NorthSouth Productions, the production company behind truTV’s Impractical Jokers and TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta is expanding its purview into branded content and other creative services via a partnership with Hearst Entertainment.

The new company is named Good Kicks Media, and it will offer creative and production services for branded content, network promos and live activations.

Good Kicks already has produced brand-related work for Marvel, Range Rover, Progresso, ESPN, and Discovery Networks.

“We’ve been building popular media content for networks for 18 years,” said NorthSouth Productions CEO Charlie DeBevoise in a statement. “With the launch of Good Kicks, we’re spreading that success directly to brands.”

“NorthSouth is one of those rare creative shops that have produced highly-rated and long-lasting formats across various genres, audiences and networks,” added Hearst Entertainment President Neeraj Khemlani, also in a statement. “Charlie and his talented team are now bringing that network quality polish to the branded content, promo and experiential marketing universe.”

To jumpstart the branded-content division, DeBevoise has joined forces with Dean Crago, principal of SharpKnife Productions and former executive producer of New York-based post-production house Reveal 42.

Crago, who will serve as head of branded content, brings more than 20 years of branded content development experience and a long list of top-tier clients, including Johnson & Johnson, Listerine, Aveeno, Coca-Cola, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Sylvan Learning, Outback Steakhouse, Oral B, Crest, NASCAR, ESPN, Showtime Networks, HBO and JPMorgan Chase.

Good Kicks has also tapped the promo market by hiring veteran artists, directors and editors David Klinkowicz and Keith Crago.

Good Kicks’ live activations arm is a branded adaptation of the events NorthSouth produces for networks. The company produced a high-wire act in the middle of downtown Manhattan for an Impractical Jokers season finale that attracted 3,000 onlookers and gave TruTV high ratings and impressions. For another event, the company partnered with Nitro Circus to fill a stadium with 5,000 fans.

Tags: good kicks media hearst entertainment northsouth productions


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