Simon Joyce and Hayley Ritz Pelling.
Independent creative agency Emotive is blending its production and creative capabilities under one roof as ‘Emotive Productions’, launching as part of its plan to tackle AI production, growing client briefs and an oversaturated market.
Emotive Production is built on the experience of more than 130 productions delivered locally and globally, spanning film, content and brand experiences.
Emotive CEO and founder, Simon Joyce, told AdNews that creatives are now more than ever, influenced by the immense possibility of AI production.
“We’ve always done production, but when it comes to getting to the point of “this is the right time," now makes sense for where the market is in terms of AI,” Joyce told AdNews.
“Production can’t just sit downstream when AI is accelerating in craft.
“If more is possible because of AI, then the role of production needs to be employed within the whole ecosystem of how we work.
“If the production team is not properly immersed in how the idea will come from paid to earned, the creative idea will come out dysfunctional. Now, it's about bringing clients on that journey.”
Emotive Production’s capabilities are broken down into five pillars: AI Production, Motion & Static, Branded Entertainment, Events & Experiences and Influencer Co-Production.
Leading Emotive Productions is appointed general manager, Hayley Ritz Pelling, who steps into the role after more than a decade with the business, alongside a team including head of post Sam Gadsden, integrated executive producer Sophia Del and post producer Rebecca Love-Williams.
Also joining the team is integrated producer Kimm McTavish, who brings a decade of experience across TV, digital, social, print and experiential.
Pelling said that while these pillars aren't mutually exclusive, most ideas move fluidly across several of them.
"AI production expands what’s possible," she said.
"New formats, faster iteration and new ways into the idea, powered by internal capability and specialist partners.
"But as AI-generated content surpasses human made work, the challenge is ensuring what we create still connects with audiences. Using the tech to make more possible, for the right creative reasons.
"Motion and Static spans Film, VFX and photography. From big brand campaigns to fast-moving social first content that earns people's attention.
"Branded Entertainment includes longer form content people actively choose to spend time with. From original IP to scripted and unscripted formats, we develop and produce brand stories built for cultural relevance.
"Events & Experiences brings ideas into the real world, designed for connection.
"And Influencer co-production embeds ideas within culture through collaboration, not just distribution. Co-creating with talent makes the work more authentic and impactful."
The offering is further supported by investment in production infrastructure, including two edit suites at Emotive’s Coogee HQ, enabling end-to-end post production under one roof.
Alongside its core team, Emotive Productions works with a network of specialist partners across AI, directing, experiential, creators and entertainment, brought in when the idea calls for it.
Emotive chief creative officer, Gavin McLeod, said that the agency hasn't built itself on a legacy model.
"We’ve designed the business for where production is heading, not where it’s been," McLeod said.
"The biggest difference, though, is proximity to ideas.
"The production team is involved from the very beginning, working alongside creative to shape the idea itself, not just execute it. That means they help ideas evolve with a clear understanding of the formats, platforms and behaviours they need to live in.
"Our model reflects that. We work seamlessly with Emotive Creative Agency, but we've designed this to function as an extension of brands directly and other agency teams. In every case, the principle is the same.
"Production isn’t something that gets bolted on at the end. It does its best work when it’s embedded early, helping make the idea stronger from the start."
As part of having no legacy model, Joyce said there’s a change in the idea of ‘traditional media’, where traditional models are being replaced with earned-led, social-led and more complex ecosystems.
“Bigger production requirements, broader capability because of how the idea is going to travel,” he said.
“No other production company is offering this breadth of skills where it is all under the one roof, but it must be a connected ecosystem in how you make that work.
“If you’re making something experiential alongside your motion, influence and production teams, it all needs to work as one."
Clients are expecting higher-quality work with less cost and less time.
“Outside of the big campaigns, there’s also a rise in content strategy for clients where they’ve got their internal creative teams, and sometimes they need only a production company," Joyce said.
“Clients want simplicity, and this makes it more cost effective as well.”
Emotive have approached AI with an early-adapting mindset. The aim is to balance human connection with work that's effective.
“More content doesn’t mean more connection. You’ve got people filtering harder than ever in is it AI, is it not? And there’s still an AI resistance out there,” Joyce said.
“To be truly connected as a brand can be really challenging.
“If I’m only using AI for speed efficiency and cost savings, then I’m not typically going to create that connection to consumers.”
Last year, Emotive became fully independent, with ARN Media selling its holding back to the creative agency founders.
Emotive also celebrated a decade in the business.
Joyce said that part of being independent is the autonomy to make decisions, like Emotive Productions, that a holding company may be restricted from.
“We’ll never sell this business,” Joyce said.
“This is not about driving a sale, it’s about what is needed in this industry.
“Blending production, AI and creative will become increasingly normal.
“You think of how much has changed within the last four months to what’s going to be possible in five years and how high the bar in creative work is to come.
"We started with just creative, but now we’re creative, design, earned, social, influence, PR alongside the five pillars of our production company, and we’re able to do even more.
“I like to think what we’re doing now is representing the depth of opportunity for a creative company.”
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