Stagwell has launched Unreasonable Studios (UNR), a new production company that combines three of its creative agencies—Anomaly Content & Entertainment (ACE), Locaria and Wolfgang Studios—into one global team.
ACE is the entertainment division of Anomaly, focused on original films, series and branded storytelling. Locaria is a London-based agency that helps brands adapt content for different languages and cultures. Wolfgang Studios offers production, photography, and design services, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Detroit.
Justin Barocas, a co-founder of ACE, will lead UNR as CEO and executive producer. The company will have about 200 full-time staff and more than 1,200 freelance collaborators, operating out of over 60 offices worldwide. UNR will produce everything from short social videos to full-length films.
“At Stagwell, we’ve been taking steps to invest in efficient, centralized content production services that help us scale client deliverables in record time,” Stagwell chairman and CEO Mark Penn said in a statement. “We are seeing the meaningful impact of our investment as we stand up our own award-winning production unit to strengthen creative content deliverables, while differentiating ourselves in the marketplace.”
UNR’s work will span live-action ads, documentaries, photography, social content, post-production, and design, as well as translating and adapting campaigns for global audiences.
“UNR Studios occupies a rare position in the industry,” Barocas said. “In Unreasonable fashion, we bridge the gap between the entertainment and brand worlds, going from high-value to high-volume at high speed, delivering everything from original documentaries for distributors like Netflix to generative tech driven scaled content for global brands—all under one roof.”
Early clients include Nike, Louis Vuitton, Marriott, Carhartt, Starbucks, and Topgolf.
“For the past decade, we’ve been fortunate to collaborate closely with ACE on branded content and consumer engagement activations,” said Susan Hennike, chief brand officer of Carhartt. “We’re excited to build on that partnership and tap into their expanded capabilities in entertainment and talent partnerships, now as Unreasonable Studios.”
UNR is already producing three long-form projects: Sail, an IMAX film about the 2024 America’s Cup; Learning to Fly, a documentary about ultra-running backed by Hoka; and The Truth & Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, a Netflix documentary on the late pro cyclist.
