Animation, design, and live-action production agency Psyop has acquired media studio Content & Co.
As a result of the acquisition, Content & Co’s existing talent relationships, which include first-look deals with showrunners will become part of Psyop, as it also expands to offer branded content development to a list of services that also includes commercial direction, production, animation, ideation, AR, and technology services.
“As we all know, the best marketing blurs the lines between entertainment and advertising. This acquisition furthers our efforts to do just that,” Psyop co-founder and director Todd Mueller (pictured above) told AgencySpy, explaining that Psyop sees the acquisition as “as an extension of our creative offering that now expands our capability into TV and digital series,” giving it “a world-class, long-form content creation team within our fold.”
“The combination of Content & Co’s production overall development (pod) deals with Psyop’s already formidable talent base of directors, artists, and creative technologists will create a more diverse offering for existing and future clients to make the most engaging stories for every platform,” Content & Co founder and president Stuart McLean (pictured left) added. “Content & Co’s multichannel distribution capability will also provide additional benefit to Psyop clients who are looking to reach their audiences at scale.:
As part of a global realignment strategy, Psyop is also officially joining forces with sister company Blacklist, consolidating executive leadership and sales teams. Both Psyop and Blacklist will continue to operate as separate entities, with Psyop operating as a roster of individuals and Blacklist as a roster of studio partners and directors.
Additionally, Psyop closed its minority purchase of London-based production company Golden Wolf.
“The ad industry is shifting directly to talent. More and more clients are looking to go straight to the creative source when it comes to content creation. We are that source,” Mueller said.
“At its core, Psyop is a storytelling and content creation studio. We have writers, showrunners, directors, designers, animation, and post-production all in-