The Riot Act – Our Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to the November issue of the Riot Act. It’s been a barnstorming month for our agency, with campaign launches, news announcements and new client acquisitions to boot. Check these out:

New client win: OKRE

We triumphed in a five-way pitch to represent OKRE (Opening Knowledge across Research and Entertainment), a new global hub of expertise incubated at Wellcome. Building on Wellcome’s work in Broadcast, Games and Film, OKRE connects research, entertainment and social impact professionals, to fuel the development of fresh ideas in both content and research, in order to expand our understanding of the world. Our first job was to launch the organisation and announce Lucy Prebble as the recipient of the Wellcome Screenwriting Fellowship earlier this week. Read more here.

Aardman and Netflix announce holiday special, Robin Robin

Last week, we deployed our corporate communications expertise, helping our client Aardman announce news of its ground-breaking new stop-motion musical Robin Robin which will be shown on Netflix in 2020. It’s the first time Aardman have created new IP for Netflix, and our full-page Guardian exclusive was then picked up around the world. Watch this space for further heart-warming updates on the robin adopted by a family of mice…

Record-breaking year for Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting

In our first year working with Bruntwood and the Royal Exchange Theatre, our unconventional approach resulted in helping the playwriting prize achieve the highest level of entrants and engagement since it began in 2005, as well as smashing our media relations targets. Unpicking the original brief, our intelligent, disruptive questioning enabled us to get to the heart of what the client wanted to achieve. Working with the in-house team across media, talent, online and social, we helped secure a 115% uplift on entries to date, including increases in traditionally underrepresented demographics. Our work culminated in the announcement of this year’s winner, Phoebe Eclair-Powell, for whom we secured interviews across a variety of national media outlets, many new to the Prize. Bosh!

Happy 40th anniversary London Review of Books

The LRB throw a good party, and for their 40th, we headed to Banqueting Hall in Whitehall for an evening of celebration with some of the paper’s supporters, old and new. As the gin flowed, Editor at Large, Andrew O’Hagan treated guests to highlights from the past four decades before a toast was raised to their legendary Editor, Mary-Kay Willmers (pictured). A paper bucking the trend of declining print sales, we are proud to be the LRB’s retained agency, helping showcase fine long-from writing – here’s to the next 40 years!

When Hephzie met Björn

Our lucky colleague, Hephzie, led a press trip to Sweden for our client, The Astrid Lindgren Company, as part of our work to raise awareness of Pippi Longstocking and her creator ahead of Pippi’s 75th in May 2020. Media were treated to a few days in Stockholm with partners Visit Sweden, taking in a tour of Lindgren’s apartment, a conversation with Pussy Riot members about art and activism, and a meeting with the legendary Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, at the announcement of his brand new Pippi circus musical, which opens next summer. The rest of us were very jealous…

News in brief:

We helped Artemis Fowl creator and all-round top bloke Eoin Colfer launch The Fowl Twins; provided consultancy and media relations expertise for the Rebel Girls team upon launch of two new titles; and worked with The Duchess of Cornwall and Clarence House to announce Moomin Characters’ sponsorship of The Royal Commonwealth Society’s essay writing competition.

Riot Recommends

Looking for cultural inspiration? Here are our top (non-Riot related therefore unbiased!) picks – you’re welcome!

Book your tickets for All Points East (May 2020), where Tame Impala will be headlining the Saturday. Get cosy on the sofa and watch Modern Love (what started as a New York Times column is now a must-see Amazon Prime show). We’re campaigning for a West-End transfer of National Theatre Wales’ production of On Bear Ridge, starring Rhys Ifans. And finally, Steve McQueen’s Year 3 project can be seen at the Tate or on a billboard near you.