Independent integrated agency Trouble Maker Group has acquired branded entertainment production studio The Outfit as part of its ongoing strategy to provide entertainment-led content to brands.
With clients including Channel 4, HelloFresh, Ring, McDonald’s and Estee Lauder, The Outfit brings expertise and capabilities in entertainment storytelling, formats and campaigns, plus an in-house production studio. The Outfit’s team will continue to be led by founders Charlie Read and Niall Murdoch, previously part of the team that founded 4Creative – Channel 4’s creative agency.
Jonathan Fraser CSO and Co-founder at Trouble Maker, commented: “Developing entertainment strategies is becoming one of the fastest growing and increasingly important areas for brands, particularly category challengers, that want to ‘outsmart not outspend’ the competition.
“We have been impressed by the creativity and calibre of work from The Outfit team and have been working together for some time already. Welcoming them officially as part of the Trouble Maker family is very exciting and will take our work in creating entertaining advertising and content for brands to the next level.”
Trouble Maker will be using The Outfit to launch a standalone production studio – offering clients the ability to produce cost-effective entertainment-led content at scale. The Outfit’s partnerships with broadcast and streaming platforms provides brands with a unique route to both create and distribute everything from short-form social content through to a co-funded long-form television series. The acquisition will also empower brands with access to an extensive talent network featuring some of the world’s most famous faces across TV, film, and culture.
Charlie Read at The Outfit, said: “We are all thrilled and excited to be joining Trouble Maker. We’re looking forward to building on our established reputation for reaching and engaging audiences through innovative entertainment formats and having a platform to take our skills and expertise to the next level both in the UK and internationally.”
The acquisition is Trouble Maker’s first since the agency was founded in 2019, kickstarting a wider acquisition plan for 2025.
