Havas acquired a majority stake in San Francisco-based creative agency Camp + King. The shop joins a Havas North America roster that includes Arnold and Battery, in addition to several Havas offices across the U.S.
Founders Jamie King and Roger Camp will continue to lead the agency across its operations in San Francisco and Chicago as CEO and CCO, respectively. Camp + King plans to expand its Chicago offering and adapt a Havas Village model in San Francisco with the goal of bringing together creative and media capabilities.
“At Havas, we believe competitive advantage is multiplied by gaining an unfair share of talent. That’s exactly what we get from Camp + King, which brings the agility of a boutique shop with the output of a big agency,” Havas North American executive managing partner Stephanie Nerlich said in a statement. “And with leaders like Jamie and Roger, we’re continuing to build out our constellation of stars. We couldn’t be more excited to grow our partnership with them and, in parallel, help fuel their ambitions for the future.”
The acquisition marks one of the first key moves by Nerlich since taking on responsibilities for Havas’ creative agencies in North America with the departure of Havas Creative North America chairman and CEO Paul Marobella this July.
Camp + King’s relationship with Havas dates back to its inception. King served as president of Euro RSCG Chicago (now Havas Chicago) until 2010, before launching Camp + King with a minority investment from Havas in 2011, along with Camp. The agency developed its first campaign for Old Navy, with help from Havas’ resources.
“Havas has been a part of Camp + King since the beginning. We turn 10 in 2021, and on the eve of that milestone, Roger and I sat down with Havas to discuss our next phase of growth. Their interest in fueling independent creativity and including us as an asset to expand, differentiate and power their portfolio is what excited us,” King explained in a statement. “We are looking forward to the evolution of our partnership and doing even greater things together.”
“We have worked in partnership with Camp + King for nearly a decade, watching this agency produce bold work and win big clients,” added Havas Group chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré. “Now, I’m thrilled to officially welcome them to the Havas family.”