HERFF JONES ACCELERATES COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION THROUGH EXPANDED RELATIONSHIP WITH STAGECLIP

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Herff Jones, the achievement division of Varsity Brands and the leading provider of graduation and educational products and services, today announced a strategic investment in StageClip, the market leader of personalized video recognition clips for students as well as the world's largest virtual graduation platform.  The investment includes an exclusive multi-year commercial agreement that allows all Herff Jones and Varsity Brands customers to exclusively utilize StageClip technology for the benefit of their institution's brand and students across North America.

The two companies have been collaborating since 2020, and this extended partnership will create new opportunities to better serve the needs of their collective customer base in the K-12 and college markets, outside of virtual ceremonies.

"This strategic and exclusive partnership enables Herff Jones and StageClip to continue offering schools and students a truly differentiated offering that helps ensure they capture, celebrate and share the treasured milestones that are so central to the school experience," said Brian Fleming, Herff Jones' Senior Vice President and General Manager of College and Commercial. "The combination of StageClip's state-of-the-art platform and our strong relationships with schools allows us to deliver a great branding tool for campuses at commencement -- their single largest public-facing event outside of athletics. This also provides schools with an industry-leading tool to foster alumni relations and capitalize on those deep and meaningful alumni relationships."

Mr. Fleming continued, "Today's announcement further signals a 'new day' at Herff Jones where investments in innovation, new technology and superior customer service drive our work. We are thrilled that students and schools across the country are the ultimate beneficiaries of this strategy and are grateful to StageClip for the spirit of partnership."

StageClip co-Founders Rupert Forsythe and Mark Andrew, said, "Herff Jones' investment in StageClip is powerful validation for our technology and progress in the marketplace and we are thrilled to reinforce the existing partnership and gain access to the broader Varsity Brands platform. Aligning our client-centric and innovative businesses creates a unique environment for new services and product offerings to flourish, which is central to our underlying commitment to the customers and communities we proudly serve."

StageClip's patent-protected technology has enabled over one million StageClip graduates across the world to receive personalized clips capturing their live, on stage graduation moments. Students receive their school branded clips shortly after their graduation to instantly share on social media with their friends and families.

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of innovating moves that underscore Herff Jones' commitment to delivering on its mission. This includes last year's exclusive, multi-year partnership with Canva, the world's fastest growing online design platform, that will bring unprecedented collaboration, creativity and customizable resources

to Herff Jones' core yearbook product. New ring styles, like the Celestial Collection – a new line of sophisticated and professional avante-garde styles -- also demonstrate how Herff Jones is delivering on the wishes of students.

Interested customers should work with their local sales office to learn more about the advantages of this elevated partnership and join the webinar on February 10. To register, click here: https://www.herffjones.com/stageclip-webinar/. More information can also be found online via https://www.herffjones.com/stageclip/.

ABOUT HERFF JONES 
Indianapolis-based Herff Jones is the leading provider of handcrafted graduation and educational products and services designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. A division of Varsity Brands, Herff Jones' range of quality products include class rings and jewelry, caps and gowns, yearbooks, diplomas, frames and announcements as well as motivation and recognition programs. Focused on building long-term relationships through a nationwide network of over 2,000 employees and sales partners, the professionals at Herff Jones have been helping elevate the student experience throughout the lifelong journey of education for more than 101 years. For more information about Herff Jones or Varsity Brands, please visit www.herffjones.com or www.varsitybrands.com. Varsity Brands is a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity.

About STAGECLIP
StageClip is committed to sharing life's big moments, including graduations, team sports, performances, awards, and more through personalized video. Since 2016, StageClip has enabled event organizers to create and share personalized video clips for instant download and sharing on social media. With a diverse team of professionals from across the globe, StageClip has helped schools, colleges and partners worldwide to deliver more than 1 million personalized video clips to graduates to share and enjoy with their loved ones while generating exponential social media reach and increasing student and alumni engagement for institutions. For more information, visit https://stageclip.com.

MEDIA CONTACT
Bailey Briscoe – [email protected]

SOURCE Herff Jones