EXCLUSIVE: BAFTA-winning comedy writer James Menzies and ad agency creative director Rob Bovington are launching a studio focused on comedy-led entertainment.
Based out of the UK, Pointy Stick will make content for brands, broadcasters and streaming services. The founders say the company will operate “where advertising and entertainment now increasingly collide.”
Pointy Stick launches with clients such as the Royal Ballet and Opera and Beavertown Brewery, with plans to work with filmmakers and in TV, radio, podcasts, social and OOH advertising.
Co-founder Menzies has written on the likes of BBC comedy Murder in Successville, which won a BAFTA, and for NBC, Channel 4, Amazon Prime and Sky programs. Bovington, meanwhile, is an executive creative director with a client list includes The AA, Budweiser, Volkswagen, SMARTY, Nespresso and HSBC.
“Rob and I were basically like neighbours who would nod and wink at each other over the garden fence and admire each other’s topiary, but increasingly with the direction that the TV and advertising industries are moving, that garden fence no longer exists,” said Menzies.
Bovington added: “I’ve always believed advertising is best served funny, and when it comes to great comedy writing, James is easily one of the best in the business. The combination of our disciplines gives us a superpower that very few can offer.”
The founding team is joined by Rebecca Fennelly, who will be Growth Director. She has held senior leadership roles at global media agency Brainlabs, Fanbytes and social media content group JOE Media. Fennelly will lead Pointy Stick’s brand and growth strategy, working closely with Bovington and Menzies to build long-term relationships in advertising and entertainment worlds..
“I was struck by how Rob and James are bringing two worlds together that are closely linked but rarely meet properly,” said Fennelly. “When rigorous brand thinking meets real comedy craft the work stops feeling like advertising and starts behaving like entertainment. That’s incredibly powerful for brands trying to show up meaningfully in culture.”
Pointy Stick isn’t the only British production company to launch with a focus on bringing entertainment and advertising together, as producers seek new revenues streams amid a continually challenged market. Two years ago, we told you about House of Oddities, an agency that debuted with a plan to bring TV commissioning and branded content closer together.
We’re also seeing more and more brands and creators launching content direct to consumer, with production houses increasingly seeking to do the same to bypass the commissioning process and launch new formats.
The Pointy Stick founders also recently co-written a book, ‘One Hundred Things Nobody Has Ever Said’, which is due for publication later this year.