Green Square advises Sidekick on its acquisition by Stagwell’s San Francisco based Allison

28th February 2024

Marcoms group Stagwell has acquired London-based Sidekick, an agency collective with skills in experiential marketing, digital storytelling and branded content and will combine it with its San Francisco-based global marketing and comms consultancy Allison.

The Sidekick Group, an award-winning collective of specialist agencies, was launched in 2021 when experiential agency Kreate and content agency Many Makers joined forces. Kreate delivers ‘real-world’ activations to clients, specialising in brand experience and live events. Many Makers is a video and brand content agency that uses digital storytelling including social media, video production, gamification and AR/VR content.

Sidekick Co-founders Duncan McCaslin and Ollie Burgoyne will remain as Managing Directors of their respective teams and both will join Allison’s European management team.

Scott Allison, Global Chairman of Allison, commented:

“After a successful period of collaboration with the Sidekick team, we are delighted to have them officially join the Allison family. The organisation that the Sidekick founders have built together with their colleagues delivers an impressive suite of services that complements those already offered by Allison and leads with a strong and supportive culture that aligns with our own. As we continue to expand our operations throughout Europe, Sidekick will form an integral part of this growth story.”

Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell, commented:

“Sidekick is at the forefront of storytelling and will be essential to the alternative to legacy marketing networks we are building in Europe. As we embark on our next chapter in Europe, I’m excited to welcome Duncan and Ollie to our network and see Allison continue to transform its content innovation capabilities.”

Duncan McCaslin and Ollie Burgoyne, Co-founders and Joint MDs, Sidekick, commented:

“The acquisition represents a significant leap forward in the growth of Sidekick and our people. Having seen our collective teams work successfully together over the last year or so, we knew that joining with Allison and Stagwell was the logical next step. We see this as the perfect time to combine forces, further enhancing our collective capabilities and ensuring that we continue to deliver outstanding results for our clients.

Green Square were by our sides throughout the process, working seamlessly with our lawyers and accountants. Green Square’s approach involves the careful balance of managing the process, driving things forward, keeping a close eye on the detail, with understanding the human side of doing a deal – their deep experience helped navigate us and the team through twists and turns we hadn’t encountered before.”

Nick Berry, Partner, Green Square commented:

“Working with Duncan, Ollie and the team at Sidekick has been a great experience. The strength of the relationship and strategic fit with Allison is clear to see. Given their longstanding commercial partnership, and the exciting prospect of joining the Stagwell family, there is immense potential for dynamic growth and maximising Sidekick’s expertise. As always, we look forward to working with everyone as the journey continues”.

Stagwell

Allison Worldwide

Sidekick

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