Integrated AI expertise, international studio builds, and key hires set to bolster the offering.
(New York, NY) Aug 12, 2024 – The world’s largest communications firm, Edelman, has made key strategic investments to scale its global production capability, as the offering reports 6% growth year over year. With the aim of developing a connected global production network, the firm has made the following moves:
- Patrick Sidoti has been elevated to Global Chief Production Officer, having previously overseen Edelman’s US operations.
- Edelman has welcomed award winning generative producer, Gabe Michael as VP, Executive Producer of AI.
- The firm has invested in five state-of-the-art studio builds and production stages in its Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Mumbai and Bogotá offices. Equipped to chase the sun, the studios are geographically optimized for expedited asset delivery and creatively optimized for culturally resonant and locally relevant content.
- Together with Global Studio Leads, Natalia Villegas and Ryan Curtis, Sidoti and Michael have engineered a new business model powered by turnkey AI integrations, that will scale Edelman Production globally, enhancing both its production craft and volume and equipping clients with wholly owned content.
“Edelman Production has been on a significant growth trajectory for the last year, in both revenue and capability” says Tristan Roy, Edelman’s Global Chief Digital Officer and Global Chief Operating Officer for Edelman Solutions. “As evidenced by our record-setting performance at Cannes Lions, our production capability is delivering award-winning and industry-shaping work at the speed of culture. We’re now focused on scaling that success, efficiency, innovation and craft globally, driven by Pat’s vision and operating model.”
“The use of AI to scale our production capability was never an either-or scenario,” says Patrick Sidoti. “Edelman Production was an early adopter and we learned quickly that there’s no magic button when it comes to integrating AI into production workstreams. That may change in the future, but for now it remains an incredibly manual process. Every pitch we're seeing is ‘how can you make this more efficient with AI?’. Our goal with the new AI-enhanced business model is to produce even more for our clients.”
Key to this next phase for Edelman Production is the agency’s core philosophy that every interaction with AI should be a trustworthy one. In his newly created role, Michael is responsible for vetting the hundreds of AI tools for production integration, prioritizing those with the best data protection and safety standards for clients. The collective ambition of the enterprise is to develop a localized approach to creating content that clients can then own for publishing and training generative models.
“There was no role like this being offered anywhere else. The fact Edelman was even hiring for it, indicates how forward thinking we are in terms of AI integration and building for the long-term, both for ourselves and for clients,” says Gabe Michael. “We’re enhancing the full funnel of the production process and reimagining the creative process along the way.”
Edelman Production employs over 250 people globally and is comprised of two departments, one houses a slate of integrated producers, and the other artists, makers, directors, and animators. Its largest clients include Unilever and Microsoft. The team’s most recognized work includes Dove’s Code My Crown, which picked up a Gold, two Silvers and a Bronze at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, and DP World’s Move to Minus 15, which won a Titanium Lion, Edelman’s first.