both businesses will transfer into the new London-headquartered company, which will be led by Paul Ward, Havas UK's chief operating officer, who takes on the new title of Global CEO of Havas Studios.  

The move, which combines existing and to-be-built studios, creates a network which will go live first in London, New York, Chicago and Kuala Lumpur. The companies said further studios will be in Europe, Australia, China, India, Latin America and the US west coast.

A release cited the Kuala Lumpur facility as a "low-cost offering" that will help each worldwide location create quality content at scale. 

Capabilities will include film, audio, print, photographic and digital production, with dedicated teams supporting the integrated delivery of content for retail and ecommerce platforms.

"Building better brand experiences means rethinking how content is managed," Yannick Bolloré, CEO of Havas Group, said in a release. "Now that digital is fully integrated into everything we do, it is content’s turn to become an organic part of our approach. By partnering with Wellcom we are now able to provide our clients with the best production capabilities in the industry. The deal also strengthens our ties with Wellcom’s mother company Innocean, with whom we have a long and fruitful history.”

All clients, from the smallest to the biggest brands, need "smarter, more agile, more bespoke and more cost-effective solutions", added Chris Hirst, Global CEO of Havas Creative. "This new, global micro-network of studios, launching today but very much with the future in mind, doesn’t just allow us to go toe-to-toe with anyone, but offers clients an innovative, technology-first solution they genuinely can’t find anywhere else.” 

Ward said the move creates a "technology-first, plug-and-play content business" that leapfrogs the competition.

The companies said Wellcom’s proprietary, cloud-based Knowledgewell suite will be at the core of each studio. The suite, which includes marketing resource management, campaign management, digital asset management and workflow, will allow real-time collaboration by teams around the world under one P&L, according to a release.