Liz Murdoch and Jane Featherstone’s Sister Group has taken a minority stake in brands and advertising specialist Common Interest. The two organizations have agreed a strategic partnership and are already working together.
Founded by Anthony Freedman, agencies including Amplify, 21st Century Brand and Baby Teeth are part of Common Interest. Sister Group, meanwhile, houses Black Doves prodco Sister Pictures, unscripted outfit Yes Yes Media, Locksmith Animation, and factual specialist Dorothy Street among others.
Sister Group and Common Interest said they are already collaborating on projects and will build a slate of IP that exists on multiple platforms and is backed by brands.
It is the third deal in recent months for Sister Group, which Murdoch and Featherstone set up in 2019, and has Lucinda Hicks as CEO. It has already acquired After Party Studios and cut a programming deal with Amol Rajan.
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Freedman said: “This partnership is more than a meeting of minds, it’s a real commitment from both sides, to prove that brands can be part of shaping entertainment without compromising on what audiences love.”
“Connecting Sister’s creative diversity and track record in storytelling with Common Interest’s deep knowledge of brand strategy, culture and commercial relationships can demonstrate what’s possible when you stop treating entertainment and brand as different conversations,” added Hick.
In a joint statement, Murdoch and Featherstone said that Common Interest is a natural fit with Sister. “Their deep commitment to entertainment and brand strategies that people actually care about, mirrors the values of creative excellence, authorship and risk-taking intrinsic to Sister. We’re not just aligned on paper, but underway on some great ideas where the potency of that combination is very apparent.”