Sid Lee is moving in with Movember. The agency is set to open a new outpost within the organization’s offices in Culver City, California.
Branded Sid Lee L.A., the office marks the third time the Montreal-based agency has set up shop in the U.S. It follows Sid Lee New York, opened in 2012, and Sid Lee Austin, a short-lived venture opened in 2011 that the agency shut down when it lost Dell as a client.
Sid Lee also has offices in Amsterdam, Paris, Toronto and Calgary.
While Sid Lee L.A. will act as an internal agency for Movember, a pro bono client, the new L.A. office will also serve other brands Sid Lee works with in the U.S., including Adidas, Facebook, 99 Cent Only Stores and Cirque du Soleil.
According to Sid Lee USA CEO and senior partner Will Travis, the agency has expanded its relationship with 99 Cent Only Stores in the U.S. and also has an “expanded relationship” with long-time client Cirque du Soleil south of the border, prompting it to look for a permanent space in California.
“We have been searching for the right opportunity to launch our presence on the west coast for six months now,” Travis said in a release. “After several conversations with the executive team of The Movember Foundation, we decided supporting the charity was just the right way to land, extending the agency’s 20 year belief in investing our strategic and creative resources behind causes where hiring an international agency partner just wouldn’t be viable.”
The new office will be led by Nicolas Van Erum, who will be assuming the role of managing partner, and Kristian Manchester, a partner and creative director. According to a story in The New York Times, Sid Lee L.A. will host 16-20 employees.
The agency plans to stay within Movember’s office in L.A. “until further growth demands otherwise.” Travis said any future expansion may also be together with the organization.
In The New York Times story, Travis also hinted that Sid Lee would consider opening an office in San Francisco “at some point.”
Photo (top): Mark Fewell, senior vice president of Movember, Nicolas Van Erum, managing partner of Sid Lee L.A., Will Travis, left, chief executive of Sid Lee USA.
