DURHAM — McKinney is heading west, opening a new office in Los Angeles after acquiring a part of Operam, a tech and media firm in Hollywood. And the new operation will have some high-profile clients as it begins operations with Orion and Amazon Studios as well as other firms already as clients.
McKinney is adding Operam Creative Group to its arsenal as a creative and media agency with the deal. Financial terms of the deal that was announced Friday were not disclosed.
McKinney
“We’re so excited to open on the West Coast as McKinney LA,” McKinney’s Janet Northern, partner and director of communications, says. The firm sees big business potential in a market teaming with stars, entertainment companies and big brands.
“We have always felt the McKinney brand translates well in Los Angeles and Hollywood. With the team led by Sylvain Tron, we had a lot to McKinney’s offerings.”
The office is the third for McKinney, which is based in Durham and has other operations in New York.
“With the move, McKinney looks to better serve prospective West Coast clients, expand its capabilities in social media, data-driven creative and content creation, and establish a foothold in LA’s hotbed of technology, culture and entertainment,”‘ the company explains.
Tron, who launched the Operam Creative Croup two years ago, will run the McKinney LA operation.
The deal reunites Tron and McKinney CEO Joe Maglio, who have known each other for years and worked together in the past, Northern says.
“McKinney is a household name in the world of advertising and creativity,” Tron said in a statement. “It became clear in my conversations with Joe that their ambitious approach to growth would allow us to join a longstanding family of passionate people. The acquisition provides us the opportunity to scale the work we’ve been doing at Operam, continuing to deliver modern creative solutions based on today’s media behaviors.”
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Maglio said the deal targets the wealth of talent in Hollywood and Los Angeles.
“There is so much creative talent in LA, in and around our industry,” said Maglio. “What Sylvain has built over the last two years is a testament to that; the McKinney LA office has an amazing group of people who have come from the advertising, social media and entertainment industries.”
He added that a “West Coast presence will open up conversations with potential client partners in a whole new way.”
Tron has an extensive background in the creative and media industries.
“While at Operam, Tron has built its creative capabilities in assembling a team of strategists, multidisciplinary creatives, content creators, account managers, and producers,” McKinney notes. “Prior to joining Operam, Tron was head of content for Havas North America, working with clients across all industries, including the Cannes Lion–winning effort for Bob Dylan Studio A Revisited. Tron previously worked at R/GA with clients such as Nike, Google and Capital One.”
