Film and TV Studio STX Entertainment Selects Horizon Media as Agency of Record

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Apr 17, 2015, 01:05 ET

BURBANK, Calif., April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- STX Entertainment has selected Horizon Media as its Agency of Record, it was announced today by Oren Aviv, President and Chief Content Officer for the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group, and Jack Pan, President of Marketing for the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group. Horizon Media will handle all aspects of media planning and buying – including strategic approach, market research & analytics, and partnerships & integrations – for the major studio as STX Entertainment launches 2 films this year and 12-15 films each year thereafter.

As the landscape of media opportunities expand and consumer viewing behavior continues to trend towards multi-platform use including substantial increases in digital, mobile and on-demand experiences, STX Entertainment will orchestrate fully integrated campaigns with an eye towards more refined, data-driven and technology-enhanced television targeting; video everywhere extensions; first-to-market opportunities; native and new forms of advertising; and cross-platform media stunts and executions.

STX Entertainment will be a significant media buyer, spending in the range of $350-$400 million a year in traditional, digital and emerging media to support its motion picture slate annually.

As STX Entertainment's Agency of Record, Horizon will begin planning and buying all media under the strategic guidance of STX executives - including broadcast, cable, syndicated, local and addressable television; digital, mobile and social media; streaming and terrestrial radio; out-of-home; print; video-on-demand, and other emerging media.

In making the announcement, Aviv said, "As a new and growing studio, we want our marketing and media imprint to be innovative, impactful and enterprising. We met with many agencies, and we selected Horizon because they are most in-sync with our desire to push the boundaries of what is possible today within the media landscape. There are many dynamic and imaginative ways to get your message out beyond the conventional :30 second spot. As we fine tune the media mix, bridging traditional outlets with digital, social and mobile, we believe we have found the right team and the most compatible partner to represent the STX Entertainment brand."

Pan added, "When it came to a decision about an agency, we went with the company that has the best leadership team in the business. Horizon gave us the most strategic, creative and thoughtful ideas and the most impactful yet efficient plans. They impressed us with their sophisticated approach to television, their progressive stance to digital, and their advanced capabilities to research and analytics. The ambition, integrity and agility that makes them the largest independent media agency in the world also makes them the perfect fit for STX."

The STX account will be overseen by Serena Duff (EVP General Manager, Western Region), Eric Geiger (SVP, Managing Director) and Erin Foxworthy (SVP, Managing Director, Innovation and Partnerships) in Horizon's Los Angeles-based office. Amy Elkins, STX's head of Media and Marketing Innovation, will oversee the Horizon relationship and drive media strategy, mix, flighting, integrations, and upfront negotiations. Worldwide digital marketing and technology head Andrew Runyon will collaborate with Elkins to strategize on and steward digital media.

"We know how competitive this process was and we are enormously proud to represent STX Entertainment and their diverse slate of motion pictures," said Horizon Founder and CEO Bill Koenigsberg. "The executive team at the studio is as marketing savvy as any client we have ever worked with and they have the kind of high quality programming that will make for exciting media opportunities in the months and years ahead."

About STX Entertainment

STX Entertainment is a fully-integrated motion picture and television studio specializing in the production, marketing, and distribution of talent-driven films and television programming. The multi-platform studio is rapidly moving to include digital production and distribution, in addition to gaming. It is the first major studio to be launched at this scale in Hollywood in more than twenty years.

STX Entertainment is led by prolific businessman Robert Simonds and was co-founded by TPG Capital, a leading global private investment firm with $65 billion of capital under management. In addition to backing from TPG Capital, additional investors include blue chip financial partner Hony Capital, a leading private equity firm in China; and business interests of Gigi Pritzker and Beau Wrigley, among others.

STX Entertainment recently announced its first four theatrical release dates. On July 31, 2015, the studio will release The Gift contemporary psychological thriller from Jason Blum's Blumhouse, written and directed by Joel Edgerton and starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Edgerton. Secret in Their Eyes will be released on October 23, 2015. The crime thriller is written and directed by Billy Ray and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. On January 22, 2016, STX will release The Boy, a horror film from director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside), written by Stacey Menear and starring Lauren Cohan ("The Walking Dead"). And March 11, 2016, brings the release of the epic action-drama The Free State of Jones, starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Mahershala Ali from writer-director and 4-time Academy Award nominee Gary Ross.

About Horizon Media
Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world's ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100-year history of the 4As, the marketing industry's leading trade association.

The company's mission is "To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere." By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.2 billion and over 1000 employees.

The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Steve Elzer
Elzer & Associates on behalf of STX Entertainment
[email protected]
(213) 607-3591

Kaya Lobaczewski
Horizon Media
[email protected]
(212) 220-2102

SOURCE STX Entertainment